Poland's left-wing government
today rejected criticism by some European Union politicians that it is packing its cronies on to boards of state-controlled firms and key posts in the civil service.
Poland's chief EU membership negotiator, Jan Truszczynski, told members of the European Parliament that appointments to company boards were based on economic merit and that the country's civil service had not become excessively politicised.
"The changes on boards were limited to slightly more than 10 companies and in all cases there was a sound economic justification," Mr Truszycznski told members of the Parliament's foreign affairs committee.
Polish news media and opposition politicians have accused the five-month-old government of Premier Leszek Miller of fostering political patronage in the economy and state administration, saying it harmed the country's bid to join the EU in 2004.
The EU broke its silence about the alleged practices earlier this month when it criticised Mr Miller's government for failing to respect a 2001 deal which would have allowed Dutch-based insurer Eureko to take control of Poland's top insurance group PZU.
The sell-off would take out of the government's control the highly profitable company, which has often faced allegations of helping to finance political parties.
The EU warned Poland early in March that failure to honour the Eureko deal could scare away foreign investors at a time when growth has plunged and unemployment has hit a record 18 per cent in the ex-communist state.