Last 20 years 'success story' for Polish economy: OECD head

Angel Gurria said that the challenge ahead of the country is to build a knowledge-based economy.

Gurria was in Poland to attend a conference entitled “20 years of partnership and cooperation between Poland and the OECD”, to mark two decades since Poland's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

“Poland has made impressive progress in raising living standards between 1990 and 2015,” Gurria said.

“Today, GDP per capita [in Poland] amounts to two-thirds of the OECD average, which is a very impressive achievement. The average life expectancy increased from 71 years in 1990 to 77 years in 2014,” he added.

While in Warsaw, Gurria met Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski.

“The OECD supported Polish economic transformation, and now Poland is sharing its experience and helping countries, especially those in the East, in their economic development,” Waszczykowski said.

He added that Poland’s ambition is to continue providing good solutions for countries in the region: Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova.

“Poland’s current priority is to create economic growth through innovation,” Waszczykowski said. (rg)

Source: PAP, MSZ