Symbolic character of the shipyards in jeopardy

The Italian daily La Repubblica highlights the symbolic significance of the Polish shipyards: "The legendary shipyards of Gdansk, Gdynia and Szczecin where, with the strikes for the free trade union, Solidarność was born and the long march of the Soviet Bloc countries towards freedom began ... are facing permanent closure. The EU Commission responsible for competition has declared the Polish government's rescue plan incompatible with current subsidy regulations. The closure of the shipyards would be a hard blow for the region and for the liberal government of Donald Tusk, who himself was one of the heroes of Gdansk's fight for freedom. The intransigence of the EU would be the downfall of the symbolic birthplace of the movement that set the stage for the fall of the Berlin Wall ... Since 1989 and the non-violent transition to democracy Poland has become a driving force behind the economy of the new Europe. Sadly, ailing companies have no place in an efficient economy, even if they are a symbol of the revolution."

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