Opportunities and Threats Related to Accession of Poland to the Euro Zone – Perspective of Polish Enterprises

Abstract

Since its beginning, the European Union has transformed, undergoing many stages of integration, from its origins as a free trade zone, to a customs union, on to a common market, then to an economic monetary union. The establishment of the euro zone was an economic plan aiming to increase the competitiveness of the European economy. At present this economic plan is being embraced by the Polish economy. In this context, the prospect of our country, joining the monetary union, from the perspective of Polish companies, is of particular importance. The main aim of this paper is to attempt to recognize whether Poland’s access to the euro zone is perceived as an opportunity or a threat by Polish managers. First, the authors, by quoting literature written on the subject will present the opportunities and threats related to the functioning of the economic monetary union, then illustrate how they pertain to Poland. This overview is accompanied by empirical research, which took a form of direct interviews conducted in 230 companies from all over Poland.