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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