On 1 May 2004, Poland joined the European Union. Together with nine other states, it became a full-fledged member of the European community. Europe is a place where we live and work. It is a place that we help to develop and one that helps us to develop!
Benefits of being part of European Union:
- MONEY – the most obvious and tangible benefit of being a member of the European Union – a huge stream of billions of euros from European funds. Over the last fifteen years – without much exaggeration – these billions of euros have changed the face of Poland – thanks to hundreds of large infrastructure investments, through subsidies for municipal investments, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, for co-financing social initiatives
- MARKET -With the entry to the EU, the markets of the Member States have opened up to us. Over 500 million people live in the European Union today – more than the total population of the United States and Japan. In the 2004 accession year, Polish exports amounted to USD 75 billion (remember, however, that since May barriers on borders have disappeared, so for most of the year the European market has been open to Polish companies, although on the other hand, remember that conquering foreign markets is not took place overnight, if the last full year of Poland outside the EU was taken as the reference point, then exports amounted to USD 53 billion), in 2018 over three times more – USD 242.8 billion. Over 80 percent Polish exports are going to the EU markets.
- TRAVELS -Freedom of movement is one of the fundamental values of the European community. Under the Schengen Treaty, everyone who is a citizen of the European Union has the right to travel within the Union and stay in one of the Member States for up to three months without any special procedures (registration may be required later). All that is needed for such a citizen is a photo document, passport or ID card. Accession to the EU therefore significantly facilitated tourism. But not only because in most EU countries you can also settle and work.
- LAW -In order to become a full member of the European Union, it was up to the Polish law to implement the acquis communautaire (Acquis communautaire). This process began before the formal accession of Poland to the EU. Even before May 1, 2004, about 270 laws were adopted that adapted Polish law to the law of the European Union – from pharmaceutical and energy law through the public finance law to the law on seed production.Investors know that Poland as a member of the European Union has accepted Community law, therefore it will not introduce regulations contrary to the European principles of the rule of law, which gives an opportunity for predictability of business conditions
- UNIFORMITY – Community regulations and rules significantly simplify and reduce the costs of running a business, reducing to a minimum the tedious certification processes or admission to the market. We will soon be able to convince you how important this factor is, if Great Britain leaves the European Union. Brexit will probably restore at least part of the control of the certification requirements, which will certainly translate into trade.
- INVESTMENTS – When talking about the inflow of foreign investment to Poland, we mainly talk about the labor force – relatively cheaper and very well educated. And it is true – at least until recently relatively low labor costs were one of the most frequently mentioned advantages of Poland as a place to locate investments. A little less often mentioned, perhaps treating it as obvious, about EU membership (although, for example, in the annual reports of the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where the investment attractiveness of the countries in our region is researched, EU membership always ranks among the tops of our strengths) .
- SOLIDARITY -membership in the community gives us an incomparably stronger position in various disputes.It is worth reminding, for example, that on the occasion of the Russian embargo on Polish meat, the German chancellor tried to abolish it on the occasion of his visit to the Kremlin. Because it was no longer a Polish-Russian dispute, but an EU-Russian dispute. Similarly in the case of Nord Stream 2 – although it was not possible to develop a clear, joint, solidary position, one could say that if it were not for the EU, Gazprom would have a much easier task to complete this investment.
- SECURITY – thanks to joining the EU, we left the political “gray zone” where staying would be a much more risky option.Secondly, although the military umbrella really gives us the North Atlantic Alliance, the EU gives us a political umbrella. – NATO generates a legal obligation on the part of the West to support at the moment of aggression, but it is the European Union that makes the west “for what” to fight – for Poland as a permanent link in the European economy and value system
- ECONOMY – Membership in the EU thanks to the free movement of goods and European funds gave a powerful boost to the economy, which in turn translated into the standard of living of the population. According to the latest data from the International Monetary Fund, in 2018 GDP per capita in Poland (measured by the purchasing power parity in international dollars) reached the level of nearly 32 thousand, which was about 74 percent. the value of this indicator for the entire EU. At the beginning of the century, before the accession to the EU, this indicator was below 50 percent.
- COOPERATION – Membership in the European Union greatly facilitates the implementation of large cross-border projects, important for the European economy, but also for economies participating in a given investment of countries. The most recent example can be Via Carpatia – a route running through seven countries. The common EU forum facilitates the reconciliation of the route, the pace and the construction schedule, and the European funds are an incentive for faster investment implementation.
