While Londoners of many nationalities voted in the EU elections yesterday, for the Polish community, June 4 signified an even more important event for exactly 20 years ago, Poland had its first democratic elections (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/), which ushered in a period of political and economic development.
Much has changed in Poland since 1989. Through drastic political and economic restructuring, Poland has moved towards Western-style capitalism with considerable success. Many have characterised Poland as a model example of systemic transformation and development. However, despite these successes, there are still many challenges ahead.
"The big question is what happens over the next ten to 20 years and there are worries that the Poles have exhausted the first flash of capitalism," said Professor George Kolankiewicz of University College London (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/). "They've achieved a lot in 20 year and to now reach the first rank of countries in the EU, not to mention globally, they need to up their game a bit, both economically and politically."
According to Mr Kolankiewicz, the success of Poland's future will depend on the new generation, on their cultural capital, intellectual skills and education, more so than at any time in the past.
But many Poles have been impatient or less than optimistic about their ability to change Poland, preferring to migrate to the developed democracies of Western Europe. Since Poland became a member of the
European Union in May 2004, some 600,000 Poles came to the UK, about 100,000 settling in London. Some will return, but others have chosen to make the UK their permanent home.
Daniel Gasiński, 27, came to London four years ago and has no plans of returning home in the near future. "There are better opportunities here. When conditions in Poland improve, then yes, but it won't happen for the next few years." Even his friends in Poland who have good jobs have little money left at the end of the month.
Intense rivalry in the market place has mirrored that taking place on the political scene and has at times sabotaged the growth of healthy competition. While membership in the European Union brought with it
new business opportunities, many still desire the relative stability of better established Western systems.
"Poles have to find ways of working with each other, rather than in competition with each other," says Prof. Kolankiewicz. "The kind of cooperation that the Poles were able to show and bring about the downfall of communism, is the next stage."
The scale of migration in recent years has raised interesting questions on how to utilise the Polish diaspora. Recently, the Polish community in London has taken on the initiative to reconnect and revitalise the links between Poles in the homeland and those in the UK.
Since January of this year, a London-based organisation, Poland Street (http://polandstreet.org.uk/), has been running a campaign to forge links between Poles in Poland and those in the UK. Its aim is to manage the flow of human capital and enable those wishing to return to the country to have a successful start.
"Our aim has been to create a communication link, so that we are taken into consideration all the time, not just before elections," said Jacek Winnicki, the director of the organisation, at an inaugural meeting of the 12-City Project.
The organisers have stressed that those considering returning to Poland must be educated about what to expect. To this end, every month representatives from major Polish cities have been presenting Polish
Londoners with what their cities have to offer.
"It is clear that conditions for growth are better here in the UK, but a return to Poland offers other benefits, such as the proximity of family and the comfort of living in one's country. It is a give-and-take situation," says Joanna Bąk of Poland Street.
As the decision to return involves considerable effort and even sacrifice, it is frequently those who seek a challenge that are interested. The conferences attract young, creative and innovative individuals who are considering a return not only to find a job, but are also motivated by entrepreneurial and investment opportunities. Recently, one such conference with representatives from the city of Lublin attracted a considerable crowd.
The initiative and similar ones have a potential to foster cooperation between the regional authorities in Poland and the pool of well-educated and qualified professionals in London. Such efforts may be, in fact, just what Poland needs at this time.
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