Regulatory/market watch

摘要

1.The conservative-nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) government favours supporting the consolidation of the country's leading enterprises and maintaining state control over strategic assets. During 2020 state-controlled energy giant PKN Orlen embarked on several acquisitions, which will move it into the ranks of Europe's leading oil and gas companies.2.Since early 2020, the government has taken a series of measures to contain the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. It introduced drastic containment measures during April-May 2020 and from October 2020 onwards. Another national quarantine was introduced in December 2020 through end-January 2021. Following a slow start, the government has accelerated the pace of its vaccination campaign since January 2021.3.Poland's relationship to the EU has become increasingly contentious following the election of the current PiS government in 2015. As of end-January 2021, Poland was embroiled in confrontations with the EU over various issues, including the country's controversial reforms to the judiciary and refusal to comply with an EU resettlement scheme for refugees.4.The government also has adopted a series of measures to support workers and businesses amid the pandemic. These include subsidies for employee payroll, insurance and social contribution costs of employers. A highly ambitious "Anti-Crisis Shield" programme aims to stabilise the economy and protect investment, with an allocation of Zl100bn (around 4.5％ of Poland's GDP) for enterprises suffering a substantial decrease in revenue.5.A December 2020 agreement clarifying future EU-UK relations created a zero-tariff, zero-quota regime for products passing between them. However, exporters still face a more complex system of customs declarations, and the deal does not address several important areas, including data, border controls and financial services.