Introduction: Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union...

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Economic Overview: The global economic crisis did not affect Poland as seriously as its neighbours. Real GDP growth contracted to 1.7 per cent in 2009 (down from 5.0 per cent in 2008), though Poland was the only EU country to record positive growth in this year. The IMF forecasts real GDP growth to rise to 2.7 per cent in 2010. Inflation was at 3.5 per cent in 2009 and is forecast to increase to 2.3 per cent in 2010. Poland is one of the few emerging economies to still enjoy stable credit ratings.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows into Poland were close to €7 billion in 2009, down from €11.1 billion in ...

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