ECONOMICS PROJECT

POLAND

SUBMITTED TO

Professor Dharmendra
United World School Of Law (UWSL),
Karnavati University
(Faculty- Economics)

SUBMITTED BY

Name: - Dixit Gadhavi

Roll NO: - 10
Semester: - 2 B
PESTEL ANALYSIS OF INDIA

This PESTEL analysis of India aims to address some of the political, economic, social,
technological, environmental, and legal issues concerning the country.

Political environment of India

India is one of the most powerful countries in the world. It is the largest democracy in the world
and enjoys a relatively stable political environment. New Delhi is the capital of India. India
neighbours two powerful countries i.e. China and Pakistan. Other neighbouring countries are
Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, & Sri Lanka.

Democratic will of the people reflected in the local and national elections is mostly respected and
accepted by the political parties and people in general. This political culture of tolerance
contributes immensely to maintain a stable political climate which is in fact a very important
factor to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). However, sporadic political unrest is not very
uncommon in India.

A major area of concern in India is corruption. It badly affects the country’s business and
political environment, posing a challenge to the country’s economic growth. Corruption
increases the cost of business operations and often affects foreign direct investment. However, a
growing public awareness and government initiatives are combating the challenges of corruption.

Economic environment of India

According to the IMF 2017 economic forecast, India’s GDP is worth $2.4 trillion making it the
7thlargest economy in the world by nominal GDP. The GDP will grow by 7.0% in FY18 which is
expected to increase to 7.4% by FY20 (The World Bank Group, 2018).

The current corporate tax rate in India is 30% (as of February 2018). It is worth noting that the
country witnessed frequent corporate tax rate changes over the years. For example, the tax rate in
2010 was 33.99%, while it reached an all time high of 38.95% in 2001 (Trading Economics,
2018).
India is one of the top countries in many industries. For example, it is the 7th largest coffee
producing countries in the world (International Coffee Organisation, 2017). It is also one of the
top agriculture producing countries in the world.

India’s key exports are petroleum products, jewellery, pharmaceutical products, transport
equipment, machinery and readymade garments to name but a few. On the other hand, India
imports crude petroleum, gold and silver, electronic good, pearls and precious stones and many
other things. Some of the top trading partners of India are China, UAE, Switzerland, Saudi
Arabia, USA, and Qatar (Guardian News and Media Limited, 2016).

The Indian economy has held up better than other emerging countries to the global economic
slowdown and has benefited from low oil prices in recent years. According to the IMF, the
Indian economy grew by 7.3% in 2018, which is the highest growth in two years and strongest
since the first quarter of 2016, driven by a rebound in industrial activity, especially
manufacturing and construction, and an expansion in agriculture. Sectors which registered
growth of over 7% include manufacturing; electricity, gas and water supply; construction, and
public administration and defence. India also registered the third highest growth in the world in
2018. Growth is expected to remain strong in the next couple of years, reaching 7.4% in 2019
and 7.7% in 2020.

India’s fiscal deficit stood at USD 101.93 billion by the end of November 2018. That amounted
to 114.8% of the budgeted target for that year, mainly due to lower revenue realization and rise
in expenditure, with the debt to GDP ratio remaining high (67%). That was a slight increase from
the previous year's 112% of the budgeted target. The inflation rate increased from 3.6% in 2017,
to 4.7% in 2018. However, the economy is aiming to move towards a more stable price regime.
Also, in 2018 the government deficit stood at -6.6% of the GDP ans is expected to remain at the
similar level in coming years. In 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued his programme
of reforms aimed at consolidating public accounts, promoting investment and industrial
development and improving the business climate. The government has passed a key goods and
services tax bill (which aims at turning the 29 states into a common market) and raised foreign
direct investment caps in some sectors, with various economic reforms focusing on
administrative and governance changes. In case Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues in
power after the 2019 elections, the foundations upon which new policies would be built should
remain largely unchanged.  Modi’s biggest reform push, with the greatest impact to public
finances, and the strongest tool against tax evasion was the introduction of the goods and
services tax (GST). Another major decision taken by the government was to suddenly declare
that India’s highest-denomination banknotes – accounting for 86% of cash – would no longer be
legal tender and so they had to be deposited in banks. This policy aimed at tackling the black
economy and, after a first period of uncertainty, it is expected to have positive effects on the
country’s economy (as an example, since April 2017 over twice as many Indians have filed tax
returns than in the same period of the previous year). However, long-term challenges remain
significant, including: India's discrimination against women and girls, an inefficient power
generation and distribution system, ineffective enforcement of intellectual property rights,
inadequate transport and agricultural infrastructure, limited non-agricultural employment
opportunities, high spending and poorly targeted subsidies, insufficient availability of quality
basic and higher education, constant rural-to-urban migration.

India is expected to overtake China as the world’s most populous country by 2024. It has the
world’s largest youth population, nevertheless according to the OECD over 30% of India's youth
are NEETs (not in employment, education or training). India continues to suffer from a low GDP
per capita, almost 25% of the population still lives below the poverty line (about one-third of the
world’s population living on under USD 1.90/day lives in India) and the country's inequalities
are very strong: the richest 1% of the population own 53% of the country’s wealth. According to
ILO reports, the unemployment rate stood at 3.5% 2018 and should remain unchanged in 2019.

Social environment of India

India has a gigantic consumer market with a total population of approximately 1.2 billion. Such a
huge market is a great opportunity for multinational companies. No wonder why so many
multinationals are operating in India! India offers cheap labour and the labour force is expected
to reach 160-170 million by 2020 (IBEF, 2018). Accessible and affordable labour force has
encouraged many multinational companies to outsource some of their business operations to
India.
India is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, and multi-religious country. Communal harmony is a great
strength; however, the country sometimes witnesses tensions in ethnic lines. India has a world-
renowned film industry. It is also world renowned for some of the sports e.g. Cricket and
Hockey. IPL (Indian Premier League) attracts cricket legends and talents to India.

India is one of the most attractive markets in the world in many sectors. Standard of living is
gradually improving and the country has a growing middle class with good disposable income.
However, it is worth noting that India still suffers from poverty and according to the World
Bank, 1 in 5 people in India are still poor.

Technological environment of India

India is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. In fact, according to
some sources, it is the 3rd most technologically advanced country in the world. No wonder why
more and more tech giants including but not limited to Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple are
investing in the country! India is a key destination for outsourcing work in IT. With an advanced
IT infrastructure and highly skilled IT work force, India offer enormous opportunities for
entrepreneurs to embark upon technological projects such as software development and
upgrades, e-commerce, mobile apps, business solutions, and many more.

Environmental issues of India

While India has made a lot of progress over the years, the country still faces a number of
environmental challenges e.g. air pollution, water pollution, floods, resource depletion such as
water and forest, loss of biodiversity, and diversion of consumer waste into rivers. Expatriates
may sometimes find it difficult to live under some of these environmental challenges.

Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air

pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and
runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and
growing population is overstraining natural resources. For the environment of India to be
sustainable in the long run, it should be broad-based and inclusive of a large part of the region's
labor force. [Source: CIA World Factbook]
 Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-
Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-
Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling.

 India is vulnerable to various natural hazards, particularly cyclones and annual monsoon floods,
and various combinations of poverty, population growth, increasing individual consumption,
industrialization, infrastructural development, poor agricultural practices, and resource
maldistribution have led to substantial human transformation of India’s natural environment. An
estimated 60 percent of cultivated land suffers from soil erosion, waterlogging, and salinity. It is
also estimated that between 4.7 and 12 billion tons of topsoil are lost annually from soil erosion.
From 1947 to 2002, average annual per capita water availability declined by almost 70 percent to
1,822 cubic meters, and overexploitation of groundwater is problematic in the states of Haryana,
Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. Forest area covers 19.4 percent of India’s geographic area (63.7
million hectares). Nearly half of the country’s forest cover is found in the state of Madhya
Pradesh (20.7 percent) and the seven states of the northeast (25.7 percent); the latter is
experiencing net forest loss. Forest cover is declining because of harvesting for fuel wood and
the expansion of agricultural land. [Source: Library of Congress, 2004*]

 These trends, combined with increasing industrial and motor vehicle pollution output, have led
to atmospheric temperature increases, shifting precipitation patterns, and declining intervals of
drought recurrence in many areas. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute has estimated that a
3̊ C rise in temperature will result in a 15 to 20 percent loss in annual wheat yields. These are
substantial problems for a nation with such a large population depending on the productivity of
primary resources and whose economic growth relies heavily on industrial growth. *

 Civil conflicts involving natural resources—most notably forests and arable land—have
occurred in eastern and northeastern states. By contrast, water resources have not been linked to
either domestic or international violent conflict as was previously anticipated by some observers.
Possible exceptions include some communal violence related to distribution of water from the
Kaveri River and political tensions surrounding actual and potential population displacements by
dam projects, particularly on the Narmada River. *
 Salinization affects 11 percent of the irrigated land in India. An estimated 7 million acres of land
has been damaged by salt. Saltwater intrusion is a problem in some coastal areas. Mangroves
have been cut down and underground water has been tapped out.

 According to a survey of expatriates living in Asia, India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines,
Indonesia and Hong Kong were regarded as the dirties countries in Asia while Singapore, Japan
and Malaysia were regarded as the cleanest. Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan were in the
middle.

Legal environment of India

The last element to address in the PESTEL analysis of India is the legal landscape. As mentioned
above, India is a famous destination for foreign direct investment. Depending on the scope and
the business needs, foreign investors can set up a company, branch, or a limited liability
partnership in India. Indian companies are governed by the Companies Act, 2013. There are a
number of labour laws that regulate employment relations in India e.g. Employees’ State
Insurance Act 1948 (ESI Act), Industrial Disputes Act 1947 (ID Act), Maternity Benefit Act
1961 (MBA) and the Payment of Bonus Act 1965 (PBA).
Steeple Analysis of Poland

STEEPLE is advanced as it deals with macro-environmental external factors and also offers an
overview of various external fields. It is an acronym for Social, Technological, Environmental,
Political, Legal and Ethical.

Social Life of Poland

Learning the language may be a great help in developing a social life in Poland. The official
language of Poland is Polish which is spoken by 98% of Poland. The remaining 2% of the
population speak one of the minority languages such as – German, Ukrainian or Belarusian.
Polish originated in the areas of present-day Poland from several local Western Slavic dialects,
and shares some vocabulary with Slovak, Ukrainian, Belarusian and Czech languages.

Younger people can speak English as English is taught in school whereas the older people
learned Russian instead of English, so their English may be more basic. The great thing is that if
you have children they do seem able to absorb languages easily, and unless you’re Polish is very
good they will soon be translating for you

Poeople are demonstrative and friendly. Greetings are animated and even an English “hello” will
be greeted with fervor. People here are always happy to try to teach you language of Polish. If
the toast is “bruderszaft”, be delighted and don’t decline it. It seals a feeling of brotherhood –
and the beginning of first-name terms. And it is safer to use “Pan” for Mr or “Pani” for Ms with
their first name and not the surname, which may be taken as a slight. It isn’t hard to make friends
in Poland and there are plenty of dating sites if all else fails – but you do need to be cautious if
using them.

If you are moving to Poland from UK you will be pleased to know that Poland has a vibrant
cultural scene. There are about 280 art festivals every year with a wide variety of interests –
especially jazz. Warsaw has a vibrant nightlife and the city of Krakow is famed for its inspiring
architecture and wonderful museums, art galleries and castles.

There are also many natural attractions which you can enjoy, coastlines and mountains and
National Parks scattered around.
Tourist information centres have rather generous amount of information on the sites to visit, and
the local library will have details of the culture – theatre, music, art, or clubs you could join –
which is a good way to learn more Polish and make new friends.

Technology of Poland

According to data from 2016, the environmental technologies market in Poland has an estimated
value of USD 7.0 billion. European Union (EU) mandates served as a catalyst to the growth of
this market.  Environmental standards imposed by the EU create greater opportunities for U.S.
businesses, who are used to generally stringent U.S. standards, to compete.  Poland ranks 19th in
ITA’s 2016 Top Markets Report, with a composite environmental technologies score of 17.7.
Poland ranks 9th for water markets as well, with a score of 8.4. Poland also ranks 9 th for air
pollution control, with a score of 8.6. Its waste and recycling market trails behind with a rank of
16th and a score of 0.7.
EU regulations drive the Polish environmental market. Over 10 years of EU membership, EU
programs have built over 1,000 new water treatment plants, set up thousands of miles of new
piping systems, reduced over 30 percent of CO2 emissions, created hundreds of new hazardous
waste management facilities, and developed long-term programs to protect endangered plant and
animal species. The current tranche of EU investments in Poland is estimated to be worth over
Euro 70 billion.

Poland’s environmental regime has steadily improved since its accession to the EU in 2004. The
Environmental Business Journal’s OECD Environmental Stringency Survey, which ranks
environmental regimes on a scale from 1 to 7 (with 1 being lax and 7 being the most stringent),
gave Poland a 4.4 in 2012. This was a 2-point improvement from its score in 2005. Similarly,
Poland’s ranked 35th globally, with a score of 4.71, on a similar scale to that of EBJ-OECD, on
the World Economic Forum’s 2011 Index for Regulatory Stringency. This demonstrates the
relative increase in environmental stringency. Poland’s ranking in the same survey for
enforcement is 35th globally with a score of 4.10, highlighting improvements in environmental
enforcement as well. The 2001 Environmental Protection Act provides the legal framework for
all commercial and environmental activities in Poland. The Ministry of the Environment (MoE)
is the highest national office responsible for the preparation and implementation of
environmental legislation and strategies. In accordance with EU directives, the Polish
government prepares a national plan to implement environmental rules and to direct the
corresponding regional governments, or voivodeships, to develop and implement cascading local
plans. Overall, Poland’s environmental governance exhibits high level national, regional, and
municipal coordination. Environmental norms are relatively free from corruption and overall
compliance is high.

Opportunities

The public sector digital technology policy and Poland’s IT development plans

are coordinatedby the Ministry of Digital Affairs, but individual ministries or institutions can be
responsible for projects in their specializations. Project opportunities include investments in e-
administrationand open government, as well as training and other activities aimed at increasing t
he digital literacy of Polish society. 
 
The EU allocated USD2.5 billion for the implementation of the Digital Poland Operation Planfro
m 2014 to 2020. Funds are available to central administration, local governments, universities,
businesses, non-profits, associations, and cultural institutions through a
variety ofprograms executed by the Polish government. Additional EU funding is also available
for IT projects through regional programs.  

Economy of Poland

Poland’s economic freedom score is 67.8, making its economy the 46th freest in the 2019 Index. Its
overall score has decreased by 0.7 point, with a plunge in the score for judicial effectiveness not fully
offset by improvements in investment freedom and fiscal health. Poland is ranked 23rd among 44
countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is below the regional average but above the world
average.

Poland’s positive economic reputation was earned through structural reforms: trade liberalization, low
taxes, and business-friendly regulations. Enthusiasm for reform has waned in recent years amid political
and policy uncertainty that has contributed to currency volatility and weakened rates of investment.
Challenges include deficiencies in road and rail infrastructure, a rigid labor code, a weak commercial
court system, government red tape, and a burdensome tax system for entrepreneurs. Reforms are also
needed to buttress the independence of the judiciary and reduce opportunities for corruption.
Before World War II, Poland was a free-market economy based largely upon agriculture but with
a few important centres of manufacturing and mining. After the initiation of communist rule in
the 1940s, the country developed an increasingly industrial, state-run command economy based
on the Soviet model. It operated within the rigid framework of Comecon(Council on Mutual
Economic Assistance), an organization of Eastern-bloc countries dominated by the Soviet Union.
From the mid-1970s the Polish economy struggled with limited growth, largely as a result of an
antiquated industrial infrastructure, government subsidies that masked inefficient production, and
wages that were artificially high relative to productivity. In the late 1980s a swelling government
deficit and hyperinflation brought about economic crisis. With the fall of communism and
the demise of Comecon, the Polish economy became increasingly involved in the market-
orientedglobalComecon

Soviet Union

infrastructure

demise

market-orientedgloba

economy, for which it was ill-suited. To try to achieve economic stability, the postcommunist
government introduced an approach known as “shock therapy,” which sought both to control
inflation and to expedite Poland’s transition to a market economy. As part of that plan, the
government froze wages, removed price controls, phased out subsidies to state-owned
enterprises, and permitted large-scale private enterprise.
As a result, in the early 1990s, industrial output and gross domestic product (GDP) dropped
significantly (agricultural production also fell, though largely because of drought).
Unemployment grew, affecting as many as one in seven Poles. Inflation, however, began to drop,
from 250 percent in 1990 to 10 percent in 2000. Production and GDP also recorded dramatic
turnarounds, with an average annual GDP growth of about 4 percent from 1990 to 2000.
Poland’s balance of payments improved (partly as the result of debt forgiveness), and the country
developed one of the leading economies of the former Eastern bloc, as well as one of the fastest
growing in Europe. Unemployment, which had been high at the beginning of the decade, righted
itself in the late 1990s, falling to levels similar to those in western Europe in 1997–98 (i.e., to
about 10 percent). The percentage of unemployed persons, however, rose once again in the early
21st century, climbing above 18 percent in 2003, when a downturn in the Polish economy was
accelerated by a worldwide economic slowdown. Nevertheless, the Polish economy was quickly
back on track and continued to expand even during the 2008–09 global financial crisis, when
Poland was the only European country whose economy did not slip into recession. By 2007
the unemployment rate had fallen below 10 percent. After dipping even more over the next two
years, it largely stabilized at about 10 percent until 2014, when it climbed again to 14 percent.

Privatization of some of Poland’s large industries proved to be a slow process. Under

communism the principal branches of industry, services, and trade were directly owned by the
state. There was, however, a surprisingly large sector of legal self-employment, and small-scale
private businesses—including workshops, services, and restaurants—proliferated. Moreover,
some three-fourths of Poland’s farmland remained privately owned. A government
collectivization campaign begun in 1949 was abandoned in 1956. After the fall of communism,
both industry and agriculture became increasingly privatized. By the early 1990s, more than half
the Polish economy was in private ownership, while more than four-fifths of Polish shops were
privately owned.

The privatization of larger enterprises was more complicated. A number of these were

transformed into joint-stock and limited-liability companies. To distribute ownership in them, the
Mass Privatization Program was introduced in 1994, which created 15 national investment funds
(NIFs) to serve as joint-stock companies for more than 500 large and medium-size firms that
were privatized. Poles were able to purchase shares in these funds at a nominal price. Listed on
the Warsaw Stock Exchange, the NIFs comprised a broad range of enterprises—not just
individual companies or groups of companies—and this enabled citizens to possess a diversified
interest in key Polish industries. By 2001 more than 6,800 state-owned enterprises had been
involved in the privatization process, and the private sector accounted for more than 70 percent
of GDP. According to some estimates, by 2012 the private sector’s portion of GDP had increased
to between 80 and 85 percent.
Development under the communist government stressed the classless and proletarian nature of
society; however, the party elite enjoyed a range of privileges unavailable to ordinary workers. In
postcommunist Poland, as private businesses proliferated, a small number of people became
wealthy, and a middle class composed of entrepreneurs and urban professionals emerged.
However, many people, in particular those on fixed incomes, suffered sharp declines in
their standard of living. Crime, drug use, and corruption also increased, but such problems are
not uncommon elsewhere in Europe. Also, greater wealth was found in western provinces
near Germany than in eastern districts near Belarus and Ukraine.
As it made the transition to private ownership and the market economy, Poland became
increasingly involved with international economic and political organizations. In 1991 it joined
the Council of Europe; in 1995 it became a member of the World Trade Organization; and in
1996 it joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. It gained full
membership in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) in 1999, along with Hungary and
the Czech Republic. An associate member of the European Union (EU) since 1994, Poland
ascended to full membership in 2004.

Environmental factors of Poland

Poland suffered as heavily as any other East European country from the environmental
negligence inherent in the central planning approach to resource development. Although some
warnings reached the public during the 1980s, the communist regimes typically had portrayed
economic activity in the capitalist countries as the true enemy of the environment. Investigations
after 1989 revealed that enormous damage had been inflicted on water, air, and soil quality and
on forests, especially surrounding the industrial centers in Upper Silesia and the Kraków region.
But because the economy had depended for over forty years on unrestrained abuse of Poland's
natural resources, environmental planners in the early 1990s faced the prospect of severe
economic disruption if they abruptly curtailed the industrial practices causing pollution.

Environmental Conditions and Crises

In 1991 Poland designated five official ecological disaster areas. Of the five, the densely
concentrated heavy industry belt of Upper Silesia had suffered the most acute pollution. In that
area, public health indicators such as infant mortality, circulatory and respiratory disease, lead
content in children's blood, and incidence of cancer were uniformly higher than in other parts of
Poland and dramatically higher than indicators for Western Europe. Experts believed that the full
extent of the region's environmental damage was still unknown in 1992. The situation was
exacerbated by overcrowding; 11 percent of Poland's population lived in the region. With 600
persons per square kilometer, Upper Silesia ranked among the most densely populated regions of
Europe. In 1991 the region's concentrated industrial activity contributed 40 percent of Poland's
electrical power, more than 75 percent of its hard coal, and 51 percent of its steel.

A variety of statistics reflect the effects of severe environmental degradation in Upper Silesia. In
1990 the infant mortality rate was over 30 deaths per 1,000 births, nearly five times the levels in
some countries of Western Europe; some 12,000 hectares of agricultural land had been declared
permanently unfit for tillage because of industrial waste deposition; and between 1921 and 1990
the average number of cloudy days per year had increased from ten to 183. Average life
expectancy in southern Poland was four years less than elsewhere in the country.

Water and air pollution affect the entire country, however. A 1990 report found that 65 percent
of Poland's river water was so contaminated that it corroded equipment when used in industry.
After absorbing contaminants from the many cities on its banks, the Vistula River was a major
polluter of the Baltic Sea. River water could not be used for irrigation. In 1990 about half of
Poland's lakes had been damaged by acid rain, and 95 percent of the country's river water was
considered undrinkable. Because Polish forests are dominated by conifers, which are especially
vulnerable to acid rain, nearly two-thirds of forestland had sustained some damage from air
pollution by 1990. In 1989 Polish experts estimated total economic losses from environmental
damage at over US$3.4 billion, including soil erosion, damage to resources and equipment from
air and water pollution, and public health costs.

In 1988 about 4.5 million hectares, or 14.3 percent of Poland's total area, were legally protected
in national and regional parks and reserves. But all fourteen national parks were exposed to
heavy air pollution, and half of them received substantial agricultural, municipal, and industrial
runoff.

A special environmental problem was discovered when Polish authorities began inspecting the
military bases occupied by Soviet troops for forty-six years. Uncontrolled fuel leakage, untreated
sewage release, noise pollution from air bases, and widespread destruction of vegetation by
heavy equipment were among the most serious conditions observed when inspections began in
1990. The government of Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki was late in pursuing the issue
with the Soviet government, however, and in 1991 the Soviet Union continued its longstanding
refusal to pay fines and natural resource usage fees required by Polish law. In 1992 the Poles
dropped all demands for compensation as part of the withdrawal protocol.

Environmental Groups

The burst of political activity in the late 1980s and the early 1990s included establishment of
over 2,000 organizations with environmental agendas. A precedent for such groups was set in
1980, however, when the Green Solidarity movement forced closure of an aluminum plant in
Kraków. The diverse groups that appeared in the next decade achieved some additional
successes, but lack of cohesion and common goals deprived the movement of political influence.
No environmental group or party was represented in the Polish legislative branch in 1992.

Among the objects of protest in the 1980s were Poland's lack of a national plan for dealing with
ecological disasters; construction of a Czechoslovak coking plant near the Polish border;
continued reliance on high-sulfur and high-ash coal in electric power plants; and the severe
environmental damage caused by Soviet troops stationed in Poland. In 1986 the explosion and
resulting fallout from the Soviet Union's Chernobyl' nuclear power plant galvanized
environmental activism, which in Poland was dominated by the professional classes. But
environmental groups faced several obstacles. Volunteer recruitment, a critical aspect of
organizational development, was hindered by the necessity for many Poles to work two jobs to
survive. Refining practical operational priorities proved difficult for organizations whose initial
inspiration came from broad statements of environmental ethics. And the agendas of the many
activist groups remained fragmented and dissimilar in 1992. Meanwhile, the most influential
political parties were split between advocates of preserving jobs ahead of protecting the
environment and those who saw unchanged economic activity as the paramount danger to the
health of workers and society. Public attitudes toward environmental problems also were
divided. In a 1992 nationwide survey, only 1 percent of Poles cited the environment as the
country's most serious problem, although 66 percent rated environmental issues "very serious."
By contrast, 72 percent cited economic issues as the country's most serious problem.
Government Environmental Policy

Poland established a Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources in 1985, but
the new department exerted little authority. Between 1987 and 1988, for example, government
investment in environmental protection increased by only 6 percent. In 1990 the initial
postcommunist environmental timetable was to achieve "substantial" reduction of extreme
environmental hazards in three years and to reach the level of European Community (EC)
requirements in seven to ten years. In early 1991, the ministry drafted a new state ecological
policy, the core of which eliminated the communist rationale of "social interest" in the arbitrary
consumption of natural resources. Instead, the new policy fixed responsibility for the negative
results of resource consumption at the source. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and
Natural Resources officially identified the eighty enterprises causing the most pollution and
promised to shut them down if pollution were not reduced. The role of nongovernmental
environmental organizations in policy making was recognized officially for the first time. In late
1991, a State Environmental Protection Inspectorate was established, with broad powers to
regulate polluting industries. Penalties for environmental damage also were increased at that
time.

At the same time, government policy steered carefully away from measures that would sacrifice
economic development, and policy makers debated the appropriate standards for comparing
immediate economic growth with the estimated longer term gains of beginning a rigorous
cleanup program. Accordingly, in 1990 the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural
Resources adopted a policy of "ecodevelopment" emphasizing modernization and restructuring
measures that theoretically would curtail pollution while they streamlined production operations.
The policy included distribution of information to the public to gain acceptance of economic
sacrifice for environmental improvement; linkage of environmental law to the new market
mechanism slowly being created; promotion of an awareness in Western Europe of the
transnational impact of Poland's air and water pollution; and application of foreign capital and
technology to environmental cleanup problems. At the end of 1990, Western banks began
opening credit lines for Polish environmental protection, and plans for some multinational
ecological enterprises included Poland. In 1991 the United States government agreed to forgive
part of Poland's debt in exchange for domestic investment in pollution control.

Politics of Poland

The Government of Poland takes place in the framework of a unitary semi-

presidential democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state and the Prime
Minister is the head of government.

Executive power is exercised, within the framework of a multi-party system, by

the President and the Government, which consists of the Council of Ministers led by the Prime
Minister. Its members are typically chosen from the majority party or coalition, in the lower
house of parliament (the Sejm), although exceptions to this rule are not uncommon. The
government is formally announced by the President, and must pass a motion of confidence in
the Sejm within two weeks.

Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament, Sejm and Senate. Members of

Sejm are elected by proportional representation, with the proviso that non-ethnic-minority parties
must gain at least 5% of the national vote to enter the lower house. Currently five parties are
represented. Parliamentary elections occur at least every four years.

The president, as the head of state, is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, has the
power to veto legislation passed by parliament, which may be overridden by a majority of three
fifths, and can dissolve the parliament under certain conditions. Presidential elections occur
every five years. When a majority of voters support the same candidate, he is declared the
winner, while when there is no majority, the top two candidates participate in a runoff election.

The political system is defined in the Polish Constitution, which also guarantees a wide range of
individual freedoms. The judicial branch plays a minor role in politics, apart from
the Constitutional Tribunal, which can annul laws that violate the freedoms guaranteed in the
constitution.

Legal System of Poland

Poland is a republic formed on the democratic basis. The Republic of Poland is based on the
Montesquieu separation of powers principle. The legislative power is vested in the Parliament
consisting of the lower house “Sejm” and the upper house “Senate”. The executive power is
vested in the President of Poland and the Council of Ministers and the judicial power is vested in
courts and tribunals.

The Republic of Poland is a unitary state. According to the administrative reform of 1998, the
country is divided into 16 provinces. The provinces are divided into “poviats” (currently 379),
and then further to the basic administrative units: communes (currently 2479).

As of 1st January 2004, the Republic of Poland is a member of the European Union.

Constitution

The history of Polish constitutionalism provides a number of such acts issued in Poland. The
latest one is the above-mentioned Constitution of 2 April 1997, upheld by the National Assembly
i.e. the Sejm and the Senate acting together.

An English version of the current Polish Constitution may be found on the Sejm (Lower House
of Parliament) page.

Statutes

A statute is a basic act of the universally binding law in Poland. The statutes are adopted by the
Sejm, initiated by the proposals presented by the Deputies. The right of legislative initiative also
belongs to a group of at least 100,000 citizens, and also by at least 15 Members of the Senate, the
President or the Council of Ministers.

Ethical System of Poland

There are 52 Regional Ethics Committees (ECs) in Poland.  A national Appeal Bioethics
Committee, is part of the Ministry of Health.
The 52 Regional Committees comprise:
  - 12 appointed by the Medical Universities
  - 17 appointed by the Medical or Scientific Institutes
  - 23 appointed by the Regional Chambers of Physicians and Dentists

They are all recognized for the review of all clinical trials with IMPs.

The Appeal Bioethics Committee within the Ministry of Health only considers appeals
from opinions issued by one of the regional ECs

Historical background

The first Polish Code of Ethics, which recommended supervision over guidelines, programs and
compliance with ethical and deontological principles of new methods and drugs in the pursuit of
scientific knowledge, was the Collection of Ethical and Deontological Rules for the Polish
Doctor approved in 1977. These guidelines were revised at the Extraordinary National Assembly
of Delegates of the Polish Society of Medicine in Szczecin on 22 June 1984. The Collection of
Ethical and Deontological Rules for the Polish Doctor was passed and recommended that new
methods or new drugs would be introduced only by highly qualified teams and only in units
entitled to do so, after obtaining prior permission from the relevant Ethics Committee. In 1989,
Poland re-established the medical council which had been abolished in 1950. Two years later, a
new version of the Code of Medical Ethics was created, which in art. 44 of Chapter II entitled
"Scientific Research and Medical Experiments” states that: "The design of each experiment on
human subjects should be clearly defined in writing and submitted for the assessment of an
independent ethics committee in order to obtain consent."

The first advocates of legal regulations concerning the creation of ethics committees were
Professors Kornel Gibiński and Jan Nielubowicz in 1977. In 1982, the Ministry of Health
published a decree on the Supervision Commission for Scientific Research on Human Subjects
(this was the first Polish Research Ethics Committees). A network of committees was created
which initially covered only medical schools, and later some medical institutions and institutes of
the Polish Academy of Sciences. The first Polish Research Ethics Committee, for research on
human subjects, was the Commission for Deontological Evaluation of Scientific Studies created
in January 1979 by the Rector of the Medical University of Gdansk. Other commissions were
subsequently set up at medical schools in Krakow, Katowice and Poznan. The mode of action of
these commissions, especially in the initial period, was diverse, while in composition consisted
almost exclusively of physicians. The commissions cooperated with the Central Commission
established by the Ministry of Health.

In 1997 the Medical Profession Act was published, which replaced the previously existing
network of ethics committees for research on human subjects with a new network of Bioethics
Committees created at medical schools, medical research and development centers and at
Regional Chambers of Physicians.

Educational Condition of India

In ancient times, India had the Gurukula system of education in which anyone who wished to
study went to a teacher's (Guru) house and requested to be taught. If accepted as a student by the
guru, he would then stay at the guru's place and help in all activities at home. This not only
created a strong tie between the teacher and the student, but also taught the student everything
about running a house. The guru taught everything the child wanted to learn, from Sanskrit to the
Holy Scriptures and from Mathematics to Metaphysics. The student stayed as long as she wished
or until the guru felt that he had taught everything he could teach. All learning was closely linked
to nature and to life, and not confined to memorizing some information.

The modern school system was brought to India, including the English language, originally by
Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay in the 1830s. The curriculum was confined to “modern”
subjects such as science and mathematics, and subjects like metaphysics and philosophy were
considered unnecessary. Teaching was confined to classrooms and the link with nature was
broken, as also the close relationship between the teacher and the student.

The Uttar Pradesh (a state in India) Board of High School and Intermediate Education was the
first Board set up in India in the year 1921 with jurisdiction over Rajputana, Central India and
Gwalior. In 1929, the Board of High School and Intermediate Education, Rajputana, was
established. Later, boards were established in some of the states. But eventually, in 1952, the
constitution of the board was amended and it was renamed Central Board of Secondary
Education (CBSE). All schools in Delhi and some other regions came under the Board. It was the
function of the Board to decide on things like curriculum, textbooks and examination system for
all schools affiliated to it. Today there are thousands of schools affiliated to the Board, both
within India and in many other countries from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

Universal and compulsory education for all children in the age group of 6-14 was a cherished
dream of the new government of the Republic of India. This is evident from the fact that it is
incorporated as a directive policy in article 45 of the constitution. But this objective remains far
away even more than half a century later. However, in the recent past, the government appears to
have taken a serious note of this lapse and has made primary education a Fundamental Right of
every Indian citizen. The pressures of economic growth and the acute scarcity of skilled and
trained manpower must certainly have played a role to make the government take such a step.
The expenditure by the Government of India on school education in recent years comes to
around 3% of the GDP, which is recognized to be very low.

“In recent times, several major announcements were made for developing the poor state of
affairs in education sector in India, the most notable ones being the National Common Minimum
Programme (NCMP) of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. The announcements
are; (a) To progressively increase expenditure on education to around 6 percent of GDP. (b) To
support this increase in expenditure on education, and to increase the quality of education, there
would be an imposition of an education cess over all central government taxes. (c) To ensure that
no one is denied of education due to economic backwardness and poverty. (d) To make right to
education a fundamental right for all children in the age group 6–14 years. (e) To universalize
education through its flagship programmes such as Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal.

India Education Present Condition:

Soon after gaining independence in 1947, making education available to all had become a
priority for the government. As discrimination on the basis of caste and gender has been a major
impediment in the healthy development of the Indian society, they have been made unlawful by
the Indian constitution.
The 86th constitutional amendment has also made elementary education a fundamental right for
the children between the age group- 6 to 14. According to the 2001 census, the total literacy rate
in India is 65.38%. The female literacy rate is only 54.16%. The gap between rural and urban
literacy rate is also very significant in India. This is evident from the fact that only 59.4% of rural
population are literate as against 80. 3% urban population according to the 2001 census.
In order to develop the higher education system, the government had established the University
Grants Commission in 1953. The primary role of UGC has been to regulate the standard and
spread of higher education in India. There has been a marked progress in the expansion of higher
education if we look at the increase of higher educational institutes in India. The higher
education system in India comprise of more than17000 colleges, 20 central universities, 217
State Universities, 106 Deemed to Universities and 13 institutes of Natioanl importance. This
number will soon inflate as the setting up of 30 more central universities, 8 new IITs, 7 IIMs and
5 new Indian Institutes of Science are now proposed.

Education System in India:

The present education system in India mainly comprises of primary education, secondary
education, senior secondary education and higher education. Elementary education consists of
eight years of education. Each of secondary and senior secondary education consists of two years
of education. Higher education in India starts after passing the higher secondary education or the
12th standard. Depending on the stream, doing graduation in India can take three to five years.
Post graduate courses are generally of two to three years of duration. After completing post
graduation, scope for doing research in various educational institutes also remains open. 

Education System in Poland

A large part of the Polish higher education market is made up of private colleges and
universities. There are about 310 privately owned universities and colleges and 138 state schools
of higher learning. This has resulted in a high level of competition that has given Poland lower
prices for studying than in many other European countries. The higher education system is one of
high quality and all leading universities offer programmes thought in English, within study areas
such as medicine, engineering, humanities, business and finance. More than 100 higher
education institution in Poland currently offer study programmes in English. Poland has taken
active part in the Bologna Process. The ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) allows
students to be geographically mobile and continue their education in other countries.
There is no central administration for admission. Instead, each institute is responsible for their
own admission process. However, each applicant must generally hold a “maturity certificate” to
qualify for admission in Poland.

Medical Studies in Poland

In a lot of countries you need high grades to enter an education of medical studies. If you don’t
reach up to those criteria of high grades, or if you just want to have an experience of studying
abroad, there is another option for you - medical studies in Poland.
The medicine programme is 7,5 years long. You study 6 years in Poland at the university and
after that is the pre-registration period as house officer. You can choose to do your pre-
registration period as house officer in your native country.
You can choose to do your pre-registration period as house officer in Poland or in your native
country. A lot of international students choose to do it in their native country. You are
responsible to find your own place for your pre-registration period as house officer.
The Medical Universities in Poland are adapted to the common European program, in keeping
with the European admission standards for medical education. Inside Europe that education is
going to be valid as if it was from your native country. If your are from a country outside
Europe, contact a medical school in your native country and ask how it works.

Poland’s Education System Leading in Europe

Poland’s labor market is undergoing profound changes. First, with Poland’s population ageing
and declining in size, fewer workers will have to support more pensioners. Second, technological
and structural change in the economy is changing the demand for workers.

Some occupations are getting lost to automation, others to competition from lower wage
economies while those occupations that require skilled workers are expanding. Facing the
prospects of rapid demographic aging and decline over the coming decades, a highly skilled
workforce would help generate the productivity growth in Poland that is needed to fuel continued
convergence of the country’s living standards with those of its West European neighbors.
But what does it mean to have a highly-skilled workforce? International research has identified
three dimensions of skills that matter for good employment outcomes and economic growth:
cognitive skills, such as literacy, numeracy, and creative and critical thinking or problem-
solving; socio-emotional skills and behavioral traits, such as ability to finish a task and work well
in teams; and job- or occupation-specific technical skills, such as in engineering.

Cognitive and socio-emotional skill formation starts early in a person’s life and they provide a
necessary foundation for the subsequent acquisition of technical skills through further training
and lifelong learning. World Bank research shows that cognitive and socio-emotional skills
already are used more and more in jobs in Poland. The message of this research is this: Preparing
for the future starts with equipping children and youth with the right cognitive and socio-
emotional foundation skills.

Poland is doing well on this front. Evidence from the Program for International Student
Assessment (PISA), which assesses the mathematics, reading, and science competencies of 15-
year-olds in more than 60 countries around the world every three years, points to an impressive
transformation in the cognitive skill set of the youth in Poland between 2000 and 2012. Poland
raised its scores in mathematics, reading, and science to the equivalent of what students would
have learned in one additional year of schooling.

The proportion of students at the top performance level have increased, and the share of students
who are poor performers has declined. Students from poor and well-off socioeconomic
backgrounds alike saw performance improvements. Poland’s PISA scores are now above the
OECD average and at the same levels as in countries such as Finland and Germany. All this has
been achieved with stable levels of education spending, at about 5 percent of GDP and below the
OECD average.

What is the reason for this success? Poland has been pursuing a comprehensive series of
education reforms since the early 1990s. Successive administrations introduced standardized
examinations at the end of primary, lower and upper-secondary education, transferred significant
responsibilities from the central to the local governments, reformed the curriculum, invested in
teachers’ professional development and expanded their freedom to choose textbooks.
Most fundamental perhaps has been the introduction of the comprehensive lower secondary
gimnazjum in 1999, which delayed selection between general and vocational tracks and
effectively added one year of exposure to the general curriculum for those students who prior to
the reform would have been in vocational school.

Taking effect after the first PISA test in 2000, when Poland performed poorly relative to EU and
OECD averages, this change has been rigorously evaluated and shown to have had a significant
positive effect on student performance.

Today, Poland serves as an example in Europe and globally on how to modernize education to
equip the next generation with good fundamental cognitive skills needed for 21st century jobs.
Countries in Europe and beyond, especially those whose education systems and student
performance still resemble Poland’s of the 1990s, are increasingly looking at Poland’s
experience to understand how they could learn from it in the design and implementation of their
own reforms.

Yet despite the many successes, some challenges remain. First, Poland’s performance in problem
solving in the 2012 PISA assessment was well below the OECD average, suggesting that there is
a need to strengthen cognitive skills beyond reading, mathematics and science.

Second, there is evidence that performance gaps previously found between vocational and
general schools for 15-year-olds prior to the 1999 reform persist today in upper secondary
education, where the performance of students in vocational upper-secondary schools trails that of
their peers in general education. Vocational training should not come at the expense of reading
and mathematics: Students can only be successful in learning vocational skills if they have strong
cognitive skills.

Third, equity remains an issue for further attention: The difference in mathematics performance
between the top and bottom social quintiles are the equivalent of nearly three years of schooling
– a wider gap than the OECD average and much wider than in other top-performing countries
like Japan and Korea. Socioeconomic background still matters for performance.
How can Poland build on the success so far and take its education system to the next level? First,
it is important to understand the drivers of success so far, including the introduction of
gimnazjum, and to not to undermine their positive effects.

Second, many leading education systems globally focus on changes in classroom practices
towards encouraging more problem-based learning and group activities.

Third, the foundations for success are laid early in life: Poland has considerable room to expand
the provision of early childhood education and care programs, including by introducing policies
that promote preschool attendance for children as young as aged three and four. Access to quality
early childhood education and care has been shown in Poland and globally to lead to significant
improvements in student performance, especially among disadvantaged and poorer children.

Given Poland’s changing demographics and greater importance of cognitive and socio-emotional
skills in Poland’s labor market, expanding early childhood education and care programs is a very
good economic and social investment.

Cultural differences between India and Poland

A particular society at a particular time and place, the tastes in art and manners that are favoured
by a social group, all the knowledge shared by the society – all of these can be considered as a
culture.

When you arrive in India, it just takes only few minutes to understand that its biggest problem is
omnipresent chaos, and it takes few years to understand the good sides of the country. When
arriving in Poland however, the peaceful atmosphere is striking you during first minutes but after
some years of living here you understand what is actually wrong about the country.

This brief introduction sums up our personal experience with two different cultures. No two
cultures are the same, and Polish and Indian cultures differ a lot. It seems impossible to define
and to understand every aspect of any culture. However, I’d try to point major cultural
differences which me and my family have experienced.
Religion and Language

Although India is a land of many religions whereas Poland is mainly a land of one creed, beliefs
are the most important aspect of both Indian and Polish lives. The majority of Indians are
vegetarians due to their belief in Hinduism, Jainism or Buddhism. It's worth to mention that even
though Buddhism was founded in India, there are less its followers than in other Asian countries.

India has 22 official languages and many religions. Now, try to imagine moving from one
province to another within Poland and that you need to a learn a different language – this is
something beyond imagination of the Poles since, almost whole country speaks one language and
follows one religion. This makes the social system coherent whereas in India system adopts to
many languages and religions which in turn makes it more complex. Besides local languages,
most of Indians speak English (in fact there are more people using English in India than
anywhere else in the world) so you can get along pretty easily even though if you don’t know the
local language. At the same time in Poland, if you don’t know Polish it is not easy to
communicate.

Family

We have found a common ground between Polish and Indian cultures – the family relations.
Indians are very much family oriented, just like Poles. In Indian culture family values are given
more prominence than the individual ones. For the sake of family, Indians may even forsake
their individual wishes and one’s happiness. All the decisions made are concentrated around the
family, and I think that Poles share the same feelings. However, time, place, tastes of society and
exposure to other cultures are changing India fast. More and more Indians are becoming self-
oriented and individual values are getting more prominence than the family values. The grass is
always greener on the other side of the fence...

Service versus Self-Sufficiency

India is a service based culture in every way. Walking into a store customer can find people
following him around and offering help, even with the smallest things. There is virtually nothing
that could not be done by a hired help at a relatively low cost. This is probably (and partially) a
legacy of the caste system, which is deeply embedded in Indian culture, and most certainly a
result of India’s two largest commodities, people and time. India is a home for more than 1
billion people now. Because in Poland labour costs are high, people are more independent than
in India. Companies in Poland – from Biedronka to Costorama – are constantly developing self-
service strategies so in the result their customers become more self-sufficient.

Law and Order

In Poland few people snub the road rules. If you are driving in India, you can notice quite easily
that almost all Indians violate the road code, including red lights and obligation to wear helmets
(on the contrary, the very same people are law abiding citizens when abroad). In India you need
a skill to drive whereas in Poland you also need to follow the rules.

Judges are respected members of society, but this does not help in land disputes which in India
can last generations without chances for solving the problem. Poland relies heavily on the law
when settling down all disputes – one have to sign agreements for almost everything in here. The
common factor between the countries are red tape procedures, in other words the bureaucracy.
Currently Poland is adopting the western standards – from our personal experience we can say
that it is now possible to find an official or a police officer who is able to speak a foreign
language.

Food

Indians are bold in cooking and there is nothing that could be over spiced in their cuisine. Indian
food is not only about being “spicy” – it is important to distinct the heat of the taste, from the
richness of the spices. In India, the heat is generally applied selectively with the use of chilli,
whereas adding spices is about flavouring.

We had this intriguing question, why do Poles eat relatively cold meat and food in general, mild
in taste and without much seasonings. The answer may lie in the climate. Cold meat serves to
produce heat which is essential to adopt to the climatic conditions. In India chilli's heat is valued
for its ultimate cooling effect on the body while evoking perspiration. Other spices are used to
bring the flavour to the food. Eating habits are entirely different in our countries. Indian food is
full of spices and truly diversified as its culture. Polish food is bland and lacks variety. What is
more, in India people who are obese are mostly wealthy. A box of cereal or a meal at
KFC/McDonald’s costs equivalent of 40 to 50 PLN, while a bag of carrots or yoghurt costs less
than 2 PLN. Water is served free in most of the restaurants across India – in Poland coke costs
less than water. Snacks like crisps or fries, are cheaper than fresh fruits and vegetables.

In India drinking alcohol in a company of your elders or family members is a taboo whereas it is
socially accepted in Poland. Our law does not allow companies to advertise products related to
alcohol and tobacco, which is a common practice in Poland.

Street signs Versus Landmarks

In Poland any street of a city is identified by a unique name. Usually, you can get into a cab and
say where you want to go and most likely you reach your destination. In India a passenger almost
always has to know where he goes and this almost always includes landmarks, as only few
streets are properly labeled. In India you can find streets by numbers like “1st Cross” or “2nd
Cross”. This may be a bit different in metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore but in
the other agglomerations maps are useless.

India being a huge country is diverse in every aspect of its culture, geography and climate, since
we have many religions and due to the vastness of the land. Poland is unique in its own way (one
religion and one language); also geographically it is less complex than India. But we are happy
that we have experienced both worlds, and that for the last 7 years we have been calling
Wroclaw our home.

INDIA (ECONOMIC BASIS) POLAND (ECONOMIC BASIS)

India is developing into an open-market Poland has pursued a policy of economic

economy, yet traces of its past autarkic policies liberalization since 1990 and Poland's economy
remain. Economic liberalization measures, was the only one in the European Union to
including industrial deregulation, privatization avoid a recession through the 2008-09
of state-owned enterprises, and reduced economic downturn. Although EU membership
controls on foreign trade and investment,
began in the early 1990s and have served to and access to EU structural funds have
accelerate the country's growth, which provided a major boost to the economy since
averaged under 7% per year since 1997. India's 2004, GDP per capita remains significantly
diverse economy encompasses traditional below the EU average while unemployment
village farming, modern agriculture, continues to exceed the EU average. The
handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, government of Prime Minister Donald TUSK
and a multitude of services. Slightly more than steered the Polish economy through the
half of the work force is in agriculture, but economic downturn by skillfully managing
services are the major source of economic public finances without stifling economic
growth, accounting for nearly two-thirds of growth and adopted controversial pension and
India's output, with less than one-third of its tax reforms to further shore up public finances.
labor force. India has capitalized on its large While the Polish economy has performed well
educated English-speaking population to over the past five years, growth slowed in
become a major exporter of information 2012, in part due to the ongoing economic
technology services, business outsourcing difficulties in the euro zone. The key policy
services, and software workers. In 2010, the challenge is to provide support to the economy
Indian economy rebounded robustly from the through monetary easing, while maintaining
global financial crisis - in large part because of the pace of structural fiscal consolidation.
strong domestic demand - and growth Poland's economic performance could improve
exceeded 8% year-on-year in real terms. over the longer term if the country addresses
However, India's economic growth began some of the remaining deficiencies in its road
slowing in 2011 because of a slowdown in and rail infrastructure and its business
government spending and a decline in environment. An inefficient commercial court
investment, caused by investor pessimism system, a rigid labor code, red tape, and a
about the government's commitment to further burdensome tax system keep the private sector
economic reforms and about the global from realizing its full potential.
situation. High international crude prices have
exacerbated the government's fuel subsidy
expenditures, contributing to a higher fiscal
deficit and a worsening current account deficit.
In late 2012, the Indian Government
announced additional reforms and deficit
reduction measures to reverse India's
slowdown, including allowing higher levels of
foreign participation in direct investment in the
economy. The outlook for India's medium-term
growth is positive due to a young population
and corresponding low dependency ratio,
healthy savings and investment rates, and
increasing integration into the global economy.
India has many long-term challenges that it has
yet to fully address, including poverty,
corruption, violence and discrimination against
women and girls, an inefficient power
generation and distribution system, ineffective
enforcement of intellectual property rights,
decades-long civil litigation dockets,
inadequate transport and agricultural
infrastructure, limited non-agricultural
employment opportunities, inadequate
availability of quality basic and higher
education, and accommodating rural-to-urban
migration.
STAT INDIA POLAND
(EDUCATIONAL BASIS) (EDUCATIONAL BASIS)

1) Homeschooling Legal 1) Legal as alternative to 1) Legal under restrictive

Status the mandatory public conditions. Every
school system. homeschooled child
must be supervised by
an authorized school
(can be a private
school) and pass
annual exams.
Homeschooled
children received
diplomas from
supervising school.

2) International 2) 107 2) 41
Baccalaureate Schools Ranked 5th. 3 times Ranked 16th.
more than Poland.

3) Scounting > Genders 3) Both 3) Both

Admitted

STAT INDIA POLAND

(ENVIRONMENT BASIS) (ENVIRONMENT BASIS)

Current Issues deforestation; soil erosion; situation has improved since

overgrazing; desertification; 1989 due to decline in heavy
air pollution from industrial industry and increased
effluents and vehicle environmental concern by
 emissions; water pollution post-Communist governments;
from raw sewage and runoff air pollution nonetheless
of agricultural pesticides; tap remains serious because of
water is not potable sulfur dioxide emissions from
throughout the country; huge coal-fired power plants, and
and growing population is the resulting acid rain has
overstraining natural resources caused forest damage; water
pollution from industrial and
municipal sources is also a
problem, as is disposal of
hazardous wastes; pollution
levels should continue to
decrease as industrial
establishments bring their
facilities up to EU code, but at
substantial cost to business
and the government

Consultancy Agency of India -

Trade -

India exported services worth USD 188 billion and its services imports amounted to USD 153
billions in 2017.
The largest services exports categories were other business and computer services and the largest
import categories were transport and other commercial services. India’s score on the STRI index
in the 22 sectors is presented below along with the average and the lowest score among the 45
countries included in the STRI.

India has a STRI score above average in all sectors. Services trade through FDI is governed by
the “Consolidated FDI Policy” (the current version in force since 28 August 2017). Sectors are
categorised into two groups: prohibited sectors and permitted sectors. In the permitted sectors
investment can take place either through the government route through which prior approval is
needed, or the automatic route where no approval is required. In some sectors the automatic
route applies up to a certain threshold beyond which approval is needed. Additional horizontal
measures affecting all sectors are regulations on transfers of shares between residents and non-
residents, which are subject to pricing guidelines, and regulations on mergers and acquisitions,
which usually take place through the establishment of a holding company in India. India applies
labour market tests for natural persons seeking to provide services in the country on a temporary
basis as intra-corporate transferees, contractual services suppliers or independent services
suppliers. These categories may stay in the country for up to 24 months on their first entry
permit. However, multiple entry business visas are awarded for up to five years with each stay
limited to six months. At least one of the board members and the manager in corporations must
be residents of India. Finally, there are preferences for local suppliers in public procurement.

Business -

Economic growth of around 7½% makes India the fastest-growing G20 economy. The
acceleration of structural reforms, the move towards a rule-based policy framework and low
commodity prices have provided a strong growth impetus. Recent deregulation measures and
efforts to improve the ease of doing business have boosted foreign investment. Investment is still
held back by the relatively high corporate income tax rates, a slow land acquisition process,
regulations which remain stringent in some areas, weak corporate balance sheets, high non-
performing loans which weigh on banks’ lending, and infrastructure bottlenecks.
Quality job creation has been low, held back by complex labour laws. A comprehensive tax
reform would promote inclusive growth. Timely and effective implementation of the Goods and
Serv ices Tax wou ld support competitiveness, investment and economic growth.

Government’s plans to reduce the corporate income tax rate and broaden the base will serve the
same objectives. These two on-going reforms have been designed to be revenue-neutral while
India needs to raise additional tax revenue to meet social and physical infrastructure needs.
Property and personal income taxes, which are paid by very few people, could be reformed to
raise more revenue, promote social justice and empower sub-national governments to better
respond to local needs. Ensuring clarity and certainty in tax legislation and employing more
skilled tax officers would strengthen the tax administration and make the system fairer and more
effective.

Spatial disparities in living standards are large. India is reforming relations across levels of
government to empower the states and make policies more responsive to local conditions. Some
states have taken the lead in improving the ease of doing business and now enjoy higher
productivity and income. Additional efforts to showcase reform efforts at the state level and
identify best practices will support the reform process and help achieve better and balanced
regional development. In rural areas, poverty rates are high and access to core public services is
often poor. Farm productivity is low owing to small and fragmented land holdings, poor input
management, and inefficient market conditions. In urban areas, agglomeration benefits are
quickly reduced by congestion costs, in particular air pollution and long commuting times, all of
which reduce well-being.

Consultancy agency of Poland

Trade

The Polish Investment and Trade Agency , helps investors to enter the Polish market and find the
best ways to utilise the possibilities available to them. We guide investors through all the
essential administrative and legal procedures that involve a project; we also support firms that
are already active in Poland. We provide rapid access to the complex information relating to
legal and business matters regarding the investments, help in finding the appropriate partners and
suppliers, together with new locations. Agency’s mission is also to create a positive image of
Poland across the world, promoting Polish goods and services. In order to provide the best
possible service to investors we’ve established a network of Regional Investor Service Centres
across Poland, which have as their goal improvement of the quality of a region’s investor
services, also to ensure access to the latest information - such as, the latest investment offers and
to regional micro-economic data. These specialist Bureau’s hire professionals that have been
trained by Agency and are financed by local authority funds. Another of their task is to work as
links between the investors and local authorities. Before PAIiIZ (now Polish Investment and
Trade Agency) was established The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ)
was established on 24th June 2003, resulting from the merger of the State Foreign Investment
Agency (PAIZ) and the Polish Information Agency (PAI). The State Foreign Investment Agency
(PAIZ) was created in 1992, as a public limited company under the State Treasury. In 1997 at the
VIII World Convention of Investment Promotion Agencies, PAIZ received the title of the Best
European Investment Promotion Agency. The Polish Information Agency (PAI) was set up in
1991, as a redevelopment of the Polish Interpress Agency, from a government agency, into an
institution whose main goal was the promotion of Poland abroad

Business:-

Why do business in Poland ? It is Europe ’s sixth-biggest economy. It was the only country
in the European Union to experience positive economic growth in 2010. Also in
2010, Poland was ranked among top potential investment destinations for FDI projects
in Europe by the managers of multinational companies in the Ernst & Young European
Attractiveness Survey.
 
Location
 
Poland ’s location offers numerous advantages for business. The country is located at the very
heart of Europe . It borders on both the EU member states (Germany ,
the Czech Republic , Slovakia and Lithuania ) and the Eastern European
countries Ukraine , Belarus and Russia . This means access to 250 million consumers within
a 1000 km radius. East-west and north-south transit routes cross within Poland ’s territory. The
continuously developing network of roads and motorways facilitates logistics. The proximity of
both EU and Eastern European selling markets promotes exports of goods. Numerous airports
and seaports allow the transport of goods all over the world.
 
Educated employees

Polish education system produces specialists with expertise in many areas. Almost two million
people study in Poland – this is almost half of the population of student age (19 to 24). Each
year, 400,000 graduates complete studies at half a thousand universities, and the numbers keep
on growing.
Well-educated Polish graduates are highly sought-after and appreciated employees who find
employment in international companies and institutions. They have a very good command of
foreign languages – the majority of them have mastered English. Many learn other foreign
languages too – mainly German, Russian, French and Spanish.