On 1 May, 20 years have passed since Polish joined the European Union. Balance sheet? Definitely a plus! The long list of benefits resulting from membership in the Community makes us look with satisfaction at the path of transformation that our country has gone through since 2004. Many experts even speak of a civilizational leap. After all, being a member of the Community gives you the opportunity to finance many development projects that improve the quality of life of residents. . So far, it has transferred almost PLN 55.2 billion to entrepreneurs, local government units, originators, innovation centres creating start-up platforms or acceleration programmes, as well as entities providing training and consulting services!
In 2004, GDP per capita in Poland reached 44% of the EU average, and now it is at the level of 80%. Poland has transformed from a poor country into a country with a moderately high income.
Two decades of Polish membership in the structures of the European Union show how the economy can develop thanks to the creativity and diligence of entrepreneurs, properly supported by EU funds. According to available data, between 2004 and 2022, our country's GDP doubled, which we can be proud of.
Numbers don't lie – Poland is the biggest beneficiary in the EU
When Poland joined the European Union 20 years ago, it was one of the least prosperous countries in this group. GDP per capita measured by purchasing power parity was $16,000. Only Latvia recorded a lower level. Unemployment exceeded 19 per cent, and the average salary was less than PLN 2,300.
In all of the above-mentioned sectors (except for information and communication) of the economy, Poland has been ranked in the EU TOP3 in terms of the scale of growth since 2004. It is worth noting that manufacturing recorded an increase of 176%, which was the highest dynamics in the entire European Union.
The current new perspective for 2021-2027 includes the following three national programmes: European Funds for Modern Economy (FENG), European Funds for Eastern Poland (FEPW), European Funds for Social Development (FERS) and takes into account investments from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. It focuses, m.in, on automation and robotization, transformation of companies towards circular economy and supporting R+D+I activities (research, development, innovation.
As part of the activities at FENG, it is planned, to implement comprehensive R+D or implementation projects or activities for the development of start-ups. There are also instruments for clusters and business environment institutions, as well as activities aimed at internationalization.
In the program for Eastern Poland, assistance for startup platforms will be continued. In addition, there is also support for SMEs in the implementation of design processes,
competitions in the field of circular economy and projects related to the automation and robotization of production processes in Polish companies.
Source: PARP.