A Study on the Balance of Poland’s Membership in the European Union after 10 Years

Abstract

On May 1, 2014, 10 years have passed since Poland joined the European Union. In 2004 Poland joined the European Union as one of the poorest countries in Europe. Among them, serious problems in the labor market, such as extreme unemployment, were also included. The purpose of this paper is to compare and analyze the situation at the time of the first 10 years of joining and present the results, after examining the state of Poland’s economy and its weaknesses at the time of joining to the European Union. It will also be able to look at the losses incurred by joining to the European Union along with the gains it has brought. These include matters such as - the financial impact of becoming a membership, the consequences of the European Union’s participation in the Common Regional Policy and the New Cohesion Policy, the economic development of trade within the scope of the Single European Market, and the trends of Polish migration abroad to the Western European labor market.