PM says Poland needs to stimulate economy on many levels

2020-04-15 20:15 update: 2020-04-17, 19:34
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Photo PAP/Paweł Supernak
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. Photo PAP/Paweł Supernak
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday that Poland needs activities to stimulate the economy on many levels and that the Local Government Roads Fund is an element of the fight against the coronavirus epidemic.

The prime minister said that together with a huge public investment programme, the government wanted also to earmark additional funds for local governments. 

Morawiecki said that although the coronavirus has dominated in recent weeks, it should not be forgotten that life still goes on. "We must rebuild and strengthen those parts of our economy that will help us, that will help the whole of society emerge from these economic problems that we have fallen into as a result of coronavirus," he said. 

The PM added that the strengthened Local Government Roads Fund is an important element of putting the country back on track. "It is an additional element of the fight against coronavirus, and especially the economic effects of coronavirus," he said.

"We need a counter-offensive, we need activities stimulating the economy on many levels. The Local Government Roads Fund is over 3 billion zloty (EUR 661 million) and that is not our final word," the PM continued, explaining that a huge public investment programme would earmark additional funds for local government.

"In order, together with local governments, but mostly with the support of public, central funds, money from the state budget, to transfer a certain developmental stimulus for local governments, for small and medium-sized companies," Morawiecki said. 

"We will certainly increase public debt because today the state budget and public debt are the main mechanisms of stimulating the economy," Morawiecki told a press conference. 

A detailed plan for the next week and an outline of proposals for the next phases of changes to restrictions for the following weeks will be announced on Thursday, Morawiecki said. 

Morawiecki added that the detailed plan would include proposals for changes to restrictions until "more or less the middle of May." (PAP)

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