Poland

The GUS [Poland's Central Statistics Office] and Eurostat  data show that in terms of 2013 economic growth, Poland was ranked fifth among the 27 EU countries, after Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and the United Kingdom. International institutions, including  OECD  and the European Commission expect that in 2014 Poland's economy will grow at the pace of 2.7 percent. to 3.6 percent year-to-year, and in 2015 at least 3.6 percent.

Poland's major trading partners' list includes: Germany, Russia, China, France, Great Britain, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine and Spain.

World-scale companies choose Poland as their destination for new investments in Europe. As stated in the Bloomberg ranking, Poland comes 17th among the world's fastest growing economies. According to  the latest  FDI Intelligence  ranking of Europe's best cities and regions in terms of appeal for foreign investments, Poland has repeatedly been quoted among the leaders. In the foreign investors' perspective, Poland is Central and Eastern Europe's most attractive place to launch new projects in. The latest  Ernst & Young’s European Investment Attractiveness Survey 2014 holds it that Poland comes first in Central and Eastern Europe and third on the whole continent in terms of the number of jobs generated in relation to direct foreign investment in 2013.

Poland is located in Central Europe in the Vistula and Oder basins. In the north the country borders with the Baltic Sea, in the south it stretches as far as the Carpathian Mountains. Poland's administrative area is 312 679 km2, which gives it 70th position in the world ranking and 9th in Europe. Poland, with its population of 38.5 million is ranked 34th in the world and 6th in the European Union. Germany is Poland's neighbour in the west, in the south these are Czech Republic and Slovakia, in the east Ukraine and Belarus. Poland is bordered by Lithuania to the north-east and Russia to the north. The substantial part of Poland's northern border runs along the Baltic Sea. Poland's exclusive economic zone on the Baltic Sea is boarded by Denmark and Sweden.

Poland enjoys a truly favourable location right in the heart of the Old Continent and at the junction of the major traffic routes, which makes the country a perfect place to export from to all European countries and thus target over half a billion consumers.

Poland is an excellent place to invest, run and develop your business. The international reports emphasise Poland's economic and political stability, availability of educated and competent staff as well as a large internal market. Year after year foreign entrepreneurs report a more positive feedback on the investment climate. Stability and security is guaranteed with Poland's membership in NATO and the EU; thus Poland is regarded a reliable and an important business partner for foreign investors.

In Poland there are 14 Special Economic Zone (SSE). SSE are specially designed business-focussed areas which offer preferential terms for running businesses. SSE offer new investors attractive tax incentives, new-employment facilitation as well as well-prepared investment areas.

ITC companies, research and development centres and scientific institutions find Polish specialists and scientists highly valued employees owing to the fact that they are well educated and skilled. In Poland there are 453 Higher Education Institutions including 25 universities of technology and 76 schools of economics. The number of HEI graduates increases year after year; among the employment market newcomers there are professional the companies which invest in high-tech business sectors look for.

Poland is a part of the global tourism market and enjoys a constantly growing number of visitors. Poland's accession to the European Union has even reinforced this trend. According to the  Activ Group calculations commissioned by the  Ministry of Sport and Tourism , in 2013 there were 72.3 million foreigners to visits Polish, which accounts for 8.8% compared to the previous year. Out of this number, the estimated 15.8 million are tourists (6.8% more than in 2012.).

Poland's most popular cities are Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Poznan, Lublin, Toruń and Kielce.