A convinced European and Europhile, President Macron made no mistake when he made an important official visit to Poland at the beginning of the year. In view of the French Presidency of the European Union in January 2022, he also mandated Bruno le Maire last spring to take part in the Weimar Triangle meeting in Krakow, which was devoted to the progress of important projects of common European interest (PIIEC) and to the revival of sustainable and competitive growth.
French companies have long been banking on Poland’s potential. In fact, France has been the third largest foreign investor and one of the largest foreign employers in the country for several years.
With growth well above that of the euro zone, Poland has been able to resist the deep economic depression caused by the health crisis better than most of its neighbours. Several of the major French companies have established a strong presence in a country that is the main north-eastern pillar of Europe. A strategic market of nearly 40 million inhabitants, access to Poland remains relatively unfamiliar to the fabric of French medium-sized companies. However, combined with ambitious measures to boost consumption following the COVID crisis, constant support for SMEs and reindustrialisation 4.0 is one of the powerful tools for the country’s economic dynamic.
In any case, Poland is today a partner of choice for French companies – small and large – wishing to set up, export or cooperate with their Polish counterparts.
Rule of law, protection of minorities: the subjects of tension between Poland and its European partners can sometimes raise questions about Warsaw’s full and complete adherence to the common values on which the European Union is founded. The fact remains that the Polish people are among the most Europhile in Europe and that membership of the EU is seen more positively than in France.
At the end of a historic crisis, the major recovery plan is one of the keys to the common future of Europeans. The time has come to overcome political differences to offer French, Polish and European companies the opportunity to secure their place in a more intense global competition. And to establish and deepen, while respecting our differences, bilateral cooperation between the economic actors of our countries.
