A drop in economic growth

4th June 2010

Poland’s economic growth rate dropped in the first quarter owing to the effects of the harshest winter since 1979.

Figures released by the Central Statistics Office (GUS) showed that the economy grew by 0.5 percent in the first three months of the year compared to the 1.1 percent seen in the final quarter of 2009.

Although lower, the growth rate matched the broad expectations of economists, who attributed the drop to the influence of the cold and bitter winter. Freezing temperatures brought construction to a halt and delayed large infrastructure projects, regarded as vital for keeping the Polish economy ticking over.

GDP growth also suffered from winter chills, dropping from the 3 ...