The occupation of 20 positions among countries with the most developed economies in the world passed in the media without much echo. Meanwhile, what we have achieved in recent decades is an amazing success. Only how not to lose it, so that we do not “have a rope.”
It is hard to get the impression that we are a happy and satisfied nation with what we have achieved. We are converted by policy and ideological matters, but it is probably in retrospect that subsequent generations will appreciate our contribution to the development of the country. After all, today we assess the 20th anniversary of the interwar period as twenty years of momentous changes and investments, although if we ask Polish women and Poles a hundred years ago as they live, we would certainly hear the complaints known to us and today.
Entrepreneurial Poland
When in 1989 the economy made bankruptcy and reforms began, hardly anyone thought that in only a few years we would become economic tigers in the region. Ambitious policy of the prime minister's government Tadeusz Mazowiecki and pro -prooric to pain shock therapy
Leszek Balcerowicz They met with an entrepreneurial society who wants freedom in every dimension, primarily in the economy. The number of emerging entities was impressive. And although the closing of state plants in the vast majority of unprofitable and on the verge of bankruptcy brought many social problems, in retrospect it should be said that it was worth undertaking this effort.
Today, being in NATO for 26 years, for over two decades in the European Union we have become both a country and a more wealthier nation. The only question is what next?
Politicians and military warn that in 2-3 years Russia can be a problem for the countries of the NATO eastern flank, i.e. mainly for us. Without going too deep into geopolitical agonizing, whether it will actually be or not, it is worth going back to the time of the Cold War, when the countries of two military blocks have participated in the arms race for years. Despite many crises in the bay of pigs in Cuba in 1961 or in our region, such as the one in Hungary in 1956, in Prague in 1968 or in Poland during martial law introduced in 1981. Fortunately, there was no confrontation of NATO countries with the countries of the Warsaw Pact. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, but after a few years of a bloody battle he had to withdraw from there. Along the way there were raids to Chechen or Georgia, and now to Ukraine to show the whole world, where the Kremlin's influence zone runs.
Bob Woodward In its latest book, “War” cites the data of American intelligence agencies, according to which Russia lost 87 percent in 2024. its pre -war army. This means that this country is significantly weakened by military armed activities carried out for over three years in Ukraine and must rebuild its potential. As a result, the economy is now switched to arms production, because Moscow wants to restore the combat capacity of conventional troops as soon as possible.
Information on war economy in Russia is particularly affected by our national war trauma. However, it is worth remembering that redirecting the economic potential to the needs of the army means that many other sectors will not develop. In the technology race, our eastern neighbor will not take momentous steps. What's more, thanks to the United States and the conquest of the Cosmos or the development of the armed forces led by this country, the world received fleece, Goretex or the global GPS navigation system, which is used by hundreds of millions of people around the world every day. Russia's armed forces, like the economy, is not advanced technology, but in a great simplified way a simple mass advantage.
Spending 4.7 percent GDP to armed forces through Poland is with a response to the above threats. We buy equipment and try to modernize the armed forces, but there is also another component here extremely important for our peace. Just like after the attacks of September 11, we agreed to increased security measures at airports, and thus longer inspections while checking in front of the plane boarding, so now we even expect from the government that he will spend hundreds of billions of zlotys on reinforcements from a common cash register.
A new strategy needed for years
We have good macro indicators. The pace of economic growth can be envied by many a country from the euro area, we have a low level of unemployment and in accordance with affordable taxes. It is true that inflation is still a bit bounced, but it is slowly approaching the NBP. We are indebted, of course, but we accept this state, because this is the price of a sense of security. This is the situation for now. And the future?
We will not maintain the position of 20 economy in the world, focusing on existing GDP -driving engines. Poland will not attract as a great assembly plant for foreign entities.
We need a vision. We need a strategy. Finally, we need good tactics for the coming years. Unfortunately, this is our Achilles heel, for which subsequent generations of Poles pay.
Good planning and implementation is done to Scandinavians, Germany or Anglo -Saxons. We can set a goal like entering NATO or the EU, reach a supreme agreement and lead to accession. The access path is of course demanding, but it is a well -marked way and achieving the goal is not so difficult. Determination and stubborn pursuit of the goal are needed. However, to redirect the economy to new tracks, the matter is not so simple.
First of all, it is difficult to create a strategy, because as you know, “where two Poles are three sentences.” It is difficult not only to reach an agreement within one environment, because we like to divide, create a whipping or various types of sub -teams, but it is problematic to create a wider front around a given matter. While the case concerns such a key area as security, it is a chance for a relative agreement. However, when the thing is to apply to such a vast area as the new economic strategy, it is unlikely to succeed.
Politicians, unfortunately, do not know the economy, they have little experience in running a business, and their own, it is an absolute abstraction. Because what professional politician sitting in the Sejm benches for years, living in a bubble and absolutely knows about the economy, business or world megatrens?
However, this does not release each subsequent government from responsibility to create and implement such a strategy. It is very likely that if it begins to bring fruit, then the successors at least in part will continue the work, although history gives us many examples that there is no certainty.
Even the pension reform of the government of Jerzy Buzek introducing OFE. Subsequent governments did not finish and did not expand PTE investment capabilities to other financial instruments than government bonds, hence the debt and the debt and Jacek Rostowski He liquidated funds to provide an additional source of income in retirement. In the current government there is a lack of a man who could reach an imagination ahead of several/several dozen years.
There was such a person in the previous government of PO-PSL Michał Boni. You need a visionary not for deregulation, but to the development of the country based on developing technologies, world megatrens and can see both global opportunities and threats. If he is not one man, then there will be a team like Task Force, not the National Development Council, which was convened 10 years ago by the president Andrzej Duda He is not able to boast of any achievements.
Dream Team
While our problem is the inability to build a strategy, we can boast of wonderful people for centuries – scientists, inventors, creators or entrepreneurs. Is Olga Malinkiewicz from pervsków, Sławosz Uznańskiwho has just returned from a space expedition, but also perfectly understanding climate change and the need for transformation Marcin Popkiewicz or living in California Adam Wooden On a daily basis, investing in the latest technologies. Such a team supported by the best people from Polish business like Sebastian Jabłoński Creator and head of Respect Energy or Ryszard Florekfounder of Fakro, the second company in the world producing roof windows could actually develop a good post -party strategy for Poland's development for the next decades. These people not only can develop business in the maze of Polish and global legislation, but also understand the specifics of the current global economic system. They see global trends and can see the chances for our country – neither too much, but also quite a lot.
Regardless of whether Poland will formally enter the G20 group at the expense of removing from this group of just chased Switzerland, we need not only a new development strategy for the next decades, but a supreme consent to its implementation.
At the beginning we need to change our higher education, the world went ahead, leaving Polish universities behind and not only in the rankings. We need to change the migration policy, because we need people to work, regardless of the robotization and development of AI. Energy is a large area and it is not limited to its production. We need cheap and distributed sources supported by magazine systems with an intelligent power network. However, the construction of the energy system should be the answer to which profile the economy will need – whether it will be data centers requiring constant high energy supply, or whether it will be technologically advanced industrial production requiring electricity during the day.
Mateusz Morawiecki The former prime minister and the Minister of Finance and Economy in the rule of the United Right wanted to escape from the so -called Medium growth traps. Despite the pandemic that embraced the world over 5 years ago and the later invasion of Putin's troops to Ukraine, Poland is developing. No matter what threats we will face, it does not slow down the current government under the leadership Donald Tusk from creating and implementing a new development plan for our country. Just like energy is not only energy production, so defense, it's not just tanks and rifles. It is worth remembering that modern combination of sectors and technology development are areas of double use, where the final solutions can be used on the military and civil market, thus increasing the added value of the economy.
Quote “You had, Chamie, Golden Horn, you have survived the rope” from the “Wedding” Stanisław Wyspiański We know too well, because it has been in our history too many times. Maybe this time it will be different?
