Regional policy and employment in Poland after its accession to the European Union

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the impact of the European Union's regional policy (cohesion policy) on employment in Poland after the country's accession to the EU. The research methodology consisted of analysing state documents (development plans, implementation plans, strategies, etc.) that reflected the prospects for the implementation of European regional policy in Poland; studying statistical data and comparing the amount of resources allocated to the employment system and the achievements made; studying the results of sectoral and national studies on this topic. The scientific novelty is to determine the impact of the EU cohesion policy measures on the employment system of the Republic of Poland after the country's accession to the European Union, based on statistical data, documentary sources and the results of the assessment of the Ministry of Regional Development. Conclusions. The European Union's regional policy has played a significant role in shaping the quantitative and qualitative level of employment in Poland. After joining the EU, Poland received the largest support among the new member states under the cohesion policy aimed at reducing development differences between regions and promoting sustainable economic growth. However, it cannot be argued that regional policy funds aimed at business development have played a leading role in the development of the Polish regions' economies. In some places, it is almost impossible to distinguish between socio-economic growth that was the result of financing from European funds and growth that was naturally determined by the general market conditions. Based on the indicators taken into account, we can say that cohesion policy measures have had a visible positive effect on the overall employment system, the development of knowledge-intensive industries, the stimulation of the knowledge economy, and the training and development of personnel after Poland's accession to the EU and its involvement in the common European regional policy.