The medium-term national development strategy 2035 will define Poland's development priorities for the next decade. It is developed at a time when the European Union as a whole faces rising Euroscepticism, populism and social discontent. Why is this happening and how should we counteract this trend?

Cohesion, i.e., the remedy for sustainable development

The answer is proposed by Professor Andres Rodriguez-Pose of the London School of Economics. He presented the conclusions of his research at last week's meeting of EU ministers for urban and regional policy held in Warsaw. According to him, two types of problems affected inhabitants of Europe. The first - classic ones - are related to ageing populations and increasing migration from other regions of the world. The deteriorating socio-economic situation of the Old Continent is also affected by the issue of social exclusion in some of its regions, the gradual decline of industry or rising unemployment. The second factor that contributes to the strengthening of Eurosceptic tendencies in the European Union is related to the so-called “development trap”. Is that what this is all about? This is a situation when a country or a region, despite efforts to further its socio-economic development, reaches a certain ceiling which, for various reasons, it is unable to overcome. For example, low levels of investment and innovation, excessively slow growth in industrial production or various labour market barriers, can contribute to this.

The remedy to these challenges is cohesion, which unites all Europeans, strengthens their identity and the overall EU project, in fact, the European Union. The research of Professor Rodriguez-Posego shows that EUR 1 trillion 40 billion was invested in the implementation of the cohesion policy in the years 1989-2023, including EUR 392 billion for 2021-2027. This has made it the main driver of social and economic progress across the European Union. It has lifted many Europeans out of poverty, particularly the societies of the countries that joined the European Union after 2004, i.e. also Poland. Evidence? The population living in less developed countries decreased from 106 million (24.6 per cent) in 2000 to 24 million in 2023 (5.4 per cent). On the other hand, the population of EU countries living in less developed regions decreased from 123 million (28.8 per cent) to 120 million (26.7 per cent) over the same period.

Professor Rodriguez-Pose believes that cohesion must be changed in order to remain effective and respond to the challenges mentioned above. He proposes, for example, to reduce the number of financial instruments. At the same time, he challenges the centralisation of policies at the EU and national level. According to him, the contemporary Europe needs a place-based policy, with investment and innovation that takes into account the specificities, unique strengths, as well as the challenges and needs of individual regions. Policies that exploit the local capacities and potential of people and develop opportunities for inclusive and sustainable growth. Finally, it is also about the policy that remains faithful to its original mission of stimulating sustainable development and increasing competitiveness, while remaining flexible. This, in turn, will make it possible to respond effectively to the urgent challenges of everyday life. It is also important to rely on the development of public institutions and investment in infrastructure, human capital and innovation. They are the foundation for the development of regions and countries.

The strategic future of Polish regions

The medium-term national development strategy 2035 is a part of the analysis of the impact and importance of cohesion for the development of the EU as a whole and its future carried out by Professor Andres Rodriguez-Pose. It is based on three strategic objectives and one horizontal objective. Its guiding theme is the search for a balance between:

• competitiveness of the economy, expressed by its ability to maintain high economic growth;
• social cohesion, understood as ensuring good quality of life for all citizens, especially in view of the challenge of a rapidly ageing population;
• security of the country, reflected not only in its military strength, but also the resilience of society and state institutions to crisis situations.

The horizontal objective is to maintain the polycentric development model of the country. This involves paying equal attention to the development of both metropolitan areas and, above all, small and medium-sized towns, which are key to maintaining a good quality of life for citizens throughout the country.

The strategy was developed in cooperation with all ministries and regional representatives. The team responsible for drafting the medium-term national development strategy 2035 was responsible for its preparation, and it is planned to submit it for public consultation at the end of June.

Materials

Cohesion as the bond uniting all Europeans Cohesion as the bond uniting all Europeans.pdf 2.39MB