On February 4, 2025, the Centre for Innovative Space at SGH hosted the presentation of the "OECD Economic Survey of Poland 2025" and a discussion titled "towards recovery and sustainable growth." This event gathered experts both from Poland and abroad to assess the findings of the survey.
According to Dr. Tomasz Koźluk, advisor to the OECD Chief Economist, "Every two years, the OECD presents its economic survey of Poland. The report evaluates the state of the Polish economy, economic policies, and the key challenges facing the country. This year's survey focuses on macroeconomic policy, healthcare reforms, stimulating productivity, and green transformation." The OECD’s comprehensive assessment is widely regarded as a valuable and objective source of information on the socio-economic condition of countries around the world.
Dr. Krzysztof Kozłowski, the SGH Vice-Rector for Teaching and Students, alongside OECD Chief Economist Dr. Alvaro Pereira, opened the meeting. The co-author of the report, Zuzana Smidova, also presented key insights. She noted, "The standard of living has significantly risen over the past two decades, with GDP per capita doubling since 2005. After the inflation shock of 2022-23, the economy is expected to recover steadily throughout 2025 and 2026."
Despite these positive developments, the report emphasizes the necessity of adopting "sufficiently restrictive monetary policy to bring inflation back to the target." It highlights the importance of fiscal adjustments to counterbalance substantial increases in health, social, and defense spending aimed at reducing Poland's budget deficit.
The OECD report also draws attention to healthcare issues. Despite notable improvements, Poland's average life expectancy remains one of the lowest among OECD nations. "While spending has increased over the years, there are opportunities to improve the efficiency of the healthcare system," according to the report. It points out the need for continued incentives for primary care, optimization of the hospital network, and training for more healthcare professionals.
With Poland's aging populace, the authors advocate for establishing frameworks to expand long-term care. They stress, "To maintain productivity growth, competition needs to be strengthened, and the skill set of employees should be upgraded."
The report also discusses ambitious strategies for energy and climate change management, stating, "The implementation of more ambitious energy and climate strategies will be key to achieving the target of net-zero emissions. This requires accelerated deployment of renewable sources of energy and phasing out coal."
The expert debate following the report presentation included notable figures such as Katarzyna Kacperczyk, Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Piotr Maszczyk, Head of Macroeconomics and Public Sector Economics at SGH, Dr. Maciej Cygler, adjunct at the International Economics Institute of SGH and expert at the Climate-Energy Analysis Center (CAKE), and Dr. Tomasz Koźluk from the OECD. The discussion was moderated by Dr. Eliza Przeździecka, Director of the International Economics Institute at SGH.
The OECD report presentation and expert panel were streamed live on SGH's YouTube channel, catering to both the Polish and international audience, as the event was conducted in English. It was organized by the SGH Centre for International Cooperation.