Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an
indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by
the Sejm for nine-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Citizens
Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL-RNP
[Artur BALAZS]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Leszek MILLER];
Freedom Union or UW [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; German Minority of Lower
Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw
KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI];
Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland or ROP [Jan OLSZEWSKI];
Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord
or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Bloc or PBL [Wojciech
MOJZESOWICZ]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI];
Samoobrona [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof
PIESIEWICZ]; Union of Labor or UP [Marek POL]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Maciej
MANICKI]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity
Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE,
CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest),
NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK,
UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Przemyslaw GRUDZINSKI chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 FAX: [1] (202) 328-6270 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher R. HILL embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw P1 mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, 5010 Warsaw Place, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch) telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000 FAX: [48] (22) 504-2951 consulate(s) general: Krakow
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the
flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white
Economy Poland
Economy - overview:
Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization
throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among
transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done. The
privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a
liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development
of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles
alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further
development. Poland's agricultural sector remains handicapped by
structural problems, surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and
lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive
sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently
initiated, have stalled due to a lack of political will on the part
of the government. Structural reforms in health care, education, the
pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger
than expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance
depends mainly on privatization of Poland's remaining state sector,
the reduction of state employment, and an overhaul of the tax code
to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers most of whom pay
no tax. The government's determination to enter the EU has shaped
most aspects of its economic policy and new legislation; in June
2003, 77% of the voters approved membership, now scheduled for May
2004. Improving Poland's export competitiveness and containing the
internal budget deficit are top priorities. Due to political
uncertainty, the zloty has recently depreciated in relation to the
euro and the dollar while currencies of the other euro-zone
aspirants have been appreciating. GDP per capita equals that of the
3 Baltic states.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $373.2 billion (2002 est.)