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In 2016, gross domestic product was 434.4 billion euros, and a
figure of 450 billion euros is forecast for 2017. The industrial
sector grew by an impressive 6.5 per cent in 2015. The IT and
communication sectors performed even better, with both record
ing 8.8 per cent growth, while mining and manufacturing grew by
7.7 and 7.5 per cent respectively. The country’s consistently strong
economy has benefited car manufacturers and the machinery
and plant construction sectors. In 2015, machinery imports rose
by 12 per cent compared with the previous year, while new car
and commercial vehicle registrations rose by 14 and 40 per cent
respectively.
Symbol of the new Poland
Poland is showing the world what it can do and proving that it will
not settle for second best, while at the same time remaining true
to its traditions – just like one of the country’s most ambitious
and successful athletes, football star Robert Lewandowski. One
of the best goal scorers in his field, he embodies Poland’s spirit
of endurance and dynamism. This unassuming young man from
Warsaw dedicated himself to developing his footballing skills and
is now recognised as one of the best footballers in the world.
The Białowieża Forest in eastern Poland, on the border with
Belarus, is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site. It has over 12,000 ani
mal species, including 9,000 insect species and is home to the
European bison. In the south-west of the coal-mining area of
Upper Silesia lies the Błędowska Desert. This conservation area
is Europe’s largest desert, and is often referred to as the “Polish
Sahara”. Around 30 per cent of Poland’s land area of 312,679 km²
is covered by forests. In terms of forestry, Poland is the most im
portant of the 10 accession states that joined the European Union
in 2004. It is also the biggest producer of copper, silver and coal
in the EU. The forests of Poland provide plenty of opportunity for
Poles to indulge in one of the nation’s favourite pastimes –
mushroom picking. Once a year, the small town of Węgliniec on
the border between Germany and Poland hosts “Święto Grzy
bów”, the European mushroom picking contest.
Steady economic growth
The patience and stamina that are required for mushroom pick
ing are features that have also benefited the Polish economy,
which has performed well in recent years. Poland has an annual
growth rate of 3.6 per cent (compared with 3.3 per cent in 2014
and 2015), ranking it among the five most dynamic economies in
Europe. As the eighth largest economy in the EU in terms of GDP,
Poland accounts for 37 per cent of the economic output of the
11 CEECs (Central and Eastern European Countries).