As a member of NATO, Poland continues to meet its commitment to spend at least two percent of GDP on defense and 20 percent of defense spending on equipment and infrastructure and will gradually increase annual defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030.
There are currently 93 active Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases in Poland. In 2017, FMS expenditures valued at nearly $186 million, while for the first half of 2018, the value has already reached over $4.6 billion.
Poland is the largest recipient of EU Structural and Investment funds, with 104 billion budgeted from 2014-2020. Current plans are to use funds to support continued infrastructure development, including improving internet access and developing smart cities, and encouraging companies to conduct research and development in Poland.
Digital technologies are an important and growing sector in Poland. There is a strong demand for information technology and solutions to support advanced manufacturing, smart cities, the Internet of Things (Iot), cloud computing and cybersecurity all offering potential for American exporters.
As Poland seeks to diversify its energy sources and to modernize its electricity generation and distribution systems, U.S. companies will find opportunities in the engineering and construction of pipelines and infrastructure to support natural gas storage and transmission as well as exports of U.S. LNG. The construction of new power plants to replace older, less efficient coal burning plants as well as smart grid technologies and nuclear power also holds potential.
Poland continues to devote sizeable resources to improving its transportation infrastructure. Many projects to improve the country’s roads, railways and waterways benefit from EU funds. This increased investment has also led to the rapid development of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), which have become an important part of highway and road infrastructure projects. From 2014 – 2023, the Government plans to spend USD 12 billion to improve safety standards as well as roads management, which, in large part would be spent on ITS.
Engineering and green-building services firms may find opportunities in Poland’s need for premium office space and retail sector expansion. Firms with experience in ‘zero emission’ buildings and LEED ratings will find the greatest opportunities. Many additional opportunities exist for firms offering products that improve energy efficiency. These top prospects are covered in depth under “Leading Sectors for U.S. Exports and Investment.”
Other important sectors are agricultural products and agricultural machinery and equipment and environmental technologies.
While the U.S. share of Poland’s import market remains small, at approximately 3%, U.S. exporters have found considerable success targeting competitive niches, using effective market-entry strategies, and diligently following up with marketing and sales support.
Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide.
Services provided in Poland:
Market consulting
Company establishment
Accounting
Legal advising
Virtual office
EU & Government grants applications