- Investments by companies in Poland inch up third year in a row, despite external shocks.
- Large firms and manufacturers at the forefront, main investment focus on replacement and fixed tangible assets.
- Polish firms below EU average in digitalisation and AI adoption.
Corporate investment in Poland remains largely stable despite global trade disruptions, the latest European Investment Bank’s survey found. The share of companies reporting having made investments rose slightly for the third consecutive year, reaching 80% in the latest edition of the survey. Although this figure is below the EU average (86%), more firms in Poland than across the 27 member states plan to increase investment spending in the future.
The EIB Investment Survey (EIBIS) is based on an annual questionnaire conducted among some 13,000 companies from all EU member states, complemented with a comparative sample of respondents from the United States. The latest wave, published in October, showed US tariffs weighing on investment on both sides of the Atlantic with EU firms exhibiting greater resilience.
In addition to the EU-wide results, the EIB presents today in-depth reports on individual member states. The other key findings for Poland are as follows:
- Polish firms’ investment is focused on fixed tangible assets: 71% goes to land, buildings and equipment (vs. 65% for the EU average). Investment in intangible assets (such as R&D and training, among others) is relatively low. Large firms and the manufacturing sector lead the way, with 89% reporting having invested, compared to 68% among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Only 65% of Polish firms say they have implemented at least one digital technology (vs. 77% for the EU average), and just 42% use more than one (vs. 51% for the EU average). AI adoption is also limited, with 26% of Polish firms reporting using it, compared to 37% across the European Union.
- Almost all Polish companies declare having taken steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (94% vs. 92% for the EU average), focusing on waste reduction and energy efficiency. However, more than half now see the transition to a zero-emissions economy as a risk (vs. 36% for the EU average), while only 15% consider this to be an opportunity (vs. 27% for the EU average).
- The most frequently cited investment barriers include uncertainty about the future, energy prices and the availability of skilled workforce.
“The latest EIB Investment Survey highlights Polish firms’ resilience to global turbulence. At the same time, it shows that the Polish economy as a whole, and the SME sector in particular, need to increase spending on growth and innovation to strengthen competitiveness,” EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska said.
In November, the EIB Group announced a significant increase in support for developing technological innovation in Poland, including by joining the national investment mobilisation programme Innovate Poland, and by providing strategic financing under the TechEU flagship programme to Synerise, a leading Polish AI company.
Background information
EIB
The European Investment Bank is an EU body created to finance investments that pursue EU policy objectives. Owned by the Member States, its role is to provide long-term loans aligned with eight core priorities. It works to create a stronger Europe and promote global prosperity by supporting investments in climate and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, social and territorial cohesion, agriculture, social infrastructure development and the capital markets union.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund, signed new financing agreements totalling nearly €89 billion in 2024. These included more than 900 high-impact projects that will support Europe’s economic competitiveness and security. Around half of EIB financing within the European Union goes to cohesion regions, where per capita income is below the EU average.
Last year, the EIB Group invested €5.7 billion in Poland, almost half of which was allocated to climate and environmental projects, including energy transition.