Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski looks at the benefits of Poland’s membership of the European Union in this exclusive statement for Polish Market Online.

Taking stock of the benefits, as well as social and economic costs five years after Poland’s accession to the European Union, one can say that EU membership is bringing the country genuine economic benefits: one the one hand faster economic growth, coupled with unemployment and inflation slashed by half, and on the other, a tangible wage growth, which contributes to a significant consumption growth.

The most measurable benefit stemming from Poland’s EU membership are structural funds. They are likely to remain so. Medium- and long-term effects of EU accession are linked with the growing absorption of funds available to Poland. They have enabled this country to speed up the process of modernisation and restructuring of agriculture, as well as to launch giant investment projects which are meant to adjust Polish infrastructure to West European standards. An indirect effect of Poland’s EU entry is the continued high inflow of foreign direct investment.

More than a year ago Poland joined the Schengen zone, which enabled Polish citizens to personally experience what one of the European Union’s fundamental ideals - of a free flow of people in a united Europe - is all about.

From day one of becoming an EU member state, Poland earned a stable position of a European partner to be reckoned with – one that influences the shaping of the European community’s vision and priorities. Shifting the EU border to the East provided an impulse for the organisation’s policy toward its new members within the European Neighbourhood Policy. Poland actively joined the process of shaping EU policies toward Ukraine and of intensifying relations with Belarus. In the five years of Poland’s membership of the EU, its most notable initiative has been the Eastern Partnership – a project jointly submitted with Sweden in 2008 and addressed to six countries of Eastern Europe and South Caucasus.

Moreover, 5 years since EU accession, public opinion surveys conducted in Poland show that being part of the European community of nations has enjoyed the unflagging support of Polish people. Acceptance of Poland’s membership has never fallen below 58%. In fact, it recently climbed exceeded 70%. Those polled appear confident as to Poland’s future within the EU within the next 10-20 years. Taking note of the public satisfaction with the course of development and integration taken by Poland evident in these polls seems the best way to sum up the five years of Poland within the EU.