Comparisons between Poland’s and Ukraine’s economic development are usually used as a shining example of what democracy, rule of law and orderly market economy can do for the prosperity of a country.
in 1990, at the time of the fall of the berlin wall and the dissolution of the Soviet union, GDP per capita at the same level in the two neighbouring countries. 2017 was Poland’s figure is more than five times higher – within 13.900 dollars per inhabitant compared with the 2.640 for Ukraine.
During the years in between, Poland had had time to become a member of the EU, benefited from huge foreign investment, and gained access to the world’s largest market. The legal system had been upgraded to the western european level.
persisted in a system similar to the Russian, with the confusion between political and economic power which the oligarchs and politicians will work together to grab the natural resources and industries, where judges and officials sell themselves to the highest bidder.
on Top of this came Majdanrevolutionen 2013-2014, the war in the Donbass and the Russian annexation of the Crimea. In omvälvningarnas track came an economic crisis and the currency crashed.
It is thus easy to understand that people in cities such as Kosiv choose to emigrate. And then, Poland is a given first choice, not least because of the proximity and language is not something insurmountable obstacles.
is this mass immigration is beneficial. Poles who previously worked in the construction industry, in agriculture and in trade, have to a great extent traveled the west in search of higher wages. Now do the ukrainians of low-paid jobs instead.
the Fact is that ”the Polish miracle” – with that of Europe and one of the world’s fastest growing economies – would not have been possible without the ukrainians.
Their modest wage demands cause inflation can be kept down. Whole sectors, such as trade, service and construction, risk would shrink if it were not for the guest workers from the neighboring country.
also as a political weapon in the conflict between the Polish right-wing populist government and the EU.
When the Brussels have tried to convince Warsaw to accept a few thousand refugees from the Middle east have Polish politicians have said a blank no, and referred to the fact that you already have taken care of a record number of Ukrainian refugees. The last prime minister Beata Szydlo talked about a million refugees.
Such statements are directly misleading. A vanishingly small percentage of Poland’s ukrainians are refugees – 56 persons were granted asylum in 2017.
the Rest is labour migrants, as Poland draws tremendous benefit from the.
Read more: The Ukrainian city of Kosiv is emptied of its population
