Ministers seek budget savings to guard Poland's economy from possible consequences of the global crisis.

The government of Donald Tusk has announced an emergency program to search for budget savings to guard the domestic economy should possible consequences of the global crisis affect Poland. The price for protecting the Polish economy under such potential conditions has been set at 17 billion zloties, roughly 4 billion euros. The sum is to be found mainly in state expenditures without increasing the budget deficit planned for 2009, bound to prove a critical year with figures well below revenue targets. At the same time government plans speak of the need to assist widely perceived economic activity.

The opposition has voiced disapproval for the excessive, in their opinion, budget cuts proposed by the government. It claims the move may adversely affect Poland's economy. That is why it even advocates increasing the budget deficit to maintain pro-growth investments, a crucial factor in a crisis situation.

Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Slawek Szefs.