We at “Polish Market” also feel that we should make a contribution to the nationwide debate on the course the Polish economy should take. What we volunteer is a list of Polish critical development needs. Firstly, it is vital for Poland to start promoting itself in English to avoid being marginalised. “Polish Market” has been doing its best to work on the country’s image for the past 12 years. But we often feel quite alone in our efforts. The country’s image in Europe and the rest of the world is badly in need of a makeover.
Secondly, there must be a revolution in the way human resources are managed in Poland. Compared to other nations in Europe, Polish society has been the least economically active. But on December 20 Poland enters the Schengen zone. From then on, no Polish employer will be able to hold on to his workers, because 150 kilometres to the West they can earn three times as much. Is this enough for Polish workers to cease being perceived in terms of labour costs and to start being appreciated as income-generating assets? It seems a tough challenge, but the revolution must start with the Polish education system.
 Thirdly, all barriers hampering the operation of SMEs should be removed. In regional operational programmes a significant proportion of EU funding was set aside for SMEs. But in all provinces
other, more pressing, priorities took precedence, even though decision-makers were aware that it is SMEs that create jobs on the local scale. This seems like a far cry from the expectations expressed by 30% of the Polish population.
Fourthly, regions should be encouraged to develop their own identity. Poland may rank seventh on the list of Europe’s most attractive investment destinations. But it slid there from the fifth position a year ago, having reached number 4 in 2005. All studies indicate that Poland continues to attract investors largely thanks to the efforts of local authorities. Cities like Wrocław and Kraków are on their way toward winning a meaningful place in the new Europe. Other regions still appear a long way from that.
Last but not least, more money should be allocated for R&D and innovation. Poland lags behind other European countries in terms of research and development spending. They say it is the curse of the great Polish astronomer Copernicus. He relegated this planet to the role of a peripheral object in the solar system, but made no money from his discovery. In the last century, Polish scientists led the world in blue laser research, only to see their invention being marketed by Taiwanese companies. At the outset of the 21st century Poles are free to go on a trip Down Under to buy medicine for Alzheimer’s disease developed in the Polish city of Wrocław. It would be a sad story if such failures to capitalise on Polish inventions were to continue.
These five points, we hope, will give food for thought to those who can make a difference in the way Poland sells itself to the outside world. “Polish Market” will spare no effort to promote this programme, which we partly owe to Martin Oxley, President of the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce. We would like to express our gratitude for his inspiring look at Poland from the outside. In fact, it is becoming trendy for Poles to listen to the advice offered by foreign experts. A Finn is the coach of top Polish ski jumpers, a Dutchman is the guru of Polish footballers, an Italian is in charge of the Polish women’s volleyball team, while an Argentinean shows the way to the men’s team. If only five per cent of our programme were to become reality to match their successes, Poland would never be the same again.