WARSAW, June 3 - The following are significant news stories, press reports and events on Wednesday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

INTEREST RATES

Polish interest rates were kept on hold in June due to geopolitical risks and their potential impact on the economy, and in the face of a slight slowdown in inflation in May, the Monetary Policy Council (MPC) said in a statement on Tuesday.

Markets are now shifting focus to Wednesday's news conference by NBP Governor Adam Glapinski, who is expected to explain the Council’s June decision and may signal the future policy path.

EBRD FORECASTS

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) expects Poland’s economy to grow by 3.5% in 2026, before easing to 2.8% in 2027, according to its latest Regional Economic Prospects (REP) report.

BLIK

The operator of Polish mobile payment system Blik expects at least three large Romanian banks to begin integrating its technology later this year, while positioning Slovakia as a hub for wider euro zone expansion, its CEO told Reuters.

PHONE BAN IN SCHOOLS

Poland wants to ban under-16s from using mobile phones in schools from September 1 and plans to introduce stricter age verification rules to access pornography, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.

BARRIERS TO BUSINESS

Poland ranks seventh on the list of countries with the biggest barriers to business. Companies complain mainly about labor costs, uncertainty, and high energy and fuel prices, Rzeczpospolita daily reported, citing a Grant Thornton report.

****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****

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