Korzyści związane z przystąpieniem Polski do strefy euro w perspektywie krótko- i długookresowej

The aim of this paper is to specify and evaluate the opportunities and benefits of Polish membership in the euro area. There are two basic groups of benefits, direct and indirect. The first type includes those aspects Poles should feel in the short term as a result of changes in the prevailing business conditions thanks to Eurozone accession. The second group includes all the positive effects resulting from the introduction of the euro, which will appear in the medium and long term. However, these benefits will be conditional in nature – their appearance depends primarily on the occurrence of the direct benefits from the adaptability of Polish businesses in adopting the new currency and the degree to which they are prepared for this process, and the quality of the country’s macroeconomic policies. The analysis showed that the act of Polish accession to the euro area should be treated as an investment, which first involves incurring costs (short term), but over time will bring about more benefits and become profitable (long term).