Difficulties with money from Brussels: Poland and the European Union's structural funds

Poland will be entitled to a significant proportion of the EU's regional assistance funds. The scale of structural assistance in the next budget period, 2007-2013, and the decentralization of regional policy in Poland will be determined by how effectively the country is able to administer these funds. The government should focus on the quality of the projects funded and ensure that these projects are embedded as efficiently as possible in Poland's economic development strategy, rather than concentrating on the quantity of the EU resources it can call upon. There are still deficiencies in the Polish administration's preparations. In the first few years after accession, significant problems in the spheres of project management and co-financing can be anticipated.