Ask Krzysztof Szymanski, sales director at Tomex, a brakes parts manufacturer, why Poland has seen the fastest growth in the EU since the economic crisis hit in 2008 and he offers a simple explanation.
“Workers in the rest of Europe are simply lazier,” he says. “Poles work harder than almost anyone else in the union and they cost less too. That’s why we’re based here and that’s why our sales are going up every year.”
As EU leaders scramble to save the eurozone and cobble together policies to restore growth, Poland is solidifying its position as the union’s fastest-growing economy. In its latest forecast, the European Commission predicted Poland would grow by 2.7 per cent this year.