Export edge

The value of Polish exports reached zł.289 billion in 2005, an improvement of six percent in comparison to 2004, according to the Central Statistical Office's preliminary report on foreign-trade turnover for 2005.

The value of imports into Poland reached zł.326 billion, a slight rise of 0.2 percent. Poland's balance of trade amounted to a deficit of zł.37.4 billion - a decrease of 30 percent on last year's figure.

Some noteworthy changes in the balance of trade between Poland and its biggest trade partners occurred, especially in the cases of Germany and Russia. Germany's share in Polish exports decreased from 2004's 30.1 percent to 2005's 28.2 percent. Imports from Germany amounted to similar figures in both 2004 and 2005, increasing just by 0.3 percent.

In the case of trade with Russia, both import and export rates rose. Whereas exports to Russia made up 3.8 percent of total Polish exports in 2004, in 2005 the figure equaled 4.4 percent. Russia's share of imports to Poland increased from 7.2 percent in 2004 to 8.9 percent last year. However, analysts claim this is not a harbinger of any significant trend, but merely a temporary blip.

"Data regarding Russia is often distorted because of fluctuations in Russian sales of natural resources," says Wojciech Zdanowicz, an analyst at brokerage firm IDMSA. "I believe that Polish exports will soon turn their focus back to the EU. On the other hand, our relations with Russia will probably improve in terms of both politics and economics, so we may expect a continuation of the slight increase in exports and imports to Russia in the near future."