Grzegorz Czywoniuk is the founder of “WorkAI“ - a startup from Białystok in eastern Poland - a company that helps other companies digitize their activities with the help of artificial intelligence. The company now has 40 employees, and as Czywoniuk told ARD, digitalization in Poland helped him when it was founded nine years ago.
State aid and entrepreneurial gene
“Even then, everything was done entirely online, and today setting up a company is even easier - it takes five minutes.“ The businessman explains that a company can be established with minimal capital, and in addition, the state supports young companies with tax breaks.
As another factor for success, Czywonyuk identifies the Polish mentality. According to him, Poland has an “entrepreneurial gene“. “I think we are not afraid of risks or defeats. We learn from defeats.“
Indeed, Poland has one of the highest quotas of entrepreneurs in the EU, the German public media points out, but notes that this is also viewed critically in the country, since a large part of businessmen do not provide employment for others, but take advantage of low taxes and social contributions.
"Hunger for success"
The Poles have lived for decades in a socialist economic system imposed on them by the Soviet Union. Entrepreneurship was suppressed, one's own efforts were hardly rewarded, ARD recalls. After the transition to a market economy, the situation is completely different.
Christopher Fuss, who heads the office of the German economic agency “Germany Trade & Invest“ in Warsaw, says that the desire of Poles for success stimulates economic development. “In Germany, I often hear the words: I want to preserve and guarantee my well-being. And in Poland there is no such thing - here people want to achieve more, they want to advance. In Germany, we can learn from this hunger for success“.
Important export market for Germany
The growth of the Polish economy in 2025 will be around three percent, similar to the previous year. And the forecasts for 2026 are for even higher growth. Germany is also benefiting from this boom, ARD points out. Meanwhile, Poland is Germany's fourth-largest export market, surpassing China. Only the United States, France and the Netherlands are more important to the German economy.
Poland has long been seen primarily as a country where Western countries can produce more cheaply due to low labor costs. This remains the case, but Poland is also increasingly establishing itself as a power in the field of innovation.
ARD also tells about the company “Vigo Photonics“, which produces infrared sensors near Warsaw. They are built into, for example, railway tracks or tanks, but also in space probes. The company currently employs 200 people, but their number is expected to at least double by 2030, says CEO Adam Piotrowski. There are also plans to build a new chip factory. “Europe has begun to rely on technological sovereignty – that is why production is moving back from Asia to Europe. Poland is becoming one of the centers - both for production and innovation.“
High new debts and an aging society
However, not everything in the Polish economy is going smoothly. The country's new debts are the highest in the EU, and in Poland too, the aging society is posing problems for the social system. It should also be noted that Poland owes its economic upswing to the EU's stimulus funds.
Despite the strong growth, the Polish economy remains far behind Germany's. Even if we take into account the lower cost of living in Poland, Germans still have a significantly higher standard of living, explains the ARD.
Reasons for pride
However, Poland is catching up and doing many things successfully, economic expert Christopher Fuss told the German public media. When he welcomes German businessmen to Warsaw with its gleaming buildings, he often sees surprised faces. “People are really impressed.“ Probably because Germany doesn't pay enough attention to the development of its neighboring country, ARD notes.
Adam Piotrowski is also impressed when he tours his homeland. “When I see the factories, the infrastructure, the roads, the data centers that are being built, I think we can be proud of what we are achieving.“ However, it is clear to him and his compatriots that they have not achieved everything they could. And this is precisely where the Polish mentality is evident, which makes them seek new successes, the German public media summarizes.
Author: David Zajonc ARD