Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sacked Friday the treasury minister for failing to inform him of a key Russian gas pipeline project. "In order to reestablish the treasury ministry's full control over the state's key companies, I've decided to dismiss Mikolaj Budzanowski," Tusk told reporters.
Budzanowski left Tusk out of the loop regarding a plan by Russian gas giant Gazprom to build a new pipeline to western Europe via Poland. The premier selected current deputy administration minister Wlodzimierz Karpinski to take his place. Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned Poland earlier this month by announcing plans to build a new branch of the Yamal Europe gas pipeline leading through Belarus and Poland.
Gazprom and Europol Gaz, which runs Yamal Europe and is owned by Gazprom and Poland's PGNiG, signed a memorandum on the project in St. Petersburg on April 5. Tusk said he was not told about the move. But he stressed Friday that the non-binding memorandum "did not jeopardise Poland's interests in any way."