POLAND

Located in Central Europe, bordered by Germany (West), Czech Republic and
Slovakia (South), Ukraine and Belarus (East), Kaliningrad Oblast, Lithuania and the
Baltic Sea (North).

71 st
largest country in the world and 9 th
in Europe (120 square miles area)

34 th
most populous country in the world, 6 th
in Europe and most populous postcommunist member of the European Union (38 million people, 7.5 % of EU total population)

Unitary state with 16 administrative subdivisions

Area of conflict for years, due to flat terrain and lack of natural barriers north-east

State since 10 th
century

18 th
century, “Age of Partitions”: internal disorders weakened the nation and in a series of agreements, Poland was partitioned between Russia, Prussia and Austria.

Spring of Nations: November Uprising in 1830 against Russia, crushed

1918, after World War I: regained independence

World War II: overrun by Nazi Germany and Soviet Union and Soviet satellite state until 1989
 1980s: labor turmoil, trade union “Solidarity” turned into a political force that won the elections in 1989 and 1990 leading to an end of the communist rule

Negotiations with the European Community in 1989

Associate member of the European Union in 1994

Member of NATO in 1999
 Member of the European Union (5 th enlargement) and Schengen area in 2004
 National Anthem: “Jesse Polska nie zginela” (“Poland Has Not Yet Perished”, 1927)

Politics

Democracy

Head of State: president, elected directly by absolute majority for 5 years (2 nd
term possible). Election last held: 10 and 24 May 2015

Current president: Andrzej Duda

Bicameral parliament: a lower house (Sejm) of 460 members and a senate (Senat) of
100 members

Government: Council of Ministers, led by prime minister, typically by majority coalition in the Sejm. Cabinet appointed by president accordingly with the prime minister’s proposals.

Parliamentary elections: 25 th of October 2015, won by the conservative and
Eurosceptic party “Law and Justice” with 37.6% of the vote
 Law and Justice is part of the “European Conservatives and Reformists” group in the
EP

Current Prime Minister: Beata Szydlo (athough leader of the party, Jaroslaw
Kaczynski)

No social democratic parties made it into parliament

Previous government had closer ties with the EU, while Law and Justice uses a more nationalistic approach
Economy

High-income economy, the healthiest one from the post-communist countries and one of the fastest growing in the EU

Currency: zloty
 Committed (by their Treaty of Accession in the EU) to enter the Eurozone, although there is neither a target date for polish euro adoption nor for an application of the
Maastricht criteria

Only European country to have avoided recession during the late 2000s (highest GDP growth in 2009)

According to OECD, one of the most hard-working economies worldwide

Based significantly on private sector: corporate investments, banking and oil, but mainly, production of automobiles and car parts (top producers in passenger vehicles)

Real GDP growth (2014) : 3.4 (4 th
highest among EU countries)

Unemployment: 9.0 % in 2014 (fall from 13.7 % from 1995 to 2010)
 Net receipts: 10,975.1 million from EU budget (2011)
 Comparatively with other EU countries, Poland is considered poor, ranking 68 with an EU average of 100, in Comparative GDP of other member states (adjusting Gross
Domestic Product to Purchasing Power Standards)

National debt: 50.1% of GDP


Exports main partners (2014) : Germany (27.1 %), UK (6.6%), France (5.8%), Italy
(4.7%), Netherlands (4.3%) and Russia (4.2%)

Imports main partners (2014) : Germany (28%), Russia (9.1%), Netherlands (5.9%),
Energy
Italy (5.5%), France (4.2%) and Czech Republic (4.2%)

Substantial coal reserves, 8 th
in the world

Coal-dependent economy, which fuels almost all of the nation’s power plants and employs about 100.000 people

55% of primary energy consumption and 75% of electricity capacity (used to be at almost 90%)

Main supplier of crude oil (90%) and natural gas (66%) is Russia, due to gas transport infrastructure made during the Communist rule

Heavy reliance on external supplies of gas to Poland remains a threat to the security of energy supply to the nation

Significant efforts to develop a solid energy policy framework: a) developing electricity and gas cross-border links, b) introducing nuclear program by 2030, c) energy intensity improvements d) using renewable energy sources and e) focus on energy research and development (IEA, 2011)

In 2012, an Energy Efficiency Directive establishes a set of binding measures to help the EU reach its 20% energy efficiency target by 2020.

The
Directive 2012/27/EU required Member States to set up an energy efficiency obligation schemes, or to apply alternative solutions to achieve a cumulative end-use energy savings target
 Poland vetoed the Directive, wanting a more “friendly” wording on coal and gas

Today, Poland still denounces decarbonization policies by the EU
Foreign Relations

Effort for strong and mutually beneficial relationships with new neighbors after the fall of Communism. Special relationship formed with Ukraine and Lithuania
 Strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal migration and trade along eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine

Concerned of Russian federation since its intervention in Ukraine

Supports EU sanctions on Russia and a larger NATO presence in Central Europe

51 representatives in the European Parliament

In favor of further EU enlargement (27% with and EU average of 49% opposing EU enlargement)

Old Government (Civic Platform) aimed in presenting Poland as a member of the
“EU mainstream” by adopting a positive approach towards powers such as Germany and by presenting the country as a reliable EU partner


Law and Justice government, supports EU membership, however, its rhetoric is directed towards opposing further EU integration and supporting Polish sovereignty above all

Supports the idea of Poland creating its “own stream” in the EU, in order to advance its own interests
Refugee crisis

Poland is an overwhelmingly Catholic country (87.5%) with few minorities and no experience in modern migrations

Outgoing government made efforts in balancing domestic and international pressures on the matter
 “Vowed” to help financially, participated in a Europe-wide burden sharing plan and agreed to accept approximately 7.000 refugees (2.000 additional people to the 4.500 they have already accepted)

Law and Justice, on the other hand, argued that Poland had to resist pressure to take in migrants and make policy decisions accordingly with Polish interests

Warned that migrants will not respect Polish laws, customs and way of life and that
Poles will become “guests in their own country”

Suggests providing refugee camps in the Middle East and North African regions

Accused Civic Platform of betraying Central European allies and violating national sovereignty

Opposed any additional migrants entering Poland under EU scheme
Euroscepticism
 “Soft” Eurosceptic government

Hard Euroscepticism (Eurobarometer, 2015): ranking 5 th
most Eurosceptic country,
38% with an EU average of 30%

Does not believe in a unification of the cultures, but more to a Europe of nations
Eurobarometer, Spring 2015

67% feels optimistic about the future of the EU

Most mentioned issue that the EU faces: immigration (24%) and terrorism(22%)
 Support economic and monetary union with one single currency: 32% positive, 54% negative

But, 74% feels like a citizen of the EU

Issues

Lowest birthrates worldwide due to lack of childcare services and weak job market
 “Polish plumber” stereotype, describing a cheap working force (although it has begun to fade away)

New government, transition of Poland into a difficult partner in the EU (ex.
Refugee crisis, etc.)

Law and Justice promise to use coal as a main energy source for decades to come and using public money to finance coal mines is against EU’s mainstream climate and energy policy, which signifies a future collision between Brussels and Warsaw
 One of the EU’s biggest per capita polluters

Poland is slowly entering an energy autonomy crusade which affects Russia and the EU. Diversifying supplies of oil by introducing oil deliveries by countries of the Middle East
 New government, also, is eager to apply an “Eastern policy” towards Russia, by convincing, perhaps in the 2016 NATO Summit, the EU and NATO to sharpen policy towards Russia and strengthen Poland’s defence infrastructure, something opposed by Germany as too provocative

Prime Minister, Beata Szydlo, appeared during a press conference in front of
Polish flags only, having removed EU flags
Facts

One of the safest countries to live in (1.4% of people reported assaults, lower with an
OECD average of 3.9%)

High Human Development Index, ranking 39 th
out of 187 countries and territories

High literacy rate (99.8 % of the population)

Popular tourist stop, ranking 17 th
among the most visited countries of the world as ranked by World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO ) in 2012