Law / Your experience as a foreigner running a small business in Poland [43]

Absolutely painless from my point of view. Registering was a breeze - two visits to the Urząd Miasta, one visit to the tax office and the job was done. The ZUS side of things was handled by my accountant.


I'm not surprised. If you don't do your homework first, instead relying on what PR spokesmen might say - then Poland is always going to be a troublesome experience. In my experience, most problems are caused by two simple things - not reading and not asking. At least in Poznan, absolutely everything is listed - and if you give them what they want, no matter how stupid or idiotic it may be (from a foreign point of view) - then you get what you want.


It really isn't difficult at all. But you need to read about the subject first - the people who have problems are often the ones who have a vague idea of how it works, but they don't actually know what they're doing. I saw quite a lot of people registering a business who were doing just that - when I registered, I had the forms filled out in advance, I knew what my business was doing (in regards to PKD codes) and I had all the possible relevant paperwork with me, and copied twice - just in case. Being prepared makes a big difference.

For instance - legally, you should have a zameldowanie and a residence permit (or visa) if you're in Poland for more than 4 days. To start a business, you don't technically need these documents - but if you have them, it makes life much easier. It's just one little thing, but someone who complies with the law in other respects will find it much easier to deal with.

Another example : you should always have a good, competent accountant. If you try to do it yourself, it's just going to cause endless tears and trouble as a foreigner, especially if you can't read the language to a high standard. I've heard so many stories of people having problems - but almost universally, it was because they didn't have the right people doing the right things in place.

I would say that for anyone wishing to have a successful business in Poland, you need to live here for at least a year to become acclimatised to the environment first.

Love / THE POLISH DISEASE, wanna marry a Polish girl ? read on... [197]

I think it's worth pointing out here that the "Polish girl" mentioned is actually most likely American.

Food / Supermarket or small corner shop for grocery shopping in Poland? [23]


120 cans of cat food a month? Are you feeding a small tiger?!

Law / How to open a company with EU Funds in Poland? [18]


You don't need it. However, depending on the locality, they may or may not offer advice. For instance, in Poznan, there's an EU funded NGO that helps people start businesses - and the local Urzad Miasta is very helpful too.

But really, you don't need help - starting a business here is straightforward.

Law / How to open a company with EU Funds in Poland? [18]

Ah yes, the usual "pay us quite a lot of money and we'll tell you how to apply for EU grants" scam. I get phone calls from them all the time - funnily enough, they always hang up when I point out that all the information is publicly accessible online.

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


Who? Solidarity was divided from the outset between workers and intellectuals, and the divide was much bigger than was commonly reported at the time. Even today - you can see just how big that gap really was.

If they had chosen a "worker" to open the files, then he undoubtably would have been possessed with the idea of revenge. If they had chosen an intellectual, he would have been more interested in driving the country forward than revenge. It's a gross simplification, but at the end of the day, there was no one figure that people could have united around.


Many of them did. Don't forget that the Wirtschaftswunder partially used Nazi experience. If West Germany failed to thoroughly implement anti-nazification, what hope would post-Communist Poland have? The West German example showed us that you need to keep experienced individuals in their jobs.

In the case of the former East Germany, it was flooded by Wessies. Isn't it common knowledge that the West Germans effectively took over many institutions - meaning that

they could do a complete purge, because the Wessies were in charge anyway?


It's an interesting legal point, that's all. But - as I recall - the Federal Republic claimed continuity with the Third Reich - whereas it never accepted the legitimacy of the DDR. The Nuremburg Trials could therefore arguably be held under the jurisdiction of a successor state, whereas the post-DDR trials weren't. But it's just legal theory.


In Poland? Well - look at what happened in the symbolic industries represented by Solidarity. Solidarity managers drove the shipyards into the ground, they drove Ciegelski in Poznan into the ground, they're driving the mines into the ground - it proves that they didn't have the experience to run things on a bigger level. Even Mazowiecki's government called in the foreign experts rather than relying on non-Communist Poles.

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


Still, the Volkskammer didn't pass any such law.


Sounds like the classic Kaczynski argument - "YOU'RE NOT MASSIVELY ANTI COMMUNIST THEREFORE YOU ARE A COMMUNIST".

Lustration would simply have divided society and caused much more problems than it would fix - the current solution of requiring people to declare their non-cooperation is sensible, pragmatic and works.

Let's bear in mind here that going after criminals - well, Germany prosecuted them under BRD law, not DDR law. Morally - that's about as dodgy as it gets. Victor's justice, no?

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


Well, from a neutral point of view (I neither dislike or like him) - there's no evidence whatsoever that he actually did anything wrong during PRL times. Both Walesa and his political opponents may have interfered with his file - we know the part where he had the file delivered, but there's no evidence to suggest that he was the one who removed documents. We don't even know what those documents were - indeed, who is to say that the Communists (as they held the Interior Ministry) didn't remove the documents for their own reasons in 1989?


Erm, surely Wessies had nothing to hide, and yet they hardly prosecuted many people?


That was partially the problem - even Walesa wasn't trusted by certain aspects of Solidarity in 1989 due to his behaviour as Solidarity leader in 1980-1981. And - also - let's not forget just who controlled certain ministries in Mazowiecki's government. By the time these people resigned or were kicked out of the government - who knows what they would have done?

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


Did the Volkskammer pass a law about it? I don't recall that they did...

But - also - you could generally trust Germans to behave themselves with the information. Would you really trust hotheaded Poles?


The solution certainly wasn't relying on files of dubious integrity. Even in Germany, you can see that there was no desire to thoroughly punish them - look at the sentences handed out to Krenz et al. Even Mielke was tried on the basis of shooting a policeman in 1930-something as opposed to being tried for his part as the Stasi boss.

The German approach was probably the best one - but they had the benefit of big, stable West Germany to make sure that no-one went too far with abusing their power. In Poland, there wasn't that guarantee - heck, even the New York Times expressed doubt that Walesa wouldn't turn into a dictator. Who would have been trustworthy in the post-1989 climate to deal with the files in a sensible, grown up way? None of them.


And you think that the IPN and the hysterical anti-communists would only chase those who were guilty? We already know that they've attempted to smear Walesa as an agent - without providing any definitive proof apart from a few things found in files - files controlled by his political enemies. Who knows what else they would "find"?

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


What was the alternative of the Round Table? The country was sinking to almost rock bottom, it was bankrupt and was in a dire mess financially. We know in hindsight that the Soviet Union was serious about not interfering - but in those times, accepting "Contract Sejm" with all the conditions was the best thing on offer.

It's easy to say now that they should have fought the communists as the Soviet Union wouldn't have interfered - but given that the Soviet Union was unstable and unreliable at that point - it wouldn't have been a huge shock for an Army coup there to restore "order" in Poland. Indeed, if the August 1991 coup had come in August 1989, it's hard to imagine that Poland would have been allowed to carry on her independent path.

As for civil war being a joke - if Walesa had prepared Solidarity for a war, don't you think that there would indeed have been one in 1981? The only reason the Communists succeeded with marital law was that they caught Solidarity sleeping - that, and the fact that Solidarity as a whole believed that Poles wouldn't fight Poles.


Well, East Germany had no say so - it was forced on them by the West Germans. That leaves Czechoslovakia as the sole state that practiced Lustration - and no-one knows for certain as to how reliable the files actually are. Let's not forget that the Stasi, among others, were very good at producing false records for the purpose of destroying people.

The behaviour of the IPN tells us one thing - that lustration would be used as a weapon in Poland towards political enemies.

Let's not forget that the Constitutional Tribunal has thrown out parts of lustration laws twice, declaring it against the constitution - I'd say that defending the constitution is probably the most important thing in Poland today.

UK, Ireland / Polish eligibility to claim benefits in the UK [30]


Maybe he could go one cheaper and give her a piece of cardboard with "POLAND" written on it? ;)

UK, Ireland / Car registered in Poland. Ownership transfer from England? [8]

Not possible unless he has a registered residence here.

I suspect that he wants to avoid speed cameras and also wants to avoid paying UK taxation, as well as cheaper insurance.

UK, Ireland / Polish eligibility to claim benefits in the UK [30]


Isn't the deposit on the Oyster card worth 3 pounds? I'd be inclined to simply pay for the bus fare and no more ;)

(mind you, the bus is probably more expensive than the plane....)

UK, Ireland / Polish eligibility to claim benefits in the UK [30]


Not a bad idea at all ;)

(heck, I'd be paying for a cab to the airport and the plane ticket if I was him...)

UK, Ireland / Polish eligibility to claim benefits in the UK [30]


She won't get a thing because she hasn't worked legally for 12 months. It'll either be work or the streets for her - or she can go home.

UK, Ireland / Cost of transferring items UK - Poland? [7]

I can't give you exact prices, but I can thoroughly recommend this guy at - atrans.wikidot.com - several expats here have had positive experiences with him, and I really cannot recommend him enough. britishinpoland.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=181#p181

And there's a thread somewhere on here as well that talks about him - he's a great guy.

By the way, when you come here, give me a shout - I'll introduce you to a few English speakers/expats to get your feet on the ground quickly!

News / €11,700 to every migrant returning to the Polish capital and starting a business there. [110]

And who pays? The workers aren't going to be too happy to be funding business owners left/right/centre.

News / €11,700 to every migrant returning to the Polish capital and starting a business there. [110]


The problem was with Lech's veto - the boom times would have been perfect to cut many of the State employees, as people wouldn't be too bothered about a few miners if they were busy getting rich - but Lech would have said no.

As far as I see it - the real work begins now.

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


Is he obsessed with it to the point where he's always looking back and not forwards, though? It's one thing to react when you see them, but another thing to spend your days constantly complaining and moaning about it.

We can't compare though - Britain is a stable democracy, whereas Poland has only really had about 13 years of it and still isn't very stable politically.

The case with Jaruzelski - well, let's not forget that Pinochet was allowed to leave the UK without standing trial.


The problem with the "Ex party" tag is that many people were members just to give their family a better life, or indeed to keep their jobs. Are they really so bad? It's fine and well to play the hero, but in those times, who could blame someone for simply wanting better living conditions?

News / €11,700 to every migrant returning to the Polish capital and starting a business there. [110]

Time Seanus, time. The first round of legislation is going through the Sejm now - though I suspect the real meaty stuff will come after the next election.

I suspect that many people are about to see their cushy retirement schemes ended swiftly and decisively.

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]

So Lech Kacyznski was part of the pro-Communist faction? Nice to hear it - it confirms what everyone already knows - that the Kaczynski twins had some sort of funny connection to the regime.


Of course the situation was explosive. We could have seen a bitter civil war that the Soviets would have stayed out of - making things even worse. We could have had a Romanian situation where the line between good guys and the bad guys were blurred at best, with people being killed by agents working for people unknown. I'd say that in Poland, the transition was smooth, peaceful and showed that the Communists could give up power without violence.


And where do you stop? Many people were members of the party officially - do you ban all of them? In which case, you would have had massive gaps in such things as education - who would replace all of the school directors? Even many ordinary teachers were signed into the Party - should they have been disqualified too? Where do you stop?

The declaration of martial law probably avoided civil war and a complete breakdown of society. Right or wrong, I think most people simply wanted Communism to go away. Anyway, the Church represented the opposition - and hanging people is hardly good Christian practice, is it?

News / €11,700 to every migrant returning to the Polish capital and starting a business there. [110]


To be honest, the best way to deal with this is simply to require them to present a full set of books (including all the invoices) at the end of the year. Anyone not trading "seriously" shouldn't get the funding - anything that's just a fiddle would show up straight away.

But giving away money is just a bad idea - I know from Poznan alone, many of the businesses started with government cash are run by people without a clue.

News / €11,700 to every migrant returning to the Polish capital and starting a business there. [110]


It'll probably the same old stuff - only priority groups (under 25, over 50, returning to work after a baby, etc) will stand a chance of getting it, and the money will be laden with so many restrictions that it'll be impossible for anything other than a cottage industry to develop from it.

It would make *far* more sense to offer it as matched funding - invest 11,700 euro and get 11,700 after the first year, for instance.

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


That was in 1991. You might want to look at the results of the election in 1991 - where was the popular support for lustration? It wasn't there. You can talk all you want about "what should have been done" - but at the end of the day, the people voted for parties that didn't care for lustration. You know - democracy.


They had plenty of choice. No-one made Solidarity agree anything - if they had the stomach for it, they could easily have continued to watch the situation deteriorate in Poland instead of compromising for the benefit of everything. I mean - what gunpoint? Solidarity could easily have said "nie" to the Round Table.


Right. And who was supporting this? The 1991 election results show that there was no popular consensus for such an action. Indeed, many of the people shouting now about lustration were suspiciously quiet back then - cowards? Certainly are.

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]


As convex says, and add in the fact that the files have already been used for political games and that the organisation dealing with them is politically biased - it just wouldn't work here and now. No-one can trust what's in those files - especially when the SB themselves were well known for falsifying files. They might be interesting from a historical point of view, but the way that they've dealt with it has been amateurish at best.

The German example worked because it was on the basis of full disclosure from the very start and supervised by a strong West German state. Poland in the early 90's was very very unstable - hardly the right climate for attempting to "lustrate" people.


Very easy to say that from abroad. Not so easy to say that in a country where the former communists were still very strong politically - or have you forgotten who won the 1993 election?

Don't forget that those officials were also the ones with experience of management and organisation. You know - people you need to rebuild the country. Germany didn't need them, but Poland?


How do you propose doing this in the climate of mid-1989 when the Communists still had control of the key ministries? All very well talking hypothetically, but it wasn't possible.


That's right, and they're all Jewish too, aren't they?

Your political bias is hilarious. May I remind you that Kaczynski's father has serious question marks over just what deal he made with the communists? I'd say that daddy Kaczynski has far more question marks over his head than any of the ones you mentioned.


Indeed, America invited many of the top officials to take part in the reconstruction of the country, paving the way for the economic miracle of West Germany. In fact, the denazificiation in East Germany was what partially caused the weakness of the state from the beginning - instead of getting people with experience to run things, they elected people with political experience with no practical experience.

West Germany should have been the example that Poland looked to - and it more or less was.

I don't think it's any surprise that those who are obsessed with communists tend to be the ones who have spent their whole life making excuses and complaining. Or indeed, they aren't even in the country.

Law / How to open a company with EU Funds in Poland? [18]


I have my doubts as to whether you'll be entitled - you're not a European Union citizen, nor are you in any of the priority groups for funding.

News / No de-Communisation in Poland? [41]

Still trying to stir up trouble, are we? I've noticed that your topics seem to always be about divisive topics in Polish society - topics that attract the nutjobs.

The vast majority of people in Poland have moved on. We don't need "lustracja" or any witch hunts - what happened, happened - and now people want to move on from those times and towards a better future. There's no support in Poland for people to be hounded on the basis of unreliable files from the SB and the like - in fact, seeing as high ranking public servants must sign a declaration of non-cooperation with the Communists anyway - there's little to no need for any such "decommunisation" process.

The fact that the only party that supports full-scale lustration is hovering at about 25% in the polls should tell you what the view is - that it doesn't matter and it's time to move on. The witch hunts orchestrated by PiS should be enough evidence of why it's a bad idea - they spent their entire time hunting down alleged agents and not enough time actually governing.

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


There are decent jobs going for those who have something to bring to the table - I know a few companies in Poznan who hire Brits (on local salaries, not expat salaries) if they have the right experience in the right places.

The smart people I know here all started off teaching English and used that to build contacts - and some of them are now doing very well for themselves.

USA, Canada / Moved back from Canada to Poland:). Here are the reasons why. [868]


That's because many Brits can't speak the language, so there isn't much opportunity for them.

Certainly in Poland, it's still a much more open market than the UK - I think WB was saying how there are vast areas of untapped potential here - along with easy access to Eastern markets.

News / POLAND IS 4TH BEST PLACE TO LIVE IN EUROPE [60]

Can someone on a small private pension plus full State pension do that in the UK?

At least the Polish system is based on how much you put in rather than a set number.