- Polish firms expect an improvement in investment environment, more accommodative regulatory and economic climate
- Almost all Polish firms have taken action to reduce emissions, such as waste reduction and energy efficiency investment.
- Most Polish firms express satisfaction with their overall investment levels.
Most Polish firms have taken actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as waste minimisation and investment in energy efficiency, according to the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group Investment Survey country results released today. The survey for Poland also shows the country fares better than European Union peers when it comes to gender equality in business management, while firms are more optimistic about the economic and regulatory climate.
The EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 firms across all EU member states, with an additional sample from the United States. Its main results were released in October, showing that EU businesses lead way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.
The detailed country reports for individual member states are released today. When it comes to Poland, key takeaways include:
- On balance, Polish firms expect an improvement in investment environment over the next 12 months. In particular, they anticipate a more accommodative political or regulatory climate and are more positive about the economic climate than the average firm across the EU.
- Most Polish firms (78%) express satisfaction with their overall investment levels but one in five reports an investment gap.
- Almost all (94%) of Polish firms have taken actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is above the EU average (91%). Among the most popular strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are waste minimisation and investment in energy efficiency.
- Compared to EU firms, a higher share of Polish firms have at least 40% of women in senior management (23% vs. 34% Polish firms).
- Polish importing firms are diversifying their suppliers to strengthen supply chain resilience. They are more likely to explore sourcing from more countries than EU firms (31% vs. 19%)
„In this latest edition of the EIB’s Investment Survey, Polish entrepreneurs named uncertainty about the future, availability of skilled staff and energy costs among chief investment obstacles,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska. “Data shows nearly half of investments by Polish companies was aimed at replacement, over a fifth at capacity expansion and only 15% at new products and services. Polish and European firms declared a similar level of innovation activities though Poland fell behind EU average on digitalisation, especially as regards SMEs. Importantly, companies envisaged a higher share of investment going towards new products and services in the future. Innovation is key to improving economic competitiveness and unlocking the full potential of sustainable development for the years ahead.”
"European companies are making significant progress in tackling climate change and embracing digital transformation across the board," remarked EIB Chief Economist Debora Revoltella. "However, enhancing EU investment necessitates a more cohesive and integrated single market."
The full country report about Poland is available here.
Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.
The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe's policies, including industrial decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
In 2024, the EIB Group signed new financing for projects in Poland to promote advanced manufacturing, upgrade energy distribution grids, and deploy clean, affordable power for businesses and households.