You want better control over public spending

Jan Vincent-Rostowski, more known under the name of Jacek Rostowski, is the Polish Minister of Finance since November 16, 2007. Speaking five languages, it is one of the artisans of the reforms that will allow the first economy of Eastern Europe to finish the year 2009 with a growth of the domestic product gross (GDP).

The Polish economy displays a beautiful health despite the crisis. How do you explain these performance

Well, we have the shock. We will be the only country in Europe to save in 2009 economic growth. This shows that we had reason to not change one iota our strategy. Despite the enormous pressures that we have sustained opposition, our President and many economists, we have always believed in the benefits of the free economy and we refused to implement a recovery program. No other country should also adopt such measures. We even have the opposite by introducing, earlier this year, a plan of savings representing 1 of GDP. We will nevertheless finish the year with a budget deficit of 6.5. The next year, we are building on a close figure of 7. Imagine the rate that we have reached with a recovery plan.

This high rate of debt worries some economists...

This rate is overvalued because it includes loans that the State agreed to fund its pension system. Our neighbours do not include these claims in their debt. It would therefore rather speak of a rate of 4.7 for the Poland.

In any event, you are well short of the 3 that you would you closer to the euro...

Yes, but today, our debt compared to GDP is less than half the average of the euro area. However, we know very well that the Maastricht criteria will not be changed for us. We must change our legislation to get out of our debt expenses for our pension system.

When do you plan to launch this reform

We're not pressed. It is better to do things well rather than quickly. We could be ready to adopt the euro in 2014, but we do not want to set date limit. The last time that we have, it was three days before the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers...

You want better control over public spending...

The real problem in a growing economy is the tendency of rulers to invent new spending. To limit certain excesses, we would like each new law contains a clause which details, year by year, the expenses it will generate over 10 years.

Must the abandonment of the zloty be approved by referendum

Non. To amend the Constitution, the Act imposes us only to meet two thirds of the votes in the lower House.

You do not have the majority currently...

The main opposition, law and Justice (PiS) party, is the Parliament that with a voice more than a minority of one third of the seats. And it is not unimaginable to think that he could lose this advance in the next election.

You think therefore win the presidential election next autumn and the legislative elections that should follow in the spring of 2011

Udder in surveys scores are low because people no longer wants to hear their aggressive speech. They are also totally discredited themselves by saying that the Poland would be hit hard by the crisis. The prophecies of doom launched by the President and the leader of the opposition are a serious contrast with the rather nice map where all the European countries in the red, with the exception of the Poland.