By Karol Badohal

WARSAW, June 5 (Reuters) -Central European currencies firmed on Monday with the Polish zloty leading gains, as investors cling to expectations that monetary policy across the region will remain tight.

Poland's interest rate decision is scheduled for Tuesday, and analysts polled by Reuters unanimously expect the Monetary Policy Council to keep the main interest rate steady at 6.75%, after raising it to that level in September 2022.

"(Today's gains) are rather all due to expectations of keeping interest rates in the region higher for longer," ING BSK economist Piotr Poplawski said.

By 0846 GMT, the Polish zloty rose 0.2% to 4.4855 per euro, gaining for a fourth consecutive session and pushing towards a two-year high of 4.4765 hit in May. The zloty is up over 4% this quarter.

Poplawski noted the zloty has been doing better than the region's currencies for some time.

"This is probably the result of investors seeing firstly an improving trade balance and secondly the prospect of a new ruling party following the elections and a quick unlocking of national recovery plan funds," Poplawski said.

Brussels has withheld 35.4 billion euros ($37.85 billion) in COVID-19 recovery funds for Poland and has required reform on issues such as judicial independence and green energy before releasing the cash.

On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of Poles marched in support of the liberal opposition, as it looks to displace the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, in power since 2015, during elections in the fall.

Meanwhile, the Czech crown EURCZK= firmed 0.1% against the euro to 23.5970 after wage data. Data on Monday showed Czech nominal wage growth accelerated in the first quarter but less than the central bank's expectations, taking some pressure off as it debates whether to hike rates again.

"We see today's figures as dovish," Czech lender CSOB said. "The figures will probably ease pressure for a June rate hike."

Elsewhere, the Hungarian forint EURHUF= rose 0.1% to 369.6 against the euro.

"...Markets are waiting for a new impulse, in the case of the forint it is Thursday's inflation data, how much of a decline the annual index will show," an MBH bank analyst wrote in a note.

Hungary's central bank was first to deliver policy easing by cutting its one-day deposit rate by 100 basis points to 17% in May, the first such move in Europe.

($1 = 0.9354 euros)

Reporting by Karol Badohal in Warsaw, Jason Hovet in Prague and Boldizsar Gyori in Budapest; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila

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