The Influence of the European Integration Process upon Structural Changes in Polish Industry

The paper aims at presenting the structural changes taking place in the area of Polish industry as a result of the integration process with the European Union. Some of the characteristic features of Polish industry in the pre-accession period distinguish Polish industry from the industries of the EU member countries. For example: a large contribution of heavy industry in the industrial production, a low level of technology of many sectors, high employment level in labour-consuming sections and, as a result, low competitiveness. Despite a relatively short period of Polish membership in the EU, some of its positive effects can already be observed in the industrial sector. The main changes include a significant growth of the industrial production sold and labour productivity, as well as export dynamics. As far as the structural changes are concerned, there is a lower contribution of mining industry in the industrial production and a slight growth of the processing industry share.