Of the Central European and Baltic countries that have joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU), Poland is by far the most populous country, the largest economy, and the most significant military actor. The activities of the U.S. Congress frequently involve issues that have a European dimension, including economic, security, and diplomatic issues. Domestic Overview

		Political Dynamics

The government of Poland is led by Prime Minister Beata Szydlo of the conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS). Szydlo took over as prime minister following the Law and Justice victory in the October 2015 parliamentary election. With Law and Justice winning 235 out of the 460 seats in the Sejm (lower house of parliament), the result was the first time since the end of Communist rule in 1989 that a single party secured an absolute parliamentary majority. The Law and Justice Party gained momentum in the May 2015 presidential election, when the party's candidate, Andrzej Duda, unexpectedly defeated the incumbent president, Bronislaw Komorowski of Civic Platform. The president is Poland's head of state and exercises a number of limited but important functions, including making formal appointments and overseeing the country's executive authority, influencing legislation, representing the state in international affairs, and acting as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The 43-year old Duda formally took office as the new president of Poland in August 2015. Poland continues to use the złoty (PLN) as its national currency, and the Eurozone debt crisis that began in Greece in 2009 has dampened Polish enthusiasm for adopting the euro (19 of the 28 EU member countries use the euro as their common currency and are collectively referred to as the Eurozone). Over the period 2013 to 2022, plans call for the country to spend approximately $35 billion on military modernization. Numerous elements of Poland's military equipment modernization plans are of interest and relevance to U.S. defense planners and U.S defense industry. Response to the Migration Crisis20

In September 2015, the Civic Platform-led government voted to approve a European Commission plan to resettle 120,000 migrants currently in Greece and Italy to the other EU member states. Following the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, the incoming Law and Justice Minister for European Affairs released a statement relating that the new government did not see the political possibility of respecting the EU plan. The United States strongly supported Poland's accession to NATO in 1999. Warsaw has been an ally in global counterterrorism efforts and contributed large deployments of troops to both the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. While relations between Poland and the United States are largely positive, in recent years some Poles have expressed disappointment about unfulfilled expectations for significantly increased military assistance and a changed policy on short-term visas for Polish citizens. In addition to efforts by Members of Congress, the U.S. Administration has indicated that it has expressed its concerns over the recent developments related to the rule of law in Poland to its counterparts in Warsaw. Defense Relations

While Poland has been a leading participant in NATO's "out of area" Afghanistan mission, it has also, given its enduring perception of Russia as a threat, been a leading voice in calls for NATO to focus on its traditional vocation as an alliance of territorial defense. Under the Obama Administration's European Reassurance Initiative (ERI) and the Readiness Action Plan announced at NATO's September 2014 summit in Wales, the United States and NATO have bolstered security in the region with an augmented force presence that is rotational rather than permanent, as well as increased exercises and pre-positioning of tanks and other military equipment. Trade between the United States and Poland has increased significantly over the past decade. U.S. imports from Poland represent a wide range of items, including heavy machinery, chemicals, and agricultural products. Visa Waiver Program

Many Polish officials and citizens continue to express disappointment that the United States has not made Poland a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country. Relations with Russia

Historically, Poland has had a difficult relationship with Russia. Poland has been one of the countries most affected by Russian retaliatory sanctions. Because Poland continues to rely on coal for approximately 90% of its electricity generation, however, Russian gas accounts for less than 10% of Poland's primary energy supply. Poland has also been taking steps such as expanding pipeline interconnectivity with its neighbors and developing the ability to reverse the flow of gas in the Polish section of the Yamal pipeline, which runs from Russia to Germany via Belarus and Poland, in order to import natural gas from the West in the case of a crisis such as a cut-off of Russian gas. The Polish government has been a leading advocate for a stronger EU energy policy that reduces collective dependence on Russia. Many U.S. officials and Members of Congress have regarded European energy security as a U.S. interest.
Over the past 25 years, the relationship between the United States and Poland has been close and cooperative. The United States strongly supported Poland's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1999 and backed its entry into the European Union (EU) in 2004. In recent years, Poland has made significant contributions to U.S.- and NATO-led military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Poland and the United States continue working together on issues such as democracy promotion, counterterrorism, and improving NATO capabilities.
Given its role as a close U.S. ally and partner, developments in Poland and its relations with the United States are of continuing interest to the U.S. Congress. This report provides an overview and assessment of some of the main dimensions of these topics.
Domestic Political and Economic Issues
The Polish parliamentary election held on October 25, 2015, resulted in a victory for the conservative Law and Justice Party. Law and Justice won an absolute majority of seats in the lower house of parliament (Sejm), and Beata Szydlo took over as the country's new prime minister in November 2015. The center-right Civic Platform party had previously led the government of Poland since 2007. During its first months in office, Law and Justice has made changes to the country's Constitutional Tribunal and media law that have generated concerns about backsliding on democracy and triggered an EU rule-of-law investigation.
Law and Justice had earlier gained momentum with the surprising victory of Andrzej Duda in the May 2015 presidential election. The president is Poland's head of state and exercises a number of limited but important functions. Duda was inaugurated as president of Poland in August 2015.
Poland was one of the few EU economies to come through the 2008-2009 global economic crisis and the subsequent Eurozone debt crisis without major damage. Although Poland is obligated to adopt the euro as its currency at the earliest possible time, it has not yet set a target date for adoption and continues to use the złoty as its national currency.
The Civic Platform-led government voted in September 2015 to approve the EU's relocation plan for 120,000 migrants, agreeing to take in more than 4,000 migrants currently in Greece and Italy. Following the Paris terrorist attacks in November 2015, the new Polish government indicated that it would no longer implement the plan.
Defense Modernization
Poland has been implementing an Armed Forces Technical Modernization Plan for the years 2013-2022 in which it intends to spend approximately $35 billion on a wide range of military equipment acquisitions and upgrades. Completed and prospective purchases from U.S. suppliers have a large role in this initiative. Poland increased its defense budget in 2015 and 2016.
Defense Cooperation
Under the Obama Administration's European Reassurance Initiative and the U.S. military's Operation Atlantic Resolve, U.S. forces have expanded their presence in Poland and increased joint training and exercises with their Polish counterparts. Some Polish leaders have expressed a wish for the establishment of permanent bases for NATO and U.S. troops on Polish territory.
Visa Waiver Program
Although relations between Poland and the United States are largely positive, Poland's exclusion from the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) has been a sore spot for many years. Some Members of Congress have long advocated extending the VWP to include Poland.
Relations with Russia
Relations between Poland and Russia have a history of tensions, and Polish leaders have tended to view Russian intentions with wariness and suspicion. Poland has been a leading advocate for forceful EU sanctions against Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea and subsequent role in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Retaliatory Russian sanctions have negatively affected Poland economically, particularly in the agriculture sector.
Energy Security
Poland has been a leading advocate of European energy integration, promoting initiatives to expand pipeline interconnectivity in order to decrease reliance on Russia. Although Poland imports more than half of its natural gas from Russia, approximately 90% of Poland's electricity is generated by coal, and its overall dependence on energy imports is low.