Five years after the Brexit referendum, and nine months after the fitting completion of the UK’s exit from the European Union, the Brexit godfather’s giggle of Nigel Farage has been louder and louder.
Patrick Jackie, MEP’s conference on Solidarity in Poland, in which he gave accounts that Poland actually loses 535 billion zlotys by attending the EU, is similar to the sloganeering campaign of skeptical Britons about the EU being raised about Brexit.
– We’ve heard it before, though the fiscal argument has appeared in the latest Brexit law – comments Krzysztof Bubinski, former Financial Times reporter and expert on, among other things, Poland’s EU accession negotiations and referendum campaign 2003.
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The motto of the Vote Leave campaign in support of the UK’s exit from the European Union was ‘We send £350m a week to the EU. Instead, let’s fund the NHS’.
We all remember the buses bearing this logo as they drove through the streets of British cities. These photos are unforgettable. The letter went and many bought it – the professor recalls. Jacek Tomkevich, an economist at Kosminsky University.
Although this slogan is clearly populist, it actually had a source. The UK was already one of the largest net contributors to the EU. It is clear that Poland is a beneficiary of EU funds. Jackie’s calculations were also ideological, but economically wrong – he says in an interview with the professor-money.pl. Stanislaw Jumoka.
As the BCC Chief Economist and former Deputy Minister of Finance emphasized, it must be remembered, however, that populist slogans remain and are repeated many times and gain strength. It was a campaign of myths and false slogans that led to Britain’s exit from the European Union – he points out.
Fortunately, the vast majority of Poles today are satisfied with membership in the European Union, and even the EU-skeptical government assures us of the benefits of this.
Interpretation of data and calculations by a professor at the Warsaw School of Economics, Dr. Zbigniew Krysiak, presented by Patryk Jaki, caused a great panic, also among the members of the United Right government.
– We benefit in all areas of European integration. Poland’s profits in the field of trade flows are about 10 times higher than the positive balance of direct transfers – EU Minister Konrad Szymanski commented Thursday.
However, calculations presented at the European Parliament Conference showed the opposite.
Remittances of profits of EU companies to their countries of origin (estimated at PL981 billion) and Poland’s alleged negative trade balance with an advantage of imports over exports (estimated at 147 billion PLN losses) were not supposed to offset direct payments to the Polish budget, which were estimated at PLN 147 billion. 593 billion PLN. The task, and therefore, we, this 535 billion PLN in red.
– These are by no means economic calculations – the professor emphasizes. Gomoka. – They do not capture the whole, but only a selected section of the balance sheet. Example? The inflow of profits of companies operating in Poland is taken into account, but not those huge investments in Poland.
According to the data of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency and the PFR, foreign investments in the years 2004-2019 amounted to 660.4 billion PLN.
Moreover, the calculations provided by Jackie contradict both the reports of the National Bank of Poland and the analyzes of the Center for Social and Economic Analysis.
The Ministry of Finance publishes reports every monthWhich provides remittances between the European Union and Poland. They showed that over 17 years of being in the EU, Poland received more than 138 billion euros, or about 634.8 billion PLN.
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The problem is that accounts (such as the one provided by Jackie) mislead the public and turn into a breeding ground for myths and slogans that have dire consequences later, as we witnessed in Brexit.
Especially since the young British generation is not satisfied with leaving the European Union. The professor says Great Britain is feeling the financial losses from Brexit. Gomoka. – Society has been deceived and deceived by slogans that only provide part of the truth – recalls the former Minister of Finance.
As Krzysztof Bobiński asserts, Poland continues to benefit from its presence in the European Union. This is the net profit. Which means – frankly – that more money from the EU is flowing to us than we send in contributions.
Despite this, there are now and then statements from politicians that undermine the fact that Poland benefits from being part of the union. An example is the recent statements of PiS member Marek Sosky on the “occupation of Brussels” or Deputy Speaker of Parliament Sigm Ryszard Tereke on “radical solutions” (“The British showed that the dictatorship of the Brussels bureaucracy did not respond to them, turned and left ”- said Terleki).
– You can always find data that confirms that we are in some areas of expats – says the professor. Jacek Tomkevich. But – he emphasizes – there are many examples of the benefits of the European Union. Many like the possibility of free travel, trade exchange or programs such as Erasmus.
It’s been 17 years since we’ve been in the European Union, and that’s the norm for many. We must realize that this was not always the case. Being in society emphasizes the development of a particular country. Besides, when we entered the European Union, our exports made up 20-30% of the GDP, now it is 50%. Let’s look at the cost of debt financing, Ukraine pays 16 percent of its debt. GDP, Russia with gas, oil and massive opportunity is 7% and we pay 2% for 10 year bonds. – concludes Professor. Tomkiewicz, an expert at Kosminsky University.
