Title: Trade policy and regulation: lessons from Poland's accession to the European Union

Authors: Ewa Kaliszuk

Addresses: Department of European Integration, Institute for Market, Consumption and Business Cycles Research (formerly Foreign Trade Research Institute), Al. Jerozolimskie 87, 02–001 Warsaw, Poland

Abstract: The paper reviews the effects of European Union (EU) accession on Polish trade policy/regulation. Trade is one of the areas where changes for the EU New Member States (NMSs) were particularly profound. The author examines the changes resulting from EU accession and analyses the impact of the adoption of Common Commercial Policy rules and principles. The main conclusion is that the benefits of adopting the EU trade system in Poland outweighed the costs. The process of adaptation to the new rules and requirements was costly and burdensome for Polish firms, but it also had many positive effects. The new trade regime has had a rather positive impact on trade and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows overall. Poland has lost its sovereignty in conducting its own trade policy, but has gained in exchange the right to shape the EU|s commercial policy.

Keywords: Poland; European Union; EU accession; European integration; New Member States; NMS; trade policy; single market regulations; lessons; Intrastat; anti-dumping; foreign direct investment; FDI; commercial policy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPP.2009.021551

International Journal of Public Policy, 2009 Vol.4 No.1/2, pp.135 - 158

Published online: 30 Nov 2008 *

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