The ruling Civic Platform (PO) party emerged as clear winner in this country's second European Parliament elections, winning half the 50 seats assigned to Poland. This is a huge success for PO; it is the first governing party after 1989 to have maintained public support after 18 months in power. Contrary to what opposition politicians predicted, the public has not lost trust in the government, not even in the face of the global economic crisis that has left Poles feeling the pinch.

For the opposition, the European elections are a warning signal-if the results of June 7 are repeated in two and a half years in Poland's parliamentary elections, PO will not only stay in power but will be able to govern on its own with over 50 percent of seats in the upper and lower houses. And in the presidential elections 18 months from now, PO's candidate-and no one doubts that this will be the party's leader, Prime Minister Donald Tusk-should win easily, regardless of whether incumbent President Lech Kaczyński decides to run for re-election.

Apart from the PO, the parties sending Eurodeputies to Brussels will be the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) and Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) as well as the Polish People's Party (PSL), the junior partner in the government coalition.

Parties that have no seats in the Polish parliament failed to win a single Euro MP mandate.

After many months of negotiations with employers and trade unions, the government has accepted an anti-crisis package. Once it comes into force, companies suffering financial difficulties caused by the global crisis will be able to count on government assistance. The main parts of the package include changes in the labor law aimed at keeping the lid on unemployment as far as possible. The package would apply for two years, after which time everybody hopes that the crisis will have passed and that rapid economic growth will have returned.