The Germans were completely stunned. It’s all because of Poland’s position

Poland is among the countries that, according to the German weekly “Der Spiegel”, set the direction of economic development in Europe today. The author of the commentary, Michael Sauga, even puts forward the thesis that international financial markets talk about Poland as a “new Germany”.

Europe divided into two camps? Germany points to a new trend

According to the author of the commentary published by “Der Spiegel”, Europe is not a uniform economic entity today. Michael Sauga argues that we can talk about two different economic realities.

On the one hand, there is the “Europe of weakness”, which includes the largest economies of the European Union, such as Germany, France and Italy. On the other hand, there is a group of countries with significantly faster economic growth, which he calls the “Europe of growth”.

The starting point for this analysis is the report of the former president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, who warned about Europe’s loss of competitiveness. Sauga, however, believes that the picture on the continent is more complex because, alongside countries in stagnation, there are developing countries that achieve results comparable to the American economy.

Poland, next to Spain and Sweden, among the growth leaders

Among the countries recognized as the engine of European development, the author mentions Spain, Sweden and Poland. He points out that these are countries that have been able to use recent years to build new competitive advantages.

As “Der Spiegel” reminds, according to the World Bank, Poland thanks to its long-term economic growth exceeding 3%. GDP has created a balance between economic competitiveness, social cohesion and resilience to crises.

Sauga also points out that European politicians looking for inspiration for economic reforms should look more often to Warsaw, Madrid or Stockholm, instead of focusing solely on the United States or China.

Poland is no longer just a production base

The German weekly devotes a particularly large amount of space to changing the perception of Poland by its western neighbors.

According to the author, there is still a belief in Germany that Poland primarily serves as a production base for Western corporations. In his opinion, such an image is no longer valid. As examples, he cites the success of the bus manufacturer Solaris and the development of business centers in Warsaw, Poznań and Gdańsk. This is where specialized technology companies providing IT services and digital solutions to customers from all over the world will operate.

Entrepreneurship is supposed to be Poland’s greatest advantage

The comment also includes a comparison of the approach to starting your own business. Michael Sauga points out that in Germany only about a quarter of university graduates consider starting their own business after graduation. In Poland, as many as 67 percent declare such intention. young people.

According to the author, this high level of entrepreneurship, willingness to take risks and flexibility are some of the most important factors driving the development of the Polish economy.

“Poland is the new Germany”

A telling fragment of the text is the statement that “Poland is the new Germany.” As Sauga emphasizes, such a term is to appear on international financial markets as an expression of appreciation for the pace of development of our country.

Similar conclusions were previously presented by economist Marcin Piątkowski in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. In his opinion, Germany is still not fully exploiting the potential of economic cooperation with Poland because it underestimates the scale of changes that have taken place on the Vistula River in recent decades. The economist pointed out that closer economic relations with Poland could help Germany deal with structural problems. He also pointed out that many Germans still do not know their eastern neighbor very well, despite Poland’s growing importance in the European economy.