According to data from PIE, in the 20 years since Poland and eight other central European countries joined the EU, the region saw significant levels of development, with Poland being one of the leaders of regional growth.

The GDP per capita of the eight countries of the region is 27% higher than it would have been had they not joined and, in the case of Poland, the figure is as high as 40%.

Additionally, Poland and Lithuania during that time increased the value generated in industrial production, while the EU saw a slight drop.

PIE stated that during that time the central European countries hugely benefited from EU funds, having in total received roughly EUR 355 billion.

🇪🇺 W najnowszym raporcie PIE podsumowujemy 20 lat obecności Europy Środkowej w UE:

📈 O 27 proc. wyższe PKB per capita ośmiu państw regionu, niż gdyby nie doszło do akcesji

📊O 40 proc. wyższe PKB per capita Polski, niż gdyby nie doszło do akcesji

💰 355 mld EUR otrzymały… pic.twitter.com/FbRlkU6pZy

— Polski Instytut Ekonomiczny (@PIE_NET_PL) April 16, 2024

The biggest advantage however, PIE stressed, might have come from the single European market and the rise of foreign investments, which increased in that period 21 times over. This in turn led to a five-fold growth in the value of exported goods.

Also, the involvement in the EU’s economy of the eight countries which joined in 2004 rose from 6% to 8.5%.