ABSTRACT
Since 2007, Poland has been the first recipient of structural funds among all European countries, receiving more than €67 billion in the 2007-2013 programming period, and €77 billion in the current programming period (2014-2020). The European Social Fund (ESF) accounted for €10 billion and €13 billion respectively. This represents the highest shares of all EU countries and is much higher than for any other Central and Eastern European country (CEEC) [see Table 8.1]. By the end of 2013, Poland was one of the leading CEECs in absorbing EU funds: the country had absorbed 93.3 percent of the Union’s structural funds allocated to it: among CEECs, only Estonia and Lithuania achieved a higher, 95 percent absorption rate, while the average absorption rate in the EU reached 85.3 percent.
