Economic Development Path of Poland: Innovation and Competitiveness in Light of the Situation of Southern European Countries

The financial crisis of 2007 revealed structural weaknesses in many European countries, particularly in Southern Europe. The goal of this article is to identify the existing economic situation in the four main Southern European countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain (GIPS), and in Poland, conduct a comparative analysis of the development paths and competitiveness levels of these countries using statistical data as well as existing scientific literature, and finally to formulate suggestions for a new development path of Poland. The results of the analysis suggest that Poland's development is currently on a turning point, portraying many similarities to Southern European economies after their EU accession, as well as before the crisis. The authors come to a conclusion that unless Poland undertakes crucial reforms, particularly in the field of its innovation system, business environment, implementation of EU funds, and overall strategic long-term planning, it is inevitable that its economic growth will slow down, possibly falling into a middle-income trap. Poland might not avoid the same mistakes of GIPS, that failed to implement adequate reforms in times of economic growth, what today results in suffering from serious consequences. T is paper presents a unique view on the future economic development of Poland in relation to the paths already undertaken by Southern European economies.