In this paper an attempt is made to outline the views on the transformation of the former GDR formulated in the German scientific literature. Due to the limited scope of the paper and the magnitude and complexity of the phenomena, discussion is limited to the most important and most controversial - according to the author - aspects around which discussions were held between leading economists from academia and politicians. The study starts with a brief introduction regarding the merits of the transformation of the economic order of the former GDR. Further outlines early assessments of the economic condition of Eastern Germany and ideas on eventual reunification of the country. Then, following, if possible, the chronological order, an overview is provided of the most important assessment about elements of a new order, such as the monetary union and the deregulation of prices, changes in the ownership structure, the creation of the institutional framework and the situation on the labor market and financial transfers. The main scientific method applied is analysis of literature, evaluation of official documents and historical analysis.
OIL RESERCHES ON THE SOUTHERN BALTIC AREA AND PROTECTION OF NATURAL ENVIRONMENT Summary The paper deals with prospects of search for hydrocarbons in the South Baltic Sea and measures taken against possibility of natural environment pollution. Up to date, on the East European Platform, the best results have been achieved in the Soviet Baltic Republics where 25 oil deposits have been discovered. The main productive horizons belong to Middle Cambrian, only few are of Ordovician origin and none has been found neither in the Silurian nor in the Upper Palaeozoic and Mesozoic which are considered non productive. The are few small oil deposits discovered in Gotland, and a Middle Cambrian oil deposit of Dembki – Żarnowiec located in the Łeba (Uplift) in Poland. On the Epicaledonian Central European Platform, there are many onshore oil and gas deposits in Poland, GDR and FRG. The gas deposits were discovered in Lower and Upper Carboniferous and Rotliegendes when oil deposits were found in Zechstein Main Dolomite. Since 1975 "Petrobaltic" has been searching for oil and gas in the Polish, GDR and Soviet sectors of the Baltic Sea. The search resulted in discoveries of a few oil and gas deposits in the Middle Cambrian sediments. The reserves of those deposits are estimated as over 20 million tons. There is no success yet in searching for oil and gas in the western part of the Baltic Sea on the Epicaledonian Platform. According to the recent seismic and geologic results, the majority of prospective structures in the Baltic Sea is explored already, and in Author's opinion, the remaining ones are of similar or even inferior quality. Therefore, before the next step of exploration will be taken, it is necessary to comprehensive analysis of all economic, geologic and naturalistic factors. According to the resolution of the International Convention held in Helsinki (1974), the natural environment of the Baltic Sea should be strictly protected by all Baltic States. This resolution imposes compulsory ventures to the offshore exploration, especially against possibility of sea, bottom and shore pollution when drilling and testing wells on discovered deposits. The regulations valid for the offshore exploration are met by construction of the "Petrobaltic" drilling platform. The well is protected by cemented pipe columns with special high pressure valves and anti-explosion preventers; mud circulation and wastes are hermetically closed in special system consisting of pipes, filters, separators and tanks. Those devices despite of its high quality, do not exclude the possibility of uncontrolled eruption and spilling of oil and gas. This was the reason why the Soviet Union government in 1986 gave up the exploitation of offshore oil deposit discovered near Kuronian Sand-Bar with its unique Natural Park.
The study attempts to develop the concept of using the idea of constructed and spontaneous economic order in the analysis of system transformation process of the former German Democratic Republic. The paper consists of six parts and ends with conclusions. In the first introductory part, an overview of economic theories used by researchers in the analysis of economic transformation is outlined, it is pointed out that one of them is ordoliberalism. The second part introduces the concepts of constructed and spontaneous economic order formulated by W. Eucken and F.A. von Hayek. It provides an introduction to the next point, which is trying to demonstrate that these broad categories of thought are a good basis for the conduct of discussion about the process of economic transformation. Next the interest is focused on the problem of actuality of ordoliberal ideas arisen several decades before the system changes in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and its usefulness for analyzing these phenomena. The fifth part of the paper contains a proposal for a research approach for operationalisation of broad and abstract concept of constructed and spontaneous economic order. Specificity of the transformation of the former GDR - in very general terms - is the subject of out in the last part of the paper.
The aim of the study is a comparison of re-privatization policy pursued in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with particular emphasis on the former GDR. Poland has chosen a completely different approach to this issue from that of the Germans. Despite the claims of former owners concerned, in almost 2/3 of the former GDR territory, the German legislature quickly and decisively resolved these issues, so that they do not impinge on the current social and economic life of Germany. Poland however, after two decades of transformation, has still not developed a clear position on this issue, while successive legislation projects end in failure or are postponed indefinitely. This practice leads to doubt as to whether our country can be regarded as fully integrated with the West in terms of compliance with standards of the modern state, which resolves sensitive issues and seeks to eliminate hot spots in contacts with foreign countries (e.g. the return of former Jewish property). Reprivatization is important for several reasons, of both legal and economic nature. Lack of a solution raises a sense of injustice among former owners, generates numerous conflicts on the citizen-state line, and calls into question the constitutionally guaranteed protection of property rights in Poland. On the other hand, a thankless objective of an economist is to assess the economic aspects of a possible compensation program – could Poland afford it? What would be the costs of abandonment of any action? In the first part of the study the regulations on property restitution in the former Eastern bloc countries are shortly discussed. Then attention is paid to the legal and economic conditions of the property restitution process in Poland. The article ends with conclusions. ; Cel opracowania stanowi porównanie polityki reprywatyzacyjnej prowadzonej w Polsce i w innych krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem byłej NRD. W Polsce zaobserwować można zupełnie odmienne podejście do tej problematyki niż u naszych zachodnich sąsiadów. Pomimo, że roszczenia dawnych właścicieli dotyczyły niemal 2/3 terytorium byłej NRD, niemiecki ustawodawca szybko i zdecydowanie rozwiązał te kwestie, dzięki czemu nie rzutują one na obecne życie społeczne i gospodarcze RFN. Polska natomiast po dwóch dekadach transformacji wciąż nie wypracowała jasnego stanowiska w tej sprawie, zaś kolejne rządy podejmują bezskuteczne próby regulacji lub odsuwają problem w bliżej nieokreśloną przyszłość. Taka praktyka każe wątpić, czy można uznać nasz kraj za w pełni zintegrowany z Zachodem, w sensie spełniania standardów nowoczesnego państwa, które rozwiązuje drażliwe sprawy i stara się likwidować punkty zapalne w kontaktach z zagranicą (np. zwrot mienia pożydowskiego). Reprywatyzacja jest istotna z kilku przynajmniej powodów o naturze zarówno prawnej, jak i ekonomicznej. Brak rozwiązania dawnych krzywd rodzi poczucie niesprawiedliwości, generuje liczne konflikty na linii obywatel-państwo i rodzi wątpliwości w gwarantowaną konstytucyjnie ochronę praw własności w naszym kraju. Z drugiej strony należy pytać o aspekty ekonomiczne ewentualnego programu odszkodowawczego – czy Polskę po prostu na to stać? Jakie są koszty zaniechania jakichkolwiek działań? W pierwszej części opracowania omówione zostaną uwarunkowania prawne i ekonomiczne procesu reprywatyzacji w Polsce. Następnie przybliżone zostaną regulacje dotyczące zwrotu majątku w wybranych krajach byłego bloku wschodniego. Artykuł kończą wnioski.
The aim of the study is a comparison of re-privatization policy pursued in Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with particular emphasis on the former GDR. Poland has chosen a completely different approach to this issue from that of the Germans. Despite the claims of former owners concerned, in almost 2/3 of the former GDR territory, the German legislature quickly and decisively resolved these issues, so that they do not impinge on the current social and economic life of Germany. Poland however, after two decades of transformation, has still not developed a clear position on this issue, while successive legislation projects end in failure or are postponed indefinitely. This practice leads to doubt as to whether our country can be regarded as fully integrated with the West in terms of compliance with standards of the modern state, which resolves sensitive issues and seeks to eliminate hot spots in contacts with foreign countries (e.g. the return of former Jewish property). Reprivatization is important for several reasons, of both legal and economic nature. Lack of a solution raises a sense of injustice among former owners, generates numerous conflicts on the citizen-state line, and calls into question the constitutionally guaranteed protection of property rights in Poland. On the other hand, a thankless objective of an economist is to assess the economic aspects of a possible compensation program – could Poland afford it? What would be the costs of abandonment of any action? In the first part of the study the regulations on property restitution in the former Eastern bloc countries are shortly discussed. Then attention is paid to the legal and economic conditions of the property restitution process in Poland. The article ends with conclusions. ; Cel opracowania stanowi porównanie polityki reprywatyzacyjnej prowadzonej w Polsce i w innych krajach Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem byłej NRD. W Polsce zaobserwować można zupełnie odmienne podejście do tej problematyki niż u naszych zachodnich sąsiadów. Pomimo, że roszczenia dawnych właścicieli dotyczyły niemal 2/3 terytorium byłej NRD, niemiecki ustawodawca szybko i zdecydowanie rozwiązał te kwestie, dzięki czemu nie rzutują one na obecne życie społeczne i gospodarcze RFN. Polska natomiast po dwóch dekadach transformacji wciąż nie wypracowała jasnego stanowiska w tej sprawie, zaś kolejne rządy podejmują bezskuteczne próby regulacji lub odsuwają problem w bliżej nieokreśloną przyszłość. Taka praktyka każe wątpić, czy można uznać nasz kraj za w pełni zintegrowany z Zachodem, w sensie spełniania standardów nowoczesnego państwa, które rozwiązuje drażliwe sprawy i stara się likwidować punkty zapalne w kontaktach z zagranicą (np. zwrot mienia pożydowskiego). Reprywatyzacja jest istotna z kilku przynajmniej powodów o naturze zarówno prawnej, jak i ekonomicznej. Brak rozwiązania dawnych krzywd rodzi poczucie niesprawiedliwości, generuje liczne konflikty na linii obywatel-państwo i rodzi wątpliwości w gwarantowaną konstytucyjnie ochronę praw własności w naszym kraju. Z drugiej strony należy pytać o aspekty ekonomiczne ewentualnego programu odszkodowawczego – czy Polskę po prostu na to stać? Jakie są koszty zaniechania jakichkolwiek działań? W pierwszej części opracowania omówione zostaną uwarunkowania prawne i ekonomiczne procesu reprywatyzacji w Polsce. Następnie przybliżone zostaną regulacje dotyczące zwrotu majątku w wybranych krajach byłego bloku wschodniego. Artykuł kończą wnioski.
