Poland is now among the 20 largest economies

Post by tasuki » Fri, May 08, 2026, 7:21 PM UTC

pepperoni_pizza wrote: post #582

VimEscapeArtist wrote: post #563

I live in Poland. This headline is misleading. Poland didn't build a top-20 economy. Western Europe and the US built their economy in Poland, because the labor is educated and cheap. There are almost no globally competitive Polish companies. The "growth" is branch offices of German and American corporations taking advantage of engineers who'll work for 40% of Berlin rates. Remove the foreign-owned sector and you're l…

Allegro is Polish, large and successful, no? But I only know of them because they bought some successful small companies in my country and shut them down to reduce competition, for which they are universally hated around here.

Post by myth_drannon » Fri, May 08, 2026, 7:25 PM UTC

pavlov wrote: post #101

tossandthrow wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, this is how European social welfare works. And it is fantastic! Because the entirety of the EU is benefitting from it. Polish people have larger spending power, interesting and safe places to visit, etc. This is not a "present" given to Poland. This is ensuring a better life for all Europeans.

In the 1980s, EU money was flowing to Spain, Portugal and Greece. And people complained about that too. But the result is inarguably positive. Those countries had only recently become democracies after decades of military dictatorships or otherwise unstable third-world style governments. Today they're the most dynamic economies in the EU in many respects, and their democracies are well established and functioning. Th…

Post by airstrike » Fri, May 08, 2026, 7:33 PM UTC

lo_zamoyski wrote: post #660

airstrike wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brazil also famously avoided the 2008-09 recession to a great extent, to name one example. Tight global integration is not a bad thing. Even if we took at face value your argument that a strong domestic market protected Poland in that case, you can't cherry pick the one instance in which lower-than-expected integration was beneficial without also considering all the other times in which it was harmful.

But this was largely the particular cause in this case... The strong domestic market insulated the economy from international economic shocks.

Post by tonymet » Fri, May 08, 2026, 7:35 PM UTC

therealdrag0 wrote: post #655

ericzawo wrote: post #514

One of the most underrated countries in Europe to visit if you’re a fan of history, architecture or food. I am so blessed to Be able to go every year and am hoping for continued prosperity for both Poland and the region.

What food would you recommend?

Post by aksH21 » Fri, May 08, 2026, 7:38 PM UTC

jakozaur wrote: post #454

The story is longer: Poland was the first country to make a remarkable peaceful transition from a bankrupt, failed Soviet satellite state. The shock therapy, plus NATO and EU aspirations, paved the way. It is a story of a country that made a lot of the right decisions along the way. Managed to keep consistent high growth, not a pony trick or boom/bust mode. Poland should be a role model for many other countries. Reco…