Vergleich von 2 EU-Mitgliedern // Comparasion of 2 EU member states ((Englisch)) .doc

Comparasion of the two EU member states Belgium and Poland

Poland and Belgium are member states of the European Union and are both in Central Europe. Belgium is one of the founding member states and has a highly developed market. Poland whose ecenomy grew rapidly in the mid- 1990s and slowed in 2001/2002, became a member state in 2004.

Poland has a GDP of 6.1% (2006), that is less than the average GDP rate in the European Union. Belgium had a growth of the GDP rate about 3.0% in 2006 and 2.6% in 2007 and is one of the countries with the highest GDP in the world. Another difference between the two countries is that Belgium has got the euro as its currency but Poland hasn’t introduced the euro yet.

Belgium has un unemployment rate of about 7.4% which is nearly the average rate in the European Union, compared to 19% in Poland, which is the highest unemployment rate you find in the EU.

The main branches of industry are completely different in this two countries.

Poland jas much agriculture. More than 25% of the Polish population are employed in this sector. Agriculture contributes 5% to the GDP while in Belgium there is less agriculture and it only contributes 1.4% to the GDP.

Poland has been a communist country and it is because of this self-sufficient in food. Belgium is a democratic country for a long time and it is one of the founding member states. One condition to be an European Union member state is to be a democratic country.

Poland is rich in natural recources, coal, sulphur, copper, lead and zinc are its chief materials.

In comparasion to Belgium where are no natural recources but most of the traditional industrial sector like steel, textiles, chemicals etc are present in the economy.

The service sector of the two countries are nearly similar, 65% in Poland and 75% in Belgium.

Belgium has a very open economy, it has investors, which play an important role in the country’s economy. Poland has recently joined the EU and has now an increase in exports about 30%. Therefor Poland has most imported and exported from and to Rusia, nowadays Poland’s top three export partners are Germany, France and Italy.

Therse three countries are those with the highest import and export rates in the European Union.

Belgiums export partners are Germany, France and the Netherlands. As there aren’t any natural recources like in Poland, Belgium imports mostly semi-finished goods, which are further progressed and re-exported to the countries they come from.