THE UNION

OF LUBLIN

OF 1569

• The Polish-Lithuanian

Commonwealth – a

voluntary union of

European nations

• Personal freedom,

equality of

Commonwealth citizens,

religious freedom

• Common ruler, common

foreign and security

policy, common currency

• Golden Age - economic

prosperity, development

of science, culture and art

THE

EUROPEAN

PROJECT

• After the end of WWII -

searching for completely

new solutions

• A time of great visionaries –

the fathers of European

integration

• The idea of a united Europe

supported by the Polish

government-in-exile

• Establishment of the

European Communities –

values and principles

similar to those in the

Polish-Lithuanian

Commonwealth

• Karol Wojtyła

becomes Pope

(1978)

• “Solidarność”

revolution in

1980-81

• collapse of the

communist bloc

beginning of

the process of

the "symbolic

return" of

Poland to

Europe

=

TRANSITION

PERIOD - RETURN

TO THE EUROPEAN

ROOTS

In 1980 - the “Solidarność” movement

established- referring to European ideals

– human rights, democracy and the free

market

+

the “Round Table” negotiations

+

June 1989 - the first partially free

parliamentary elections in the

communist bloc

=

Removing communists from power

→ Poland begins the process

of re-integration with Europe

THE ROAD TO THE

EUROPEAN UNION

• The differences in the

political system and in

the level of

development between

the countries in the

West and in Central

and Eastern Europe

• Western countries’ and

societies’ concerns

• the role of Russia

• A far-sighted vision

among European

leaders

• Benefits of entering

new markets

• Benefits related to

security

vs.

• EU Summit meeting in Copenhagen in 1993 – criteria

set for Poland’s future EU membership.

• 1989 - signing the Agreement on Trade and Economic

Cooperation between Poland and the European

Community

• 1991 - the Association

Agreement between

Poland and the EU

• From March 31, 1998

to December 13, 2002

- EU accession

negotiations

• June 2003 – the

referendum on

Poland’s accession to

the European Union:

supported by 77.45%

of voters, with a turn-

out of 58.85%.

• May 1, 2004 - the

Republic of Poland

became a full member

of the EU

• Poles among the most

euro-optimistic

nations

• Accession to the EU accelerated

Poland’s social and economic

development

• Poland among the fastest developing

Member States

• In 2004-2017 - Poland’s GDP doubled

• GDP per capita increased by almost

two-thirds

• The country ranks 39th (out of 126) in

the Global Innovation Index

• Central Europe’s biggest economy and

the EU’s sixth by GDP in purchasing

power parity

GDP GROWTH

AND ECONOMIC

BENEFITS

EUROPEAN

FUNDS

• Aims of the EU cohesion policy – equal economic and

social conditions in all of the EU’s regions

• Poland among the leading

beneficiaries of the

European funds and among

the leaders in the most

effective use of EU

subsidies

• In 2000-2006 - about EUR

13 billion allocated to

Poland

• In 2007-2013 - Poland

received funds amounting

to EUR 67.9 billion

• In the 2014-2020 perspective,

EUR 82.5 billion allocated to Poland

• In 2014-2020 - 44,452 projects

implemented with European Funds

EUROPEAN

FUNDS

EUROPEAN FUNDS

– TRANSPORT

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Over 13,300 km of roads

built or modernized (in

2007-2020)

• Over 4,000 units of

municipal transport

rolling stock purchased

or modernized (since

2007)

• 200 units of railway

rolling stock purchased

or modernized (since

2007)

• Over 1,500 km of railway

lines built or modernized

EUROPEAN

FUNDS -

MODERNIZATION

OF URBAN SPACE

• Dynamic

development of

cultural, sports and

scientific

infrastructure

• Modern buildings

equipped with

functional, energy-

saving systems

• Successful urban

renewal (Łódź and

Katowice)

EUROPEAN FUNDS -

SPORTS AND TOURISM

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Development of sports infrastructure:

stadiums, football and beach fields, swimming

pools, aqua parks, climbing walls, bicycle

lanes, ice-skating rinks, gymnastic halls, tennis

courts, yachting ports, kayak and yacht

marinas, bicycle and sledge tracks, skate parks,

stud farms and other sports facilities.

• Raising the qualifications of employees

professionally connected with sport

• A network of modern football fields created

for the European Football Championship co-

organized by Poland and Ukraine in 2012

• Four football stadiums for EURO 2012 in:

Warsaw, Gdańsk, Wrocław and Poznań

EUROPEAN FUNDS -

SCIENTIFIC

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Expansion and

development of

university facilities

and science and

research centers

• Investing in schools

• Creating learning

centers

• Conducting research,

workshops and

training in such

facilities

EUROPEAN FUNDS -

RENOVATION OF

HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

• The EU co-finances

renovations of

historical buildings of

great value and

significance for the

European heritage

• Renovation of

elevations, interiors

and park layouts

• Restoration of old

castles, palaces, villas,

townhouses and

historical public utility

buildings (offices, post

offices, factories)

EUROPEAN FUNDS -

MODERNIZATION OF

RURAL AREAS

• Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – genesis

and pillars

• Poland - one of the main beneficiaries of the

CAP, which helps to make up for the

underdevelopment caused by communism

and earlier economic backwardness

• Stabilization of income, improvement of the

quality of rural infrastructure, improvement

of the quality of processing and an increase

in global agricultural production

• Polish agricultural productivity growth - in

2005-2017, the number of farms decreased

by more than half, whereas agricultural

production increased by over 20%.

ENVIRONMENTAL

PROTECTION

• 23 national parks with a total area of 3168.22 km², 140 landscape

parks with a total area of over 31,753 km²

• The total area of all parks exceeds 10% of the country’s entire area

• Introduction of modern waste management and waste

segregation on site

• Resolving the problem of purification of potable water and

sewage treatment

• Decommissioning of old, ineffective power units

• Significant investments

in renewable energy

infrastructure

• Introduction of modern

heating solutions for

flats and houses

• Supporting electromobility

• Sustainable and multifunctional forest

management

• Poland as the host of three climate summits

EU MEMBERSHIP

BENEFITS FOR THE

SOCIETY

FREEDOM TO TRAVEL

• without passports, visas or special permits,

but with a wide range of facilitations and

privileges

• Abolition of roaming charges

• Online subscriptions to movies, television,

e-books, video games and music services

FREEDOM TO WORK

• 2.5 million Poles temporarily abroad, of

which the vast majority in EU countries

(about 2.1 million).

FREEDOM TO CARRY OUT RESEARCH

FREEDOM TO STUDY

• More than 180,000

Polish students have

received foreign

scholarships as part

of the

Erasmus/Erasmus+

Programme.

• About 100,000

foreign students

welcomed to Poland

as part of the

Erasmus / Erasmus+

Programme.

• Poland among the

top ten European

countries most

attractive to foreign

students

A NEW IMPETUS

FOR GROWTH

• Strengthening the economic and financial

condiVon of the state → prosocial investments:

• Extension of paid maternity/paternity leave

• Significant reduction of fees for kindergartens and

the extension of their networks

• Introduction of the "Family 500 Plus" programme

• Introduction of a one-off benefit for all pupils

starting a new school year, as part of the "Good

Start" programme

• Increase in the availability of childcare for children

under the age of three;

• Introduction of the Large Family Card:

• Strengthening the care of the elderly, e.g. the

"Senior +" programme;

THE EASTERN

PARTNERSHIP

• Challenges arising from the

enlargement of the

European Union in 2004

• Eastern Partnership

initiative presented by

Poland and Sweden in

2008

• Officially established on

May 7, 2009 as one of the

components of the

European Neighborhood

Policy

• Includes Armenia,

Azerbaijan, Belarus,

Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

Pillars of the Eastern

Partnership:

• strengthening state

institutions and good

governance

• economic development

• expanding connectivity

• improving mobility and

intensifying people-to-

people contacts

Mobilizing the civil society,

strengthening democratic

mechanisms and

supporting media

pluralism and

independence - among the

main objectives

EaP achievements:

• expansion of the

regulatory framework

• intensification of

political and economic

cooperation

• increasing people-to-

people contacts

(facilitating travel and

scholarship exchanges

between students)

POLISH INVOLVEMENT

IN THE WESTERN

BALKANS

• Poland's commitment to support European

integration of the Western Balkans countries:

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro,

Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia

• Poland shares with Western Balkans partners

its experience in transformation, accession

negotiations and integration with the EU at

forums such as:

• Skopje Conference

• Belgrade Conference

• Tirana Conference

• Enlargement Academy

• The Reconciliation and Remembrance seminar

• The Berlin Process - genesis and goals

• The Western Balkans Summit in July 2019, in

Poznań

POLISH INVOLVEMENT

IN EU MISSIONS AND

OPERATIONS

• The Polish Army’s involvement in

peacekeeping missions – an

important element of Polish foreign

policy

• Poland - one of the 14 non-EU

countries to support the Concordia

operation

• present in military missions in, e.g.

the Democratic Republic of the

Congo, Chad, the Central African

Republic and Mali, as well as in

maritime operations to combat

piracy in the Horn of Africa off the

Somalia coast and people smuggling

in the Mediterranean.

• In regular three-year intervals,

Poland acts as a framework

nation of the Union’s rapid

reaction forces called

Battlegroups

• Poland contributes to the

budget of EU military

operations under the Athena

mechanism

• In addition to EU missions -

Poland participates in missions

led by the UN, OSCE, and NATO

POLISH AID

• Polish aid provided in the world since 2004; a

major element of Poland’s membership in the

European Union

• Two main pillars: development assistance and

humanitarian aid

• Polish Official Development Assistance (ODA) in

2017 - EUR 0.6 billion

• Multilateral assistance - resulting from the

Polish membership in such international

organizations as the EU, UN, and OECD - aimed

at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs), in 2017 worth approx. EUR 0.41 billion

• Bilateral aid implemented through bilateral

projects - in 2017 worth approx. EUR 197

million • Under the 2016-2020 Multilateral Development

Cooperation Programme, Polish Aid is delivered as a matter

of priority to four Eastern Partnership countries (Belarus,

Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine), and to eight Asian, African

and Middle Eastern countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Lebanon,

Myanmar, Palestine, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda).

POLISH AID

• Projects carried out in Belarus, Georgia, Moldova

and Ukraine - good governance, development of

human capital, entrepreneurship, the private

sector, agriculture and rural areas

• Projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Palestine,

Senegal and Tanzania - development of human

capital, entrepreneurship and the private sector,

agriculture and rural development and

environmental protection

• Humanitarian activities directed to countries

affected by natural disasters or military actions:

the Middle East, Jordan, Ukraine, Iraqi Kurdistan