Here private property is inviolable, and hotels lower prices on weekends
Neat private houses, covered with tiles and painted in warm colors, renovated and well-groomed, and in the yards lush flower beds bloom – it gives the impression that in Poland there is a year-round competition for the most beautiful landscape design of the home area. To make the beauty in the yard well seen by neighbors, private territories are fenced with low beautiful fences – completely unlike the concrete or stone walls that usually “adorn” private homes in Ukraine. And a neat private house with a well-groomed yard can afford everyone – since the country joined the EU.
START
This year marks exactly 10 years since the Republic of Poland became a member of the European Union. The Poles themselves admit: over these years the country has changed beyond recognition. And this is not surprising: according to the Polish Ministry of Finance, the EU has already injected more than 100 billion euros into the country's economy, and according to the budget for 2014–2020, another 105 billion euros are provided for its development. The amount is certainly impressive. However, it is not enough just to get money – you need to properly distribute and spend it.
“The first wave of European money was aimed at pulling Poland's economy up to the level of EU countries and smoothing out existing differences. And the second, starting from 2007, was already directed at the further development of the country,” says Danuta Wesołowska, deputy mayor of the city of Opole (center of Opole Voivodeship).
Now Poland is called the “China of the European Union”: its economy continued to develop even during the global crisis. Even in 2008, when all community countries experienced a production collapse, the republic's GDP showed a plus of 1.7%.
The Poles have several secrets of success. First, the government actively supports small and medium-sized businesses: to open your own enterprise, a citizen of the country only needs to submit an application. The differentiation of tax rates (the amount of tax depends on the size of the profit received) gives entrepreneurs the opportunity to actively develop. Industrial parks, which in Ukraine are tirelessly talked about but are in no hurry to implement, successfully operate in Poland: many foreign companies, taking advantage of the opportunity to open industrial facilities on preferential terms and with low taxes, have opened their production here. And now the country exports its industrial goods (electrical appliances, auto parts, etc.) to the EU, and the unemployment rate is falling.
The agricultural sector is also developing: it provides 4.5% of Poland's GDP (in Ukraine in 2013 – 9.9%. – Author). The emphasis here is on crop production – for example, rhubarb and red currants are grown on an industrial scale and exported to almost all EU countries, and Polish strawberries and apples are known worldwide.
The most difficult thing, according to the Poles themselves, was the “reform of consciousness.” Or, to put it in a language we understand, the eradication of the “Soviet legacy” in the psychology of the local population. “Now, for example, we are conducting the so-called ‘garbage revolution,’” Danuta Wesołowska explains to us. “We are introducing the practice of waste sorting, and teaching children in schools how important it is to live in cleanliness. But there are still people, mostly of the older generation, who manage to take garbage to the forest – even though there is a container under the house. It is hardest to change the psychology of such people. But we are trying.”
HOUSING AND UTILITIES: “THERMAL MODERNIZATION” AT THE EXPENSE OF THE STATE
The average salary in Poland is 800-1000 euros (from 3500 zlotys, or 15 thousand hryvnias). The minimum wage since January 2014 is 300 euros (1200 zlotys or 5200 hryvnias). But an employee with higher education working in their specialty cannot be paid less than 1000 euros (4.2 thousand zlotys, 17 thousand hryvnias). There is no concept of a minimum pension: if a person did not work and did not pay taxes, then the state owes them nothing. The average pension in Poland is 1600-1800 zlotys (6700-7200 hryvnias).
Also, pensioners are entitled to benefits – they vary in different voivodeships. Thus, in Warsaw, people who have reached 70 years of age can ride public transport for free, and in Opole Voivodeship, pensioners do not pay a subscription fee for television. But low-income families are not provided with any subsidies.
UTILITIES
The price of housing and communal services varies depending on the locality. “I live in the village of Gogolin. I have a private house of 120 sq. m. My own water (well), I only pay for electricity, and in winter gas is added. In summer, utilities cost 150 zlotys per quarter (600 hryvnias, 200 hryvnias per month). In winter – about 220 zlotys per quarter (900 hryvnias, 300 hryvnias per month),” says local resident Alexander Marchik. He works as a driver, earns 2.5 thousand zlotys (10.5 thousand hryvnias). But he is sure that utilities are terribly expensive for him.
In large cities, utility services are several times more expensive – there you need to pay, in addition to heat and water, for cleaning the surrounding area. It runs up to 250-400 zlotys monthly (1200-1600 hryvnias). Residents of elite houses in the center of Warsaw can pay even 1200 zlotys (5 thousand hryvnias) – but this includes visiting the gym, spa and beauty salon located in the house.
PROGRAMS
Old houses in Poland are being modernized so as not to waste expensive heat uselessly: the energy saving program is approved by the EU, and billions of euros have been allocated for it. There is even a term – “thermal modernization.” If the owner of a private house wants to modernize their home, they can apply for a subsidy or a loan with interest below bank rates. To do this, an energy audit must be conducted (dividing the amount of heat spent on heating by the area of the house – such an analysis is carried out by specialists). If the results are disappointing, the authorities will lend the owner money at 1-1.5% per annum. With this money, they can insulate walls, install energy-saving windows and replace the floor – the targeted use of funds will be monitored by energy auditors.
In apartment buildings, modernization is carried out mainly at the expense of residents: 99% of houses are under the control of condominiums (associations of apartment owners).
Residents pay an additional 30-50 zlotys (120-200 hryvnias) per month into a 'repair fund': with this money, the appearance of buildings is updated annually, elevators and roofs are repaired. Therefore, for residents of old houses in Warsaw or Krakow, the utility bill is higher than for owners of apartments in new buildings – because old ones constantly need repairs. Condominium associations (OSMD) can also apply for government subsidies – if the money collected from residents is not enough for repairs. Everything is done according to the 'spatial plan of the city': you cannot paint a high-rise in all the colors of the rainbow – only in pastel tones!
VILLAGES: WITHOUT SCHOOLS AND MARKETS
About 40% of the population lives in Polish villages, because buying a decent house, or building one, costs 35-40 thousand euros. And banks compete for customers, offering a 25-year mortgage at 3-4% per annum. The monthly payment is only 185 euros. Given that the average salary is 800-1000 euros, almost everyone can afford it.
Villages in Poland are small – there are those with 250-300 inhabitants. But even in such a village there is always a shop, a local doctor and a policeman. There may be no school or kindergarten: they are often shared by several villages, and children are taken by bus every morning. There are no disruptions. 'If the bus doesn’t come, the press will immediately blow up a scandal. And the district leadership will be fired immediately,' explains Barbara Kamińska, deputy head of the Opole Voivodeship regional council.
Parents take their children to kindergarten themselves – you can buy a used car with an engine capacity of 1-1.5 liters (these are the most common in Poland – they are economical, and gasoline is expensive, there are practically no huge SUVs in the country) for 1.5-2 thousand euros. There are no markets in villages, and street trading is prohibited – as in the entire EU. 'Farmers sell their products to wholesalers, and people buy everything they need in stores. There is no need for markets,' says Barbara.
However, we found one stall: in Opole, a woman was selling mushrooms and vegetables. Such trade is allowed if the farmer has all the permits and the vegetables are his own. Currently it's the season for peppers, potatoes, onions and mushrooms – that's what is sold. But you will never find bananas or kiwi on such stalls.
Read the continuation: LIVING EUROPEAN STYLE: Poland (part 2)
Zoya ROMAN.
Based on materials from Segodnya.ua