Washington, 8 May 1997 (RFE/RL) - World Bank President James Wolfensohn was in Warsaw yesterday starting five days of discussions with senior Polish officials on the country's preparations for joining the European Union (EU).
Poland is expected to be among the first Central European nations to gain full membership in the EU and World Bank officials say Wolfensohn will talk about what role bank lending could play in helping Warsaw prepare.
In addition, Wolfensohn will review current bank financed projects, including the major Baltic port access and management project for which the bank agreed to lend $67 million last August, and the Bielsko-Biala water and sewerage project.
Next week, on Monday and Tuesday, Wolfensohn will be in Bucharest to meet with the new Romanian government leaders and discuss $450 million in loans expected to be approved for Romania in early June by the bank.