POLISH Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki today announced a package of measures intended to “de-Russify” the economy, curb inflation, protect jobs and resist Russian gas dependence.

“We will work towards de-Russifying the Polish and European economy, since Poland is today at the forefront of all the countries that are trying to inspire others to move away from a dependence on Russian gas, oil and coal,” he told reporters. 

The goal of the so-called “anti-Putin shield” was to resist “the impact of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s gas blackmail” and in particular to “prevent a rise in food prices”, he added.

Poland will invest three billion zlotys (RM2.93 billion) in the state-owned pipeline operator Gaz-System.

The firm is notably building a natural gas pipeline along the Baltic Sea floor that is due to supply Poles with Norwegian gas before the year’s end and ease the EU member’s dependence on Russian supplies. 

Asked about Russian coal purchases and a potential embargo, Morawiecki said he was waiting on “courageous decisions from the European Commission”.

He said Poland was looking to stock up in South Africa, Australia, Colombia, the United States or “everywhere” where Warsaw is not “blackmailed”. 

Morawiecki said the state would also act to contain the already strong uptick in food prices, with farmers to receive 500 zlotys per hectare of arable land and half that sum per hectare of pasture.

The financial help will be capped at 50ha per farm. 

The sum echoes the popular child allowance programme introduced by the governing conservatives promising families a monthly 500 zlotys for every child after the first. 

Poland’s head of government also singled out road haulage as another Polish industry impacted by the war in Ukraine and Western sanctions against Russia. – AFP, March 18, 2022.