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Why Poland has Become the European Union’s Rising Star

Aepsilons

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When attempting to predict the economic future of the Soviet Union’s post World War II ex-satellites, Poland was hardly in contention in the parlay of nations due to bring their economies to ongoing central European levels.

Poland, which had been savaged by its powerful neighbors, Germany and Russia in back-to-back tragedies, along with 10% of its 36 million pre-World War II Jewish population, comprising a disproportionately higher percentage of its middle class, totally wiped out by Nazi Germany and even willing indigenous collaborators, seemed to doom that country’s newly-independent status. Poland was given a new lease on life by the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990.

But against all odds, Poland has experienced an amazing economic rebound. For beginners, it was the only member of the European Union to avoid a recession during the global financial crisis (2008-10). Masterminded by the finance minister, Leszek Balcerowicz, Poland opted for the “shock therapy” of free trade and global capitalism, rather than it its former satellite neighbors who embraced the more moderate transition of Socialist democracy.

Price controls were lifted, markets were fully opened to foreign trade, and the Polish “zloty” was made convertible. State-owned industries were sold off and privatization became the economic order of the day. Although such “extreme medicine” resulted in a two-year 15% slump in the nation’s gross domestic product, right after independence, it rebounded by 1994, and has witnessed a steadily improving domestic economy ever since.

But the biggest single contribution to Poland’s success has been its effective utilization of its hard-earned European Union membership. The Poles were quick to seize the opportunities in the EU’s structural and cohesion funds, as well as the benefits of improving their own governance and transparency. Poland also avoided the temptation of corruption that the switch from state Communism had tempted its fellow post-Soviet beneficiaries like Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia. This provided Warsaw’s elected leaders with the opportunity to utilize the EU’s structural funds for internal development. The EU, in turn, rewarded Poland with $139 billion between 2007 and 2013, more than any other recipient.

Because of its impressive use of the European Union’s nation-building award, Poland is on top once again to get the biggest chunk (106 billion euros) in the next multi-year budget from 2014 to 2020.

While realizing that its present status is only the beginning in reaching the developed level of a Germany or France, it must wean itself away from too much dependence on government direction; and developing and investing in the private sector, while pushing more aggressively into technological and high-tech industries. Last, but not least, is the need to persuade the large number of low-income workers that this promising future lies in the Polish homeland, rather than gravitating to Western Europe, or even America, to find a better way of life for their families.


Why Poland has Become the European Union’s Rising Star
 
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You can hardly call a "rising star" the country, a significant number of which people compete with negroes in the labor market in Western Europe for most dirty and low paid job.
 
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What a complete puff piece. No hard data or stats, no analysis. Wtf? Why read or even post this cheerleading piece of shite?

Neoliberalism and debt. Is this new? Isnt that how the EU started? How are they doing now? Are you too young or naive to know how this story ends?

Assets and profit become private and debt and unemployment become public.

There is no light at the end of the neoliberal tunnel. After everythings been sold and hard assets have been turned into profits for the wealthy what happens to all the debt? Well it becomes public. And for the rest of polands life its citizens taxes will go to pay interest to european bankers. Why else do you think europe is happy with poland? Why else do you think they keep giving them more rope to hang themselves with?

Poland is to the eu what argentina was to the us. It was their neoliberal poster boy in the 90s. Until guess what? It went into default because of all the debt it accrued after it sold off all its assets to private interests. I could go on but what for. You need at least a masters degree level educatio to even start to follow.


People really show their age and naivete on this website.
 
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How can Poland be called a rising star when it is still reliant on "I love West and hate Russia, so give me jobs and investments please?" as an economic strategy.

The Asian rising stars (Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea) all developed their own world class industries, financed with their own money, when they had similar GDP per capita to Poland. China did it even earlier, although population and "government interference" played a role there.

Meanwhile, Poland has practically no control over its own economy, reliant on German jobs, Russian natural resources, UK financing, and EU migration policies...and STILL have 10% unemployment. Take any one of those out of the equation and Polish economy will instantly start having problems.

The ridiculous #freedomapple campaign just solidifies the image of a beggar more than a rising star.
 
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Well, at least they don't have a 70% resource based economy, which still fails..like you know who.

Hilarious how the bot army rushed to the offensive :))
If anything, Poland is indeed the EU's rising star, and getting stronger and more important as we speak
 
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polish people are hard working and smart, the country has great potential.
not their leaders

Well, at least they don't have a 70% resource based economy, which still fails..like you know who.

Hilarious how the bot army rushed to the offensive :))
If anything, Poland is indeed the EU's rising star, and getting stronger and more important as we speak

Manufacturing, value added (current US$) | Data | Graph

Population, total | Data | Graph

GDP per capita (current US$) | Data | Graph

GDP (current US$) | Data | Graph



GDP, PPP (current international $) | Data | Graph

GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) | Data | Graph
 
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On top of that, it's also the one barking the loudest (with its other US pooches) for sanctions against Russia and also begging the hardest for money from us.

How about you ordered the music, you pay? No money to pay? How about STFU, you cur?
 
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Hahha. Silly rabbit.


Youre not even smart enough or creative enough to invent your own replies. Poor bastard. Should i come up with another catchy phrase you can plagiarize as well?

Well, at least they don't have a 70% resource based economy, which still fails..like you know who.

Hilarious how the bot army rushed to the offensive :))
If anything, Poland is indeed the EU's rising star, and getting stronger and more important as we speak
 
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