Poziom rozwoju społeczno-gospodarczego Polski w kontekście wewnętrznej spójności Unii Europejskiej

Abstract

Poland, compared to many other countries, not only Western ones, indubitably still remains sorely underdeveloped. This mainly results from Polish structural problems whose origins can be traced back deep in the country’s history. The processes of industry and agriculture restructuring together with slow, unhealthy and incomplete privatisation in these sectors, despite obvious positive effects also brought threats of unemployment, low investment ability, scarce competitiveness of enterprises and ineffectiveness of the institutional system. Moreover, the above-mentioned threats (along with other, not addressed here) occur in different degrees from one region to another. Therefore, low socioeconomic cohesion is itself a barrier to raise cohesion at the European level. Despite progressing outer convergence, one can observe that, except for several big cities and few areas attractive in terms of tourism and agriculture, all Polish provinces face a serious threat of being left as peripheries of integrating Europe. This is especially evident in Eastern Poland. Yet another threat stems from typical way of thinking where it is the EU that is supposed to eliminate the risk of marginalisation of Polish regions – a belief based upon the assumption of being dependent on an aid from the outside, no matter how able or not are we to really implement the financial support received. Therefore, actions that are needed on different levels should not only aim to avert the above-mentioned risk of marginalisation but also at providing better conditions for further development of the regions concerned. One has to remember that every enlargement of the European structures has had a bigger or smaller influence upon the cohesion of the EU. Countries less developed in socio-economic terms have been accepted as members of the integration process. On the 1st May 2004 ten new countries became members of the EU, including Poland. As this was the biggest enlargement in the history of the EU, it has influenced both the Community institutions and economy, but even ore importantly it occurred a challenge to its coherence.