FOLLOWING THE EUROPEAN UNION

And, don't forget all those right-age, qualified immigrants are going to want their 6 weeks vacation and 35-hour work week.

I know there's massive unemployment in Germany. What's the unemployment figures for France these days?

Turnout in the general elections at 4:30 in the afternoon, 3 and a half hours before the closing of the polling stations, amounted to 27.8%. In capital Warsaw it stood at over 37%

Exit polls point to Polish right win
From correspondents in Warsaw
26-09-2005
From: Agence France-Presse
POLAND'S conservative Catholic Law and Justice (PiS) reaped the most votes in the country's general elections overnight, with exit polls giving the party 28.26 per cent of votes cast.

Running a close second to PiS was the centre-right Civic Platform (PO), with 26.35 per cent, the exit polls, issued when voting ended at 8pm local time, showed.

According to exit polls, the conservative Law and Justice Party has polled 28% of the vote in Poland's General Election today. In second place is Civic Platform with 26 percent of the vote for the Sejm, the Polish parliament

Polish center-right parties triumph in electionsSun Sep 25, 2005 11:13 PM ET

By Tomasz Janowski

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's center-right parties crushed the ruling left in parliamentary elections, exit polls and early results showed on Monday, but faced tough coalition talks on splits over how far to go in embracing the free market.

Exit polls put the Law and Justice conservatives on 28 percent and their pro-business Civic Platform allies on 25-26 percent, the biggest triumph for the heirs of the Solidarity movement which helped trigger the fall of communism in 1989.

With results from 10 percent of districts counted showing a similar outcome, the two parties said they wanted to rule together and that talks could start this week.

"We have long said we want this coalition and there are no reasons why it shouldn't happen," said Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the likely next prime minister.

Both parties promise to create more jobs, lower taxes and weed out corruption that tainted the four-year rule of the Democratic Left Alliance, reformed former communists.

But financial markets believe a coalition led by the Civic Platform would more aggressively tackle Poland's pressing economic problems of unemployment, at 18 percent the highest in the EU, bloated budgets and costly social security.

Reflecting a wider European debate, the two parties also differ on how much welfare Poland, whose wealth levels are half the EU average, can afford.

The Civic Platform, which has pledged to move fast with tax cuts, deregulation, privatization and euro adoption, barely hid its disappointment that the conservatives' tough talk on crime and vows to uphold the welfare state secured them victory.

"ORPHANED SOCIALISTS"

"I think that voters with socialist views were orphaned by the collapse of the left and shifted to Law and Justice," said Bronislaw Komorowski, a Civic Platform leader.

"The Law and Justice program at its core is socialist and Poland is fed up with socialism."

The conservatives' lead over Civic Platform disappointed investors, who piled into the Polish zloty, bonds and stocks when opinion polls suggested earlier this month that free market champions would lead the next cabinet.

Economists said the zloty was set to weaken when markets opened on Monday, also reflecting concern the campaign for presidential polls on October 9 may disrupt coalition talks.

"The presidential campaign is still going on, so the battle between the Platform and Law and Justice will continue," said Ryszard Petru, chief economist at Bank BPH in Warsaw.

The October 9 vote, which could go into a run-off two weeks later, pits Civic Platform leader and front-runner Donald Tusk against conservative Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczynski, twin brother of fellow Law and Justice leader.

The parliamentary campaign exposed the rift between the growing middle class, which wants more free market openness, and those who feel left behind after 16 years of painful reforms.

Political analysts say the Kaczynskis cleverly tapped that anger, painting the Civic Platform proposal of a 15 percent flat tax as a gift for the rich at the expense of the poor.

Polish election sees 'new' Solidarity return to power

By Stephen Castle
Published: 26 September 2005

Poland's centre-right clinched power last night as exit polls showed that voters had ejected a government of former Communists who were damaged by sleaze and a failure to cut unemployment.

Allies of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the opposition Law and Justice party, claimed victory last night after a survey of voters showed that his party had won 27.6 per cent of the vote.

That put the party just ahead of their rivals, the Civic Platform, who were thought to have scored 24.1 per cent - though the two parties were expected to form a coalition.

While the election is expected to usher in a change of political direction, it also underlines the capricious nature of the Polish electorate. In the 16 years since the fall of Communism, no Polish government has won re-election.

Five main parties fielded candidates but opinion polls had predicted that the two centre-right parties would together score more than 50 per cent of the vote.

EarlierJan Rokita, Civic Platform's candidate for prime minister, said the election would "mark the end of the post-Communist era". Among his party's proposals is a plan for a 15 per cent flat tax.

Mr Kaczynski said earlier yesterday: "Regardless of who will finally win this race between Law and Justice and the Civic Platform, the road to change will be open."

Law and Justice has campaigned for tax breaks and for government aid for the poor, while emphasising its commitment to the family and to Christian values. It is cool towards economic liberals, however, laying more emphasis on the role of the state.

Both centre-right parties have their origins in the Solidarnosc movement that prompted the overthrow of Communism in Poland. And, to add spice to the campaign, Mr Kaczynski's twin brother, Lech, is aiming to become president in separate elections next month, though Civic Platform's Donald Tusk is the clear favourite. The Kaczynski brothers opposed the Communist regime and were advisors to Solidarity.

Whatever the make-up of the new coalition, it faces a difficult task since many voters are disenchanted with the mixed results of free-market reforms undertaken since 1989.

The outgoing centre-left government has also been badly weakened by sleaze allegations and, in May last year, Leszek Miller resigned as prime minister to be succeeded by Marek Belka. He has since fallen out with the governing party and, last month, agreed to run as a candidate for a new group, the Democratic Party.

With a population of 39 million, Poland is by far the biggest of the 10 new members that joined the European Union last year, and its economy represents almost half of the new states' combined gross domestic product.

Economic growth has been healthy at 5.4 per cent in 2004 and a projected 3.3 per cent this year but unemployment remains high at 18 per cent. Critics of the outgoing government have also focused on its failure to tackle corruption, a key weakness in the post-Communist era.

Poland's centre-right clinched power last night as exit polls showed that voters had ejected a government of former Communists who were damaged by sleaze and a failure to cut unemployment.

Allies of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the opposition Law and Justice party, claimed victory last night after a survey of voters showed that his party had won 27.6 per cent of the vote.

That put the party just ahead of their rivals, the Civic Platform, who were thought to have scored 24.1 per cent - though the two parties were expected to form a coalition.

While the election is expected to usher in a change of political direction, it also underlines the capricious nature of the Polish electorate. In the 16 years since the fall of Communism, no Polish government has won re-election.

Five main parties fielded candidates but opinion polls had predicted that the two centre-right parties would together score more than 50 per cent of the vote.

EarlierJan Rokita, Civic Platform's candidate for prime minister, said the election would "mark the end of the post-Communist era". Among his party's proposals is a plan for a 15 per cent flat tax.

Mr Kaczynski said earlier yesterday: "Regardless of who will finally win this race between Law and Justice and the Civic Platform, the road to change will be open."

Law and Justice has campaigned for tax breaks and for government aid for the poor, while emphasising its commitment to the family and to Christian values. It is cool towards economic liberals, however, laying more emphasis on the role of the state.
Both centre-right parties have their origins in the Solidarnosc movement that prompted the overthrow of Communism in Poland. And, to add spice to the campaign, Mr Kaczynski's twin brother, Lech, is aiming to become president in separate elections next month, though Civic Platform's Donald Tusk is the clear favourite. The Kaczynski brothers opposed the Communist regime and were advisors to Solidarity.

Whatever the make-up of the new coalition, it faces a difficult task since many voters are disenchanted with the mixed results of free-market reforms undertaken since 1989.

The outgoing centre-left government has also been badly weakened by sleaze allegations and, in May last year, Leszek Miller resigned as prime minister to be succeeded by Marek Belka. He has since fallen out with the governing party and, last month, agreed to run as a candidate for a new group, the Democratic Party.

With a population of 39 million, Poland is by far the biggest of the 10 new members that joined the European Union last year, and its economy represents almost half of the new states' combined gross domestic product.

Economic growth has been healthy at 5.4 per cent in 2004 and a projected 3.3 per cent this year but unemployment remains high at 18 per cent. Critics of the outgoing government have also focused on its failure to tackle corruption, a key weakness in the post-Communist era.

Walter, Those unemployment rates seems interesting, but are those figures similar to the US that drops those workers no longer looking for jobs? Many older workers are having trouble finding replacement jobs after they get layed off, and they're no longer counted as unemployed after they've used up their unemployment insurance.

EU announces a 'bonfire of the red tape'

By Stephen Castle in Brussels
Published: 28 September 2005

One-third of planned EU legislation was shelved yesterday in an attempt to ease burdens on business and shed the European Commission's image as a source of endless red tape.

In an unprecedented initiative, the Commission named a host of draft laws which it intended to scrap following a comprehensive review. The announcement reveals the extent to which the tide has turned in Brussels since the heyday of Jacques Delors.

The "bonfire of the directives" means the end of proposals covering everything from measures for the recovery of cod and hake stocks to rules to improve the production and marketing of honey.

The European Industry Commissioner, Günter Verheugen, said he screened 183 Bills and ended up axing 68 of them, adding: "This is how we will be able to cut red tape and ensure we alleviate the burden on small and medium-sized enterprises, and the economy at large. Europe really means business. We all want better regulation and we all want better legislation."

Among the rules scrapped are those planned for online sales promotions, alcoholic drink labels and flight attendant qualifications. Others include rules on local lorry restrictions and coffee package sizes.

Behind the measure lies a political message from a Commission alarmed by its image. For years, critics attacked the bureaucracy in Brussels for meddling in what the former British foreign secretary Lord Hurd called the "nooks and crannies" of national life.

The European Commission president, Jose Manuel Barroso, said: "We have looked at everything on the table and cleared away what we don't need. EU regulation makes sense where it adds value. But where it doesn't, we'll scrap it."

Next month, the Commission, which drafts EU laws and ensures governments enact them, will start simplifying the 80,000 existing EU laws. Some overlapping laws will be brought together or repealed. The Commission is appealing to EU governments, businesses and citizens to help by identifying laws that amount to over-regulation, in a consultation exercise using the internet.

When he took office a year ago, Mr Barroso said that while drafting any legislation the Commission would consider the impact it would have on businesses and citizens.

Some Bills will be amended. A proposal designed to protect workers from optical radiation will no longer cover exposure to sunlight. There had been claims that it would force bricklayers to wear T-shirts and barmaids to cover up in beer gardens.

Moves to extend new rights to temporary workers will also be rethought. But the initiative, backed strongly by the British Government and welcomed by business, has alarmed European trade unions and prompted opposition from some MEPs. Monica Frassoni, a leading Green MEP, argued: "There may be certain directives that are not terribly important but there are other very significant political items here."

Timothy Kirkhope, leader of the UK's Conservative MEPs, said yesterday: "The door for reform is at last ajar, now we need to blast it wide open. What the EU needs urgently, if new jobs are to be created and the ever growing dole queues are to be cut, is a bold and sustained attack on existing legislation."

Measures to be withdrawn

* Amended directive on labelling, which would tighten rules on labelling of drinks with more than 1.2 per cent alcohol.

* Proposed directive on weekend bans for lorries, would have clarified rules on restrictions on key strategic routes across Europe.

* Proposed directive on safety, which would harmonise professional requirements for civil airline cabin crews.

* Proposed directive to standardise pack sizes for coffee.

* Proposed regulation to allow associations and foundations to operate across the EU.

* Proposed measure to improve honey production.

"Proposed directive to standardise pack sizes for coffee." abandoned

you must be devastated Walter.

Immigrants Storm Fence at Spanish Enclave

MADRID, Spain - Hundreds of African immigrants stormed a fence surrounding the tiny Spanish enclave of Melilla on the Moroccan coast on Tuesday, trying to climb over on makeshift ladders before being repelled by police in riot gear.

Spanish authorities called it the biggest ever mass attempt to breach the fence guarding the coastal enclave, about 100 miles from the Spanish mainland across the Mediterranean. At least 19 people suffered minor injuries.

Of the 500 who stormed the enclave, some 100 immigrants, all from sub-Saharan Africa, managed to break through and enter Spanish territory. [..]

Serrano said police found some 270 ladders made of tree branches in the area.

Spain recently announced that it will double the height of the fence in an effort to make it harder for immigrants to climb over it. The fence's height will be raised to 20 feet along the six-mile border with Morocco. [..]

More than 6,000 attempts to enter Melilla have been made since the beginning of the year alone. Three immigrants have died in unclear circumstances at the border crossing.