State

Official name: The Republic of Poland
Area:312.685 km² (9th biggest country in Europe)
Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - województwo): Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lódzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie

Cities:

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Population

Population: 38,7 million inhabitants
An estimated 17 million Poles live abroad, mainly in Chicago and in Belarus, Lithuania and Ukraine. The last three countries were before WW II part of Poland.

Ethnic groups:
Polish 97.6%, German 1.3%, Ukrainian 0.6%, Belarusian 0.5%
Official language: Polish,

Religion: Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and other 5%

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Currency:

Official currency: Zloty
Exchange rate: 1 EURO = 4,20PLN (date of last updating :21.02.03)

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Politics

Political system: Parliamentary democracy
President: Aleksander Kwasniewski
Prime Minister: Leszek Miller
Political parties: SLD - Democratic Left Alliance emerged from Poland’s former communist ruling party before 1989, but it has adapted its platform to market economy. UP - Labour Union, a smaller party is also left oriented, and has formed a coalition with SLD after the elections. Both parties support Poland’s EU accession.
The second most important group in the Polish Parliament is the Citizens’ Platform which calls for tax cuts for employers and a rapid entry of Poland into the EU.
Self defense is a right-wing party whose leader, member of the former Polish Communist Party, has won a lot of attention because of his protests against the government and EU.
The Law and Justice Party stresses the struggle against corruption and crime and calls for the introduction of the death penalty.
The Polish Peasants’ Party is against the entry of Poland into the EU at any price. It follows a nationalistic, right-wing line.
League of the Polish Family: a radical party, it is popular with ultra-nationalists, Catholics and anti-Semites.
Elections: Next elections for Presidency in 2005
Next elections for Parliament in 2004
Referendum for EU accession in June 2003

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Climate

Climate Continental climate (temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters, mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers)
Average temperature Average temperatures are between -5°C - 0°C in January to 17°C - 20°C in July

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Time zone

Poland is one hour ahead of standard GMT, in the same time belt as most Western European countries. There is no time difference between Belgium/Germany/the Netherlands and Poland.

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How to get to Poland?

By plane

By car

The quickest way to Poznan, Lódz and Warszawa if you are coming from the Netherlands or Belgium is via Potsdam, continue your itinerary further in Poland through Poznan-Wrzesnia-Warszawa or Poznan-Lódz.
If your destination is Gdansk, you best take the route Dortmund-Wensickendorf-Plonia, and continue further to Szczecin-Gdynia-Gdansk.
If going to Kraków or Wroclaw, best take the route through Dresden-Chojnów and continue further either to Katowice, then Kraków or Wroclaw.

Driving distance Warszawa - major European cities

	km	Driving time (hours)
Amsterdam	1 223	13
Belgrade	1 038	13,5
Berlin	593	7,5
Bratislava	646	7,5
Brussels	1 313	14
Bucharest	1 157	15,5
Budapest	674	9
Copenhagen	911	13,5
Frankfurt	1 064	12
Ljubljana	1 071	12
London	1 610	17,5
Munich	995	12
Paris	1 609	16,5
Prague	616	8
Rome	1 778	18
Sofia	1 292	18
Vienna	697	8,5
Vilnius	435	6,5
Zagreb	998	12,5

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Infrastructure:

The Polish road network is in bad shape (total: 381,046 km). Take into account considerable driving times, with a maximum average speed of 50 km/hour. A highway construction plan was made, but so far only few parts of it have been realised. The connections towards the Czech Republic and Slovakia are poor, and the German highway system stops at the Polish border. Construction of the A2 is being executed around Poznan and the construction of the A4 around Katowice. Other parts of the planned highways will probably not start in the nearby future. Off the highway, speed mostlyis considerably slower than EU citizens are used to. The Eastwards staff is familiar with local driving times. When making your travel and meeting schedules, we take into account your travel preferences and take care the schedule stays realistic and feasable.
Motorways (planned, only parts of them are already constructed):

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Wages:

Average gross salary (2001): around 500 EUR
In 2000 the average monthly gross salary was about 1.924 PLN (approximately 481 €). Wages are rising, on average around 10% every year. They tend to be lower in the eastern part of the country.

Average wage for a manual labourer: 200-300 EUR
Average wage for economist leaving university: 400-750 EUR

Wages vary between regions and are considerably (50 % to 100 %) higher in Warszawa but also in Poznan, Wroclaw, Gdansk and Kraków. Therefore when looking for staff, it is important not to pay exuberant wages, as they will not motivate your local staff at all, but on the other hand beware not to pay too low wages, as they will without doubt demotivate your local staff. Eastwards takes care of your recruitment of local top management, sales and financial management or specialists, and will consult you which wage packages are most suitable for the job responsabilities and place of employment you offer.

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Economic information

	2000	2001
Inflation	10,1%	5,3%
Real GDP growth rate (change to previous year)	4,0%	1,5%
GDP per capita	4 400 EUR	5 100 EUR
Unemployment	16,3%	18,4%

Trade with Germany

	2001	Percentage of the total
Exports to DE	12 384 mil. USD	34,4%
Imports from DE	12 702 mil. USD	24%

Trade with UK

	2001	Percentage of the total
Export to UK	1 800 mil. USD	5%
Imports from UK	2 112 mil. USD	4,2%

Trade with the Netherlands

	2001	Percentage of the total
Exports to NL	1 692 mil. USD	4,7%
Imports from NL 1	811 mil. USD	3,6%

Trade with Belgium

	2001	Percentage of the total
Exports to BE	1 116 mil. USD	3,1%
Imports from BE 1	358 mil. USD	2,7%

Trade with EU

	2001	Percentage of the total
Export to EU	22 706 mil. USD	62,9%
Imports from EU	30 884 mil. USD	61,4%

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Official documents

International passport needed for entering the country, you will be controlled at the border. EU nationals do not need a visa for entering the country.

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Cultural heritage

Poland has a rich cultural and natural heritage. The city of Kraków is part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage as well as the cities of Torun and Zamosc. The Mazury province offers splendid conditions for sailing, wind surfing, canoeing, fishing and water skiing. The southern mountaineous or hill areas of Bieszczady, Tatra mountains Tatry and Korkonosze mountains are excellent winter and summer destinations. During the past decade many investments have been made to improve the existing tourism infrastructure, and most international chain hotels are present already in Poland. The countryside is dotted with many castles turned into hotels, but unable to reach without a car.

Historic cities: Kraków, Gdansk, Wroclaw, Torun, Lublin, Lódz
Smaller historic places: Frombork, Jelenia Góra, Kazimierz Dolny, Rzeszów, Zamosc, Przemysl
Castles: Wilanów, Ciechanów, Golub-Dobrzyn, Malbork, Ksiaz, Lancut
Nature: Tatra Mountains, surroundings of Mazury, surroundings of Lubuskie, Baltic coast

Gastronomy

Poland isn’t a paradise for the vegetarians. Almost any main Polish meal includes some type of meat, especially pork meat. Bread occupies a central place in Polish cuisine, other important ingredients being sauerkraut, vegetables, fruit and fresh or dried mushrooms. The main meal (obiad) is eaten early in the afternoon, around 15 or 16 o'clock.
Traditional Polish meals include bigos (hunter's stew-sausage, mushrooms or cabbage), chlodnik (vegetable soup), barszcz (hot, spicy beetroot soup), pierogi (dumplings staffed with meat, cabbage, mushrooms), golabki (cabage rolls), galaretka (jelly cookies).
Although the annual per capita consumption of 45 liters of beer is 2, 5 times lower than in the neighbouring Germany, beer drinking is on the rise in Poland. During the past decade, the consumption of high strength alcohol has decreased in favour of beer and wine. Although most Polish beers are light, Pilsner-style lagers, there are some breweries that produce heavier, dark beers. The most popular brands are Zywiec, Lech, Eb and Okocim.

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Prices

	PLN	EUR
bread	2	0,49
0,5 l of beer	5	1,22
1 cup of coffee	4	0,97
1 bottle of wine	25	6,06
1 liter of milk	2	0,49
1 kg of chicken meat	5	1,22
1 liter of petrol	3,20	0,78
1 liter of diesel oil	2,80	0,68
Taxi services	Day: 1,80/km	0,44
	Night: 2,50/km	0,66
	add 5 for first km	1,22
Average cost of meal	40	9,7
Real estate/m2	2500	605,6
1 movie ticket	18	4,4
Average cost of lodging hotel:	200/night	48,5
2 rooms flat:	1500/month	363,4

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Safety

Poland is not as dangerous as people let you believe. There are no mafia gangs at each corner waiting to steal your car as some “legends” might have made you think that. Nevertheless you have to take reasonable precautions especially in the bigger cities such as Warszawa, Gdansk, Poznan or Wroclaw. Always park in guarded and fenced parking places (parking strzezony). It is recommended to be very careful in Warszawa’s Sródmiescie, Warszawa’s central train station, and in Gdansk Starowka (historic city center) and on the trains between the big cities for pick pocketers. Outside these places, Poland can prove to be a very safe place.

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