| Area: |
312,685 square
km |
| Population: |
There are
38,654 million inhabitants, of which 98% are ethnic
Poles. Poland recognises 13 national or ethnic minorities. |
| Official
language: |
Polish |
| Constitution: |
New Democratic
Constitution passed in 1997 |
| Administrative
division: |
1999: 16
provinces (wojewodztwo), 308 counties (powiat) and
2,489 communes (gmina) |
| Application
for EU accession: |
Submitted
to the European Commission in 1994 |
The Polish state is over 1,000 years old. In the XVIth
century, under the Jagiellonian dynasty, Poland was one
of the richest and most powerful states on the continent.
On May 3, 1791 the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania ratified
a constitution, being the first written constitution of
Europe. Soon after Poland ceased to exist for 123 years,
upon being partitioned by its neighbours Russia, Austria
and Prussia. The country regained independence in 1918 for
only 20 years. In 1989 the first partially free elections
in Poland's post-war history concluded the Solidarity movement's
ten-year struggle for freedom and resulted in the defeat
of Poland's communist rulers. In 1999 Poland joined NATO
and began negotiating its full membership in the European
Union.
The Constitution passed in 1997 vests legislative power
in the Sejm and the Senate The 460 Deputies of the Sejm
are elected via party lists and serve a four years term.
Parties entering the Sejm have to overcome a 5% (8% for
coalitions) threshold. The Sejm plays the dominant role
in the legislative process and has the right to supervise
the Council of Ministers. The second chamber, the Senate
can amend or reject laws passed by the Sejm.
The President is the supreme representative of the Republic
of Poland and the guarantor of the continuity of State authority.
He is elected for a five-year term of office in direct elections.
The President can veto laws. A qualified majority in of
the Sejm can override the President's veto.
The Council of Ministers (the Government) chaired by the
Prime Minister is the principal body of the Executive Branch.
The Prime-Minister-designate is nominated by the largest
parliamentary group and is given a mandate by the President
to form a cabinet. The National Assembly elects the proposed
Council of Ministers.
The country has a variety of natural resources including
coal, copper, zinc, iron, gypsum, lignite and some oil and
natural gas reserves. The rapidly developing private sector
is now responsible for 70% of the country's economic activities.
The dynamic development of the private sectors is based
on the continuous inflow of Foreign Direct Investment and
the high level of entrepreneurial activity of the Polish
population. Dominant industries include metalwork, steel,
and chemical and textile production. Increasingly trade,
high technology and the service sector play an important
role in for employment and restructuring of the national
economy.
About a fifth of all Poles are employed in agriculture.
This contributes to less than 5% of the GDP. About 60% of
the country's land is used for agriculture. Almost one fourth
of the population still lives on small, inefficient farms.
Poland's main agricultural products include grains, potatoes,
sugar beets, fodder and livestock.
For centuries Polish culture has been an integral part
of European culture. Among the greatest Polish contributors
to European culture are: the astronomer Copernicus, the
great composer and pianist Fryderyk Chopin and the outstanding
scientist Maria Curie-Skłodowska. During the last two
decades the Nobel Prize for literature has been awarded
to two Polish poets Czesław Miłosz and Wisława
Szymborska. A long musical tradition is continued by such
world-renowned composers as Krzysztof Penderecki and Henryk
Górecki. Films of Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Kieślowski
and Roman Polański contributed highly to the world
and European cinema. Polish art and theatre are well known
thanks to works of Jerzy Grotowski, Tadeusz Kantor and Magdalena
Abakanowicz.
The capital Warsaw (1.6 million inhabitants) is the country's
economic and political centre. Cracow - the country's third
largest city, has been its cultural centre since the Middle
Ages and was in 2000 Cultural City of Europe. Other Polish
cities like Gdansk, Poznan, Lódz are of European importance,
like the candidature of Wroclaw for EXPO 2010 underlines.
Poland has a high variety of landscapes: the Baltic beaches,
the Mazurian Lake District, virgin forests, the Carpathians
and the Sudeten Mountains. Poland's 26 national parks and
8 World Heritage sites are a host of historic and cultural
sites of European importance and offer numerous tourist
attractions.
Press releases
/ News section
- Interreg
programme : European Union contributes EURO 83 million
for Germany (Mecklenburg-Vorpommen and Brandenburg) and
Poland (Voidvoship Zachodniopomorskie), 18 October
2001, (IP/01/1445) (FR
/ DE)
- Interreg
programme : European Union contributes EURO 96 million
for cross-border co-operation between Germany (Brandenburg)
and Poland (Voidvodship Lubuskie), 18 October 2001,
(IP/01/1444) (FR
/ DE)
- EU
support for flood damage reconstruction in Poland,
1 August 2001, (IP/01/1163) (FR
/ DE)
- Structural
Funds: Commission adopts an INTERREG programme for Germany
(Saxony) and Poland (Lower Silesia) of euro 42.7 million,
25 July 2001 (IP/01/1090) (FR
/ DE)
- Employment
and labour markets : Poland and Commission sign agreement
to accelerate reform of employment systems in preparation
for enlargement, 29 January 2001, (IP/01/127) (FR
/ DE)
- Commission
launches debate on impact of enlargement on Kaliningrad,
17 January 2001, (IP/01/66) (FR
/ DE)
+ all other official EU languages
- Breakthrough
in farm trade liberalisation talks with Poland, 27
September 2000, (DN: IP/00/1065) (
FR / DE)
- Rural
development programmes for Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria,
the Czech Republic, Latvia and Slovenia endorsed,
14 September 2000, DN: IP/00/1009 (DE
/ FR)
- Günter
Verheugen Member of the European Commission responsible
for Enlargement Enlargement of the European Union : What
lies Ahead? European Ministerial Conference on Information
Society Warsaw, 11 May 2000 (DN: SPEECH/00/178)
- Margot
Wallström European Commissioner for Environment Addressing
Members of the Polish Parliament Polish Parliament Poland,
9 March 2000 (SPEECH/00/77)
- Poland
to the road of accession (CES/99/115) (FR
/ DE)
+ all other EU languages
Polish State Institutions
International Organisations about Poland
Scientific and academic institutions
Polish and foreign nongovernmental organisations
Cultural Institutions
Other sources of information about Poland and EU
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