Acar S.A.

has been on the market for over 25 years and is a leading manufacturer of electrical extension cords, power cords, surge protectors, wire harnesses and high quality electrical equipment. All products are certified (ISO 9001:2008) and comply with current requirements and standards (eg Directive 2011/65/EU). We are confident that we offer the consumer a product of the highest quality and with the best safety indicators, therefore we give a 15-year extended warranty for KERG products, unique for the market, and we offer a 2-year warranty for Acar line products.

Benefits of working with Acar S.A.:

professional advice,
- production of products according to individual orders,
- prompt review of the application,
- timely shipment of goods,
- more favorable cost.

Acar S.A. it is a reliable, flexible manufacturer that focuses on long-term cooperation and builds relationships with business partners on mutually beneficial terms.

The contact person:
Paulina Degree
Export Specialist - Eastern Europe

ACAR S.A.
st. Pilska 13, 78-400 Szczecinek, POLAND
Tel+48 94 374 05 76

e-mail: [email protected]

31.07.2015

PETTINO - children's clothing

Pettino is a Polish manufacturer of high quality children's clothing.

Currently, the company is implementing a project to increase the efficiency of sales of its products in the foreign market,

The manufacturer is interested in cooperation with companies engaged in wholesale and retail children's clothing.

More about the company: www.pettino.com

Martin Biland

Director of Sales

Pettino

st. Slovak 1A

88-190 Barchin, Poland

tel. +48 796 785 202

[email protected]

20.01.2014

MAUVER CONSULTING

The MAUVER CONSULTING company provides services for the registration of an LLC for Russian citizens on the territory of the Republic of Poland. The possibility of opening a company in any city in Poland, renting an office (also virtual), cooperation as a representative of the Client. We also mediate in the purchase of ready-made LLCs and the promotion of Russian companies and goods on the Polish market. We invite you to cooperate.

Contact person: Mavriky Petrovich Vitkovyak

Phone: +48 61 41 51 657, + 48 539 452 080 (mobile)

WWW: mauver.pl.ru

Skype: mauricjo

20.01.2014

WYTWÓRNIA MEBLI Furniture manufacturer

The furniture company was founded in 1939. It is engaged in the production of furniture from solid wood and natural veneer. Production of stylish furniture with modern design on the Polish market and international markets includes furniture for hotels and restaurants, such as: kitchen, dining room, bedroom. The company also specializes in kitchen furniture. Products can be made according to individual requirements or customer designs.

The company also produces traditional oak furniture in wax and oil cleaning technology. The firm sells at manufacturer's prices and offers an endless variety of colors.

The company belongs to the Association Carpenters Swarzędz: http://www.mebleswarzedz.com

The Furniture Manufacturer is interested in cooperation with business partners in Russia, in particular, importers and distributors of high quality furniture.

Contact: Zbigniew Kucharski

general Manager

st. Slovak 1/Słowackiego 1

62-020 Swarzędz

Poland/Polska

tel. / fax +48 61 817 30 77

mob. +48 600 486 333

[email protected]

More information on the website www.wytworniamebli.pl

13.01.2014

U.B.M. Kotasińska - manufacturer medical equipment

The company's products: blood sampling chairs, dropper stands, couches, screens, armchairs, chairs and stools for doctors' offices, medical trolleys and tables, changing tables, hospital beds: 2-3-segment and electric.

The firm will establish cooperation with exporters and/or distributors of medical equipment for the sale of its products.

For more information about the company, see the website:

Sylwia Sas Jasicka: Export Department

Kresowa 5, 46-100 Namysłów, Poland

UNIDEM Ltd SK

UNIDEM Ltd SK is a Polish company that manufactures disposable medical equipment.

Below is a list of the products we manufacture: disposable sterile syringes; disposable swabs for skin disinfection; sterile disposable gynecological mirrors; disposable sterile gynecological brushes; gel for ultrasound examinations; disposable sterile urinals; gel for catheterization; ENT - disposable sterile kits; disposable non-sterile wooden ENT spatulas; elastic mask; dental bibs; latex, nitrile, vinyl and extra strong gloves.

All our products are of high quality. We have 10 factories in 6 countries.

We export goods to Europe and Africa, continue to register in South America and Asia. More information: www.unidem.co.uk

We are looking for partners in Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union.

Unidem Ltd SK, ul. Towarowa 23a, 43-100 Tychy, Poland

Tel. +48 32 661 01 13 , Fax: +48 32 661 01 10 , Mail.

We are pleased to welcome you to the website of the Center for Business Cooperation "Russia - Poland".

The activities of our Center are directly focused on providing support Russian business interested in entering the Polish market. Without leaving Russia, you can as soon as possible get all the information you need and a range of additional services thanks to the work of our representative office in Poland. Contact the Center for Business Cooperation "Russia - Poland" and we will provide you with professional support and assistance in developing your business in Poland.

When planning to start a business in Poland, an entrepreneur must first obtain professional advice on these issues, for example, in a specialized consulting company. It was with the aim of providing such assistance to Russian firms that the Center for Business Cooperation "Russia - Poland" was created. The offices of our organization are located in Warsaw, Gliwice (Poland), Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. The main task of the CDC "Russia - Poland" is the information and legal support of Russian companies interested in developing their business in Poland. The center provides services on the whole range of issues related to work Russian companies on the Polish market:

• company registration and opening of a representative office;
• obtaining certificates and permits;
• drafting and legal examination of contracts with contractors;
• topical marketing research situations in the markets of specific goods or services;
• search for business partners in Poland.

The fact that in Poland you can earn money by investing and developing own business, many Russian companies have already been convinced. We will help you to be among them. We invite you to cooperate.

16.05.0803: 26

About Russian-Polish interregional cooperation

(Reference Information)

15-05-2008

The development of interregional cooperation between Russia and Poland is carried out on the basis of the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Poland on friendly and good neighborly cooperation (1992), three intergovernmental agreements - on cooperation between the Kaliningrad region of Russia and the northeastern provinces of Poland (1992), on cooperation in the region Petersburg and regions of the Republic of Poland (1992), on cross-border cooperation (1992), as well as agreements signed between Russian regions and Polish voivodeships. To date, 9 out of 16 voivodships have such agreements. 21 Russian regions are in contractual relations with Polish partners. About 50 Russian municipalities maintain links with local self-government bodies of the Republic of Poland.

The above agreements provide for close cooperation primarily in the economic sphere, active attraction of investments, assistance in establishing contacts between chambers of commerce and industry, professional associations, business entities, organizations and enterprises operating in the field of small and medium-sized businesses. An important place is given to cooperation in the field of culture, education, science, sports and tourism. In order to implement the agreements, joint working groups consisting of representatives of executive authorities have been created.

The coordinating mechanism of Russian-Polish interregional cooperation is working group on Economic Cooperation of Regions, created within the framework of the Russian-Polish Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation.

A priority place in interregional cooperation is occupied by the Kaliningrad direction. This is the only Russian region that borders Poland and is the leader among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in many aspects of economic relations with Poland. legal basis cooperation, in addition to the above basic legal acts, are also cooperation agreements with the Warmian-Masurian (2001), Pomeranian (2002) and West Pomeranian (2004) voivodeships.

There is a Russian-Polish Council for Cooperation of the Kaliningrad Region and the Regions of Poland (RPC), which develops and sends proposals to the relevant authorities on areas of cooperation and bilateral projects. Within its framework, 13 specialized commissions have been created. In October 1994, its first meeting was held in Svetlogorsk. The next, 8th meeting of the RPS was held in April 2007 in Warsaw.

Poland is the second largest foreign trade partner of the Kaliningrad region after Germany and ranks third among importers to this region. In recent years, the trade turnover of the Kaliningrad region with Poland has been about 700 million dollars, including exports - about 100 million dollars (mainly fuel and energy products and timber), and imports - about 600 million dollars (mainly products chemical industry, engineering, pulp, food).

At the end of 2007, 40 enterprises with Polish capital were registered in the Kaliningrad region (total $53.2 million). The well-known Polish companies Budimeks and Konstruktsion (construction), Maspeks (production of cocoa drinks), Karkade (provision of leasing services), Dospel (industrial ventilation equipment), "GM Tronic Baltika" (electronics), "Holod-System" (industrial and commercial refrigeration equipment), "ZAMER" (implementation modern technologies coal combustion in boiler houses of small and medium capacity), "Darus" (production of spices), "Conex" (production of ice cream).

In 1997, Andreks (Elbląg) implemented a large investment project - the construction of a terminal for transshipment of mineral fertilizers in the fishing port. In 2004-2006 among major economic projects Polish entrepreneurs can also note the cooperation of the shipyard from Gdansk "Maritim Ltd" and the Svetlovsky ship repair plant for the assembly of sections sea ​​vessels different types for customers from third countries.

Cooperation is being carried out in the construction of large facilities. With the help of Polish builders (mainly Budimeks), automobile checkpoints Curonian Spit, Mamonovo, Gusev and Bagrationovsk were built.

Polish construction and restoration firms took an active part in preparations for the celebration of the 750th anniversary of Kaliningrad and the 60th anniversary of the formation of the Kaliningrad region, including the reconstruction of Victory Square, the repair of the regional drama theater, the restoration of the Royal Gates and other objects.

In April 2007, the presentation of the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Poland took place, within the framework of which, in addition to meetings of representatives of business circles,the eighth meeting of the Russian-Polish Council for Cooperation of the Kaliningrad Region and the Regions of Poland. It outlined the guidelines for cooperation in the near future. Particular attention is planned to be paid to improving the situation at border crossings, developing transport infrastructure in the context of the construction of new checkpoints, as well as expanding cross-border cooperation. They also touched upon environmental issues that are supposed to be addressed, in particular, with the involvement of EU funds.

Cooperation between the Kaliningrad region and Poland is actively developing within the framework of the euroregions "Baltika", "Neman", "Sheshupe", "Lyna-Lava", as well as a long-term international neighborhood program: Poland, Lithuania and the Kaliningrad region ( Russian Federation) INTERREG 3-A.

On May 26, 2004, an agreement was signed on interregional cooperation between the government of the Moscow Region and the Mazowieckie Voivodeship of the Republic of Poland in a number of areas of the economy, social sphere and culture. By order of the Governor of the Moscow Region, a working group was formed on economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation between the Moscow Region and the Republic of Poland.

In the development of economic relations with Polish partners, the Moscow region demonstrates high rates - 30 enterprises with Polish investments (over 29 million dollars) operate in the region. In Moscow entrepreneurial activity carried out by several dozen Polish companies. The Polish Entrepreneurship Club unites 38 Polish companies. Their investments in the city's economy at the end of 2006 exceeded 60 million dollars. Partnerships are also developing between individual municipalities in Poland and the Moscow region: Wongrowiec and Krasnogorsk, Olsztyn and Podolsk, Olkusz and Bronnitsy, Plock and Mytishchi, etc.

The region of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region is currently cooperating with the Pomeranian, West Pomeranian and Warmia-Mazury voivodeships. Since 1996, the Russian-Polish Council has been operating for cooperation between the St. Petersburg region and the regions of Poland. Currently, its activities are focused on economic cooperation, education and culture, transport and transit policy, local government cooperation, security and combating crime and terrorism in the Baltic Sea area.

Polish investments in the economy of the region of St. Petersburg exceed 25 million dollars. About 40 Polish companies operate in the city. Several of them, who deserved recognition for their restoration work, participated in the restoration of historical architectural ensembles in Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof.

In the Leningrad region, successfully operate the firms "NOVOL" (production of automotive putty), "Lukullusa" ("Lukullusa") from Novy Dvor Mazowiecki (production of meat products), a plant for the production of building fasteners of the Wroclaw company "Koelner". The Russian-Polish company "MEDPOL" in Kronstadt produces Christmas decorations and hygiene products.

Bilateral relations of the Republic of Tatarstan with the Lodz Voivodeship are developing. 24 Tatarstan companies have business contacts and mutually beneficial agreements with Polish partners, 3 joint ventures were established. In September 2006, a protocol of understanding was signed in Tatarstan, providing for the implementation of two investment projectsŁódź Voivodeship in the Republic: construction of a ceramics manufacturing plant (project value 50 million euros) and a poultry farm (20 million euros). Currently, the Republic of Tatarstan is actively cooperating with Poland in agro-industrial complex and housing and communal construction.

Cooperation agreements were also signed between the Nizhny Novgorod Region and the Mazovian Voivodeship (2001), the Pskov Region and the Lubuskie Voivodeship (2002), the Smolensk Region and the Kuyavian-Pomeranian (2002) and Mazovian Voivodeships (2003), the Samara Region and the Wielkopolska Voivodeship (2002). The Yaroslavl Region and the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the Leningrad Region and the Lower Silesian Voivodeship interact. Direct links have been established between two municipalities of the Leningrad region - Ivangorod and Tikhvin and two gminas of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Interest in cooperation with Polish voivodships in recent times also exhibit the Pskov, Ryazan, Novgorod, Kirov, Astrakhan and Vladimir regions, Chuvash Republic, Khanty-Mansiysk Okrug.

Cities also cooperate with each other - Moscow with Warsaw and Krakow, St. Petersburg with Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk, Arkhangelsk with Slupsk, Pskov with Bialystok, Irkutsk with Czestochowa, Ivanovo with Lodz, Kotlas with Tarnow, etc. Kaliningrad's partner cities are Bialystok, Gdansk, Gdynia, Zabrze, Lodz, Olsztyn, Torun, Raciborz, Elblag.

At the beginning of 2005, Krakow signed a cooperation agreement with Moscow. The government of Moscow came up with the initiative to sign it. A program of cooperation between the government of Moscow and the mayor's office of Krakow is being implemented. May 14-16 this year Days of Moscow were held in Krakow, within the framework of which there will be: a gala concert of masters of art, a number of exhibitions, a concert of a youth musical group, a film screening, a conference on scientific and technical cooperation, thematic round tables.

Since April 1997, on the basis of a protocol on cooperation between the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and the City Council of Krakow, relations between St. Petersburg and Krakow have been developing. The deputies exchange experience in the field of legislation, development and adoption of the budget, local self-government, healthcare, law and order, and protection of monuments.

Thanks to the activity of the regions of the Russian Federation, their share in the Russian-Polish foreign trade turnover has grown significantly. At the same time, the task of expanding the circle of participants in interregional cooperation remains topical.

General information

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RUSSIAN – POLISH RELATIONS

The history of relations between the two countries goes back more than a millennium: the first war between Kievan Rus and Poland took place in 981. The period of Polish expansion to the East (late 16th - early 17th centuries) was replaced by a counter onslaught, as a result of which most of Poland from 1815 to 1916. came under the control of the Russian Empire. Nevertheless, close economic and cultural ties have developed between the two peoples.

Diplomatic relations between the RSFSR and Poland were established in 1921. In addition to embassies in Moscow and Warsaw, there are Russian consulates general in Gdansk, Krakow and Poznan, Polish consulates in St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Irkutsk. The legal foundation of bilateral relations is formed by documents signed between former USSR and Poland (their inventory has not yet been completed), the Treaty between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Poland on friendly and good neighborly cooperation of May 22, 1992, as well as other intergovernmental treaties and agreements.

The last bilateral high-level meetings were held on May 8, 2010 in Moscow during the celebrations on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Victory, on December 6-7, 2010 as part of the official visit of the President of the Russian Federation to Poland, and on April 11, 2011 during memorial events in Smolensk.

The heads of government met on February 8, 2008 in Moscow, on January 29, 2009 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, on September 1, 2009 in Gdansk during commemorative events on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, 7 and 10 April 2010 in Smolensk region at events near the Katyn memorial and at the crash site of the plane of Polish President L. Kaczynski.

The last visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia to Poland took place on December 20, 2013 within the framework of the meeting of the Committee on Strategic Russian-Polish Cooperation. Since then, the ministers of the two countries have met on February 1, 2014 in Munich and on June 10, 2014 in St. margins” of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe).

On January 22, 2016, bilateral political consultations were held in Moscow between the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia V.G.Titov and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland M.Zhulkovsky.

In August 2012, the first ever visit of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Poland took place, during which a joint message was signed by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Polish Episcopal Conference of the Roman Catholic Church to the peoples of Russia and Poland.

A number of mechanisms for bilateral interaction were created between the two countries: the Committee on the Strategy of Russian-Polish Cooperation (headed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs), the Forum of Regions (under the auspices of the chairmen of the upper houses of parliaments), the Group on Difficult Issues Arising from the History of Russian-Polish Relations (co-chairs - Rector of MGIMO (U) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia A.V. Torkunov and director of the Institute of Central and Eastern Europe of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland M. Filipovich), Public Forum (co-chair from the Russian side - Executive Director of the A.M. Gorchakov Foundation for Support of Public Diplomacy L.V. Drachevsky, from the Polish side, the well-known Polish film director K. Zanussi was the co-chair until 2016), the Russian-Polish and Polish-Russian Centers for Dialogue and Consent (headed, respectively, by A.E. Golubova and E. Vychishkevich). The work of most of these formats has been frozen in recent years at the initiative of the Polish side.

According to Russian statistics, bilateral trade in 2017 amounted to 16.5 billion US dollars, which is 25.9% more than in 2016. In 2017, the share of Poland in foreign trade Russia remained at the level of 2016 and amounted to 2.8%. Wherein Russian export(USD 11.6 billion) increased by 26.7%, Polish (USD 4.9 billion) - by 24%.

Until recently, a positive moment in bilateral relations was the implementation of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Poland on the procedure for local border traffic (LBT), which was signed in Moscow on December 14, 2011. Its regime extended to residents of the Kaliningrad region and neighboring provinces of Poland - Pomeranian and Warmian-Masurian. On June 30, 2016, the Polish side, without prior consultations, announced the temporary termination (from July 4, 2016) of the provisions of the WFP Agreement. These restrictions were initially motivated by security concerns in connection with the Warsaw NATO summit (July 8-9, 2016) and world days young people in Krakow (July 26-31, 2016), however, after the end of these events, the facilitated movement regime in this region was not restored.

The main instrument of interstate cooperation in the trade and economic field is the Russian-Polish Intergovernmental Commission for Economic Cooperation (IPC), established in accordance with the intergovernmental agreement on economic cooperation dated November 2, 2004. The co-chairman from the Russian side is the Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation E.I. Dietrich, from Polish - Minister of Infrastructure of the Republic of Poland A. Adamczyk.

Within the framework of the IGC, six working groups have been formed: on trade and investment, on cooperation in the fuel and energy complex, on cooperation in the field of tourism, on military-technical cooperation, on cooperation in the agricultural sector, on customs affairs. The last (sixth) meeting of the IGC took place on September 19-21, 2013 in Gdansk.

In addition, in the field of trade and economic relations, there are such bilateral formats as the Russian-Polish Standing Committee on Transport, the Russian-Polish Mixed Commission on Fisheries, the Russian-Polish Commission on Interregional Cooperation, the cooperation councils of the Kaliningrad region and St. Petersburg with the voivodeships of Poland, the Russian-Polish Business Council (the founder on the Russian side is the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and on the Polish side - the Eastern Club), the Polish-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In July 2009, the Business Council for Cooperation with Poland was established in Moscow.

Russian-Polish contacts in the cultural, humanitarian and scientific fields have developed steadily until recently. In 2007-2008 in both countries, the “cross” Seasons of Russian and Polish culture were successfully held. Since 2007, film festivals of Russian films "Satellite over Poland" and Polish films "Vistula" have been held in Russia. Since 2014, on the initiative of the Union of Women of Russia and the League of Polish Women, an International Festival dedicated to the work of Anna German has been held. In 2008, the Days of Polish Science were held in Russia, and in 2011, the Days of Russian Science in Poland.

Although, under the pretext of the Ukrainian crisis, in July 2014 Warsaw unilaterally refused to participate in the “cross” Years of Russia in Poland and Poland in Russia planned for 2015, some of the planned projects were implemented.

Since 2008, after a twenty-year break, on the initiative of the Polish side, the annual Russian Song Festival was held in the city of Zielona Góra, and since 2010, Polish song festivals have been held in Russia (since 2014, both events have ceased to exist).

In order to support and promote the Russian language in Poland (it ranks third in this country in terms of the number of students after English and German), at the initiative of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, Russian Centers have been opened in Krakow, Lublin, Slupsk and Wroclaw.

Long-term cooperation is carried out between the Russian and Polish academies of sciences. It is developing especially actively in the field of fundamental space research. A number of Russian-Polish projects are being implemented through the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. From 1965 to the present, a bilateral commission of historians has been operating at the academies of sciences of the two countries.

On January 27, 2013, a new Russian exposition was opened at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (Oswiecim), telling about the tragedy of Soviet prisoners of the concentration camp and its liberation by the Red Army in January 1945. The Chairman took part in the opening ceremony State Duma Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation S.E. Naryshkin.

In December 2013, the Russian Federation made a one-time voluntary contribution to the international Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. Income from the placement of the funds raised by the Foundation is used to restore and maintain in proper condition the objects and expositions of the State Museum in Auschwitz.

In January 2013, the Russian side received an invitation to join the international project to renovate the Sobibor Memorial Museum located on the territory of the former Nazi death camp. The invitation was confirmed in 2014 and 2016. In July 2017, the Polish side received information that the International Steering Committee of the project decided to continue cooperation in the same composition, i.e. without Russia. However, it is not excluded that the issue possible participation our country in the mentioned initiative will be considered further.

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REPUBLIC OF POLAND

A state in Central Europe, which has a border with Russia (Kaliningrad region) over 200 km long, Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the north it is washed by the Baltic Sea.

Territory- 312.7 thousand square meters. km., population- 38.4 million people, more than 97% are Poles. Main religion– Catholicism (95% of the population), official language– Polish, currency unit- Polish zloty.

Administrative-territorial division- three-stage: 16 voivodships, 379 poviats, 2479 gminas (gmina - the main unit of territorial self-government). Capital- Warsaw (1.76 million inhabitants). Other big cities- Krakow (767 thousand), Lodz (693 thousand), Wroclaw (638 thousand), Poznan (539 thousand), Gdansk (464 thousand).

State paraphernalia. The flag is white and red, the coat of arms is an image of a white eagle on a red background, the anthem is Dombrowski's mazurka "Jeszcze Polska nie zginęła" ("Poland has not yet died").

National holidays: May 3 - the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of 1791 (the current Constitution entered into force in October 1997), November 11 - Independence Day (the restoration of Poland's statehood in 1918).

Story. The Polish state arose at the end of the 10th century. In 966, its ruler Prince Mieszko I converted to Christianity. In 1025 Poland became a kingdom centered in Gniezno, headed by the Piast national dynasty. In the middle of the XII century. it broke up into destinies, but at the beginning of the XIV century. was reunited by King Casimir the Great, who also conquered Galician Rus and part of Volhynia and Podolia. From 1320, Krakow became the capital of the state.

In 1386, the Polish throne passed to the Lithuanian Jagiellonian dynasty, the beginning of a personal union of the two states was laid. In 1410, in the Battle of Grunwald, the combined Polish-Lithuanian forces, with the participation of the Smolensk regiments, defeated the troops of the Teutonic Order and put a limit to its expansion, which deprived Poland in the XIII-XIV centuries. access to the Baltic Sea.

In 1569, with the signing of the Union of Lublin of Poland with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the 1st Rzeczpospolita (tracing paper from the Latin “res publica”) was formed, stretching at the peak of its power “from sea to sea” and existed until 1795. Its capital since 1596 actually became Warsaw.

In 1610, the son of the king of the Commonwealth, Sigismund III, Prince Vladislav, was called by the Russian boyars to the throne of Moscow. In 1612, the Poles were expelled from Moscow by the people's militia led by Minin and Pozharsky. As a result of the Russian-Polish wars (1577-82, 1609-18, 1632-34, 1654-67), which were fought with varying success, the Smolensk region and the Left-bank Ukraine went to the Muscovite state.

As a result of the three divisions of the Commonwealth (1772, 1793, 1795) between Austria, Prussia and Russia, the Russian Empire included the territory of present-day Belarus, right-bank Ukraine (without Galicia), Lithuania and part of Latvia. After the redistribution of Polish lands at the Vienna Congress of 1814-1815. Most of the Duchy of Warsaw was transferred to Russia (except for Greater Poland with Poznan and Krakow), on which the Kingdom of Poland was formed, which at first enjoyed wide autonomy. Polish national liberation uprisings of 1794 (led by T. Kosciuszko), 1830-1831, 1846, 1848 and 1863-1864 were suppressed.

In August 1918, the leadership of Soviet Russia annulled the treaties of the tsarist government on partitions, and in November 1918 Poland gained independence and was proclaimed a republic (2nd Rzeczpospolita). On March 18, 1921, a peace treaty was signed in Riga between Soviet Russia and Poland, which fixed the results of the unsuccessful Soviet-Polish war of 1919-1920 for us. (the border between the two states passed much to the east of the so-called "Curzon Line", which is generally the eastern section of the compact settlement of the Polish ethnic group).

On September 1, 1939, fascist Germany unleashed the Second world war. Having quickly defeated the Polish army, she occupied most of the country. On September 17, 1939, the Red Army entered the territory of Western Ukraine, Western Belarus and the Vilensk region; they were annexed to the USSR.

In July 1944 - May 1945. the territory of Poland was completely liberated by the Red Army with the assistance of the Polish Army. Over 600,000 Soviet soldiers and officers died in the battles for the liberation of Poland. As a result of World War II, Poland lost almost 40% of its national wealth and more than 6 million people, i.e. 1/5 of the population. The border in the west was established along the Oder-Neisse line, in the east - along the "Curzon Line" with slight deviations in favor of Poland.

After the war, the construction of a socialist society was proclaimed in the country under the leadership of the Polish United Workers' Party (PUWP). The Polish People's Republic was a member of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the Warsaw Treaty Organization until the termination of their activities.

The abolition of the socialist system in Poland in the late 1980s was preceded by a long internal political struggle, led since 1980 by the opposition movement Solidarity. In December 1981, martial law was introduced in the country, which lasted until 1983. In 1989, negotiations were held between the main political forces of the country within the framework of the so-called. "Round Table", as a result of which the first free elections were held in June 1989. The official name of the Polish state since December 31, 1989 is the Republic of Poland (3rd Rzeczpospolita). The internal political processes that have taken place since then have been accompanied by frequent changes of governments, a profound transformation of the party landscape, in which this moment national-populist forces dominate, while the liberal-conservative and centrist forces are in opposition, and the left is weak and divided.

State structure. Poland is a parliamentary-presidential republic. The legislative branch of power (parliament) consists of the Sejm and the Senate, the executive - the President of the Republic of Poland and the Council of Ministers, the judicial - courts and tribunals. The head of state and the supreme representative of the Republic of Poland is the President, who is elected by popular vote for a term of 5 years in general direct elections. One person can hold the presidency for no more than two consecutive terms. Following the results of the second round of the regular presidential elections held on May 24, 2015, A. Duda, nominated by the National Clerical Law and Justice Party, became the head of state (he took office on August 6, 2015).

Parliament consists of two chambers: the lower - the Seimas (460 deputies) and the upper - the Senate (100 senators). Deputies and senators are elected simultaneously for 4 years in multi-member constituencies on the basis of proportional and majoritarian systems, respectively. The last parliamentary elections took place on 25 October 2015, which were won by the Law and Justice (PiS) party. Marshal of the Seimas elected its representative M. Kukhchinsky (since November 2015), Marshal of the Senate - also a representative of PiS S. Karchevsky (since November 2015). As of July 7, 2018, seats in the Seimas were distributed among the following factions:

- "Law and Justice" (PiS) - 235 deputies;

- Civic Platform (GP) - 136 deputies;

- Movement "Kukiz-15" - 29 deputies;

- "Modern Poland" - 22 deputies;

- Polish Peasants' Party - "Union of European Democrats" - 18 deputies;

- "Free and solidary" - 6 deputies;

- "Liberal and social" - 3 deputies;

- German national minority - 1 deputy;

- 9 deputies did not join any of the factions.

In the upper house, 61 senators represent the PiS, 34 the GP, and 5 are independents.

Government(Council of Ministers) is formed by the winning party in the parliamentary elections, sworn in by the President and approved by the Seimas. After the elections on October 25, 2015, a new cabinet of ministers was appointed, its head from December 11, 2017 to the present is M. Morawiecki, the Minister of Foreign Affairs is J. Chaputovic (since January 9, 2018).

From the number trade union organizations the “All-Polish Agreement of Trade Unions” (formed in 1989, unites more than 100 industry organizations, the chairman is J. Huz) and the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity” (has about 1.2 million members, the chairman of the All-Polish Commission - P. Duda).

as a priority foreign policy Warsaw is considering strengthening its positions in the international arena, especially within the European Union (joined in 2004, chaired in the second half of 2011) and NATO (a member of the alliance since 1999). Poland is a member of the "Visegrad Group" (with Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia), the Central European Initiative (which unites 18 countries of CEE and SEE), the Council of the Baltic Sea States, participates in the "Weimar Triangle" (with Germany and France), promotes the "Initiative of the Three Seas” (a union of states from the Baltic to the Black Sea and the Adriatic).

Warsaw is an active supporter of the strengthening of the eastern flank of NATO and the deployment of military units, weapons and infrastructure of the Alliance in Poland and the Baltic countries. At the same time, the Poles pay special attention to the “strategic partnership” with Washington, within the framework of which a US missile defense facility is being built on Polish territory, servicemen of an American armored brigade and army aviation units are deployed, and military infrastructure is being modernized. Poland actively advocates for the promotion of the EU's Eastern Partnership project aimed at drawing Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia into the orbit of EU influence.

Armed forces(unofficial name - Polish Army) include ground forces, naval and air Force, as well as special forces and the Territorial Defense Forces (WTO). Commander-in-Chief - President of Poland A. Duda, Minister of National Defense - M. Blaszczak, Chief of the General Staff - General R. Andrzejczak (since July 2018). The number of armed forces is expected to be increased to 200,000 by 2022 (including 130,000 professional military and 53,000 WTO contingents). Polish military personnel take part in peacekeeping operations, priority is given to missions "under the flags" of NATO and the EU.

Economy. The economic situation in Poland, in general, is stable; in the 1990s-2000s, the country developed at a faster pace, avoiding a recession even during the global crisis of 2008-09. and the latest recession in a number of EU states. Poland's GDP in 2017 grew by 4.6% and amounted to 524.7 billion US dollars, per capita - 13.7 thousand US dollars; average salary- about 1200 US dollars. Unemployment at the end of 2017 amounted to 6.6%, public debt - 48.5% of GDP. Main trading partners Poland are other EU countries, primarily Germany.

Science and culture. Poland is a country with rich cultural and scientific traditions. The names of scientists N. Copernicus and M. Sklodowska-Curie, composers F. Chopin and G. Wieniawski, writers B. Prus and G. Sienkiewicz, poets A. Mickiewicz and Yu. Slovatsky are world famous. The names of film directors A. Vaida, K. Zanussi, K. Kieslowski are widely known. Currently, there are about 500 research institutes in Poland, 131 universities, including 38 universities (including the country's oldest Jagiellonian, founded in 1364), where almost 2 million students study. More than a hundred drama, musical and puppet theaters, numerous museums and art galleries are open, the most famous of which are the National Museum in Warsaw and the Museum contemporary art in Lodz.

mass media. Main national information structure is the Polish News Agency (PAP), operates a number of private agencies. The most widely circulated newspapers are Gazeta Wyborcza, Rech Pospolita, Dzennik Gazeta Pravna, Our Dzennik, Super Express, Fact, Pulse of Business, and the magazines Vprost, Przegland, Pshekrui”, “Politics” and “Newsweek”. In addition to the state-owned ones (TVP and Polish Radio), there are private television and radio companies (TVN, Polsat, RMF-FM and others).

In its composition in the first half of the XVII century. included most of modern Poland and Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, part of Latvia, some Western Russian lands, while Courland, Livonia, Danzig and Prussia were in vassalage. Thus, in reality there was access to the Baltic, and indirectly to the Black Sea.

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