22 Jan 2011

IMF credit line with Poland extended

12:28 pm on 22 January 2011

The International Monetary Fund has approved a $US30 billion two-year credit facility with Poland, replacing a previous one-year arrangement which was agreed in July.

The IMF said Poland viewed the facility as "precautionary and does not intend to draw (on it)".

It said that the Polish economy had gathered momentum in 2010, but that "sizeable downside risks remain".

The agency said the primary risk was spillover from "financial turbulence" in other parts of Europe.

The BBC reports that Poland is one of the few economies to have avoided recession in the past two years. The IMF says its economic growth is likely "to remain solid and balanced".

The new facility replaces a credit line of $US21 billion which was agreed last year.