Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, and has a temperate transitional climate, while its longest river is the Vistula. Poland is the fifth-most populous member state of the European Union, with its sixteen voivodeships comprising a total population of over 38 million and covering a combined area of 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi). It is bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west. The nation's capital and largest metropolis is Warsaw. Other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk.
The economy of Poland is an industrialised, mixed economy with a developed market that serves as the sixth-largest in the European Union by nominal GDP and fifth-largest by GDP (PPP). Poland boasts the extensive public services characteristic of most developed economies. Since 1988, Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalisation but retained an advanced public welfare system. This includes universal free public healthcare and education, extensive provisions of free public childcare, and parental leave. The country is considered by many to be a successful post-communist state. It is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank, ranking 20th worldwide in terms of GDP (PPP), 21st in terms of GDP (nominal), and 21st in the 2023 Economic Complexity Index. Among OECD nations, Poland has a highly efficient and strong social security system; social expenditure stood at roughly 22.7% of GDP.
The Republic of Poland is a Central European country and member of the European Union and NATO, among others. Poland wields considerable influence in Central and Eastern Europe and is a middle power in international affairs. The foreign policy of Poland is based on four basic commitments: to Atlantic co-operation, to European integration, to international development and to international law.
The Polish People's Party is an agrarian political party in Poland. It is currently led by Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of the U.S. people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America". Before the separate federal Department of Education was created in 1979, it was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy-related research, and energy conservation.
Marek Marian Belka is a Polish professor of economics and politician who has served as Prime Minister of Poland and Finance Minister of Poland in two governments. He is a former Director of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) European Department and former Head of Narodowy Bank Polski. He has served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since July 2019.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Polish government department tasked with maintaining Poland's international relations and coordinating its participation in international and regional supra-national political organisations such as the European Union and United Nations. The head of the ministry holds a place in the Council of Ministers.
Andrzej Marian Olechowski is a Polish politician. He was one of the co-founders of liberal conservative party Civic Platform in 2001 with Maciej Płażyński and Donald Tusk. He served as Minister of Finance (1992) in the Jan Olszewski's Government and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1993–1995) in the Waldemar Pawlak's Government.
Marian Czakański is a Polish politician and economist. He briefly served as Minister of Health in the government of Marek Belka (2004).
The Polish Space Agency is the space agency of Poland, administered by the Ministry of Development, Labour and Technology. It is a member of the European Space Agency. The agency is focused on developing satellite networks and space technologies in Poland. It was established on 26 September 2014, and its headquarters are located in Gdańsk, Poland.
Mateusz Jakub Morawiecki is a Polish economist, historian and politician who served as the prime minister of Poland between 2017 and 2023. A member of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, he previously served in the cabinet of prime minister Beata Szydło as deputy prime minister from 2015 to 2017, Minister of Development from 2015 to 2018 and Minister of Finance from 2016 to 2018. Prior to his political appointment, Morawiecki had an extensive business career. He is considered to have been a de iure leader of Poland, with the de facto leader being Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the party Morawiecki is a member of.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs is a ministry of the Polish government founded in December 2015, dissolved in October 2020 and founded again in May 2023. Split from the Ministry of Administration and Digitization, the Ministry is responsible for matters regarding development in the cyber sphere for Poland. The first Minister of Digital Affairs was Anna Streżyńska. After she was recalled on 9 January 2018, the Ministry was under personal supervision of the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki until 17 April 2018 when Marek Zagórski was appointed the Minister of Digital Affairs. The ministry was made defunct in 2020 following a Council of Ministers decree. The Ministry is functioning again since 1 May 2023 following a Council of Ministers decree.
The Agreement, formally known as Jarosław Gowin's Agreement, is a centre-right political party in Poland.
The Ministry of Education and Science was a ministry of the Government of Poland, which administrated the science and education. It functioned from 2005 to 2006, and again from 2021 to 2023.
Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology is a Polish government administration office.
The Second Cabinet of Mateusz Morawiecki was the government of Poland, headed by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, since being sworn in by President Andrzej Duda on 15 November 2019 until 27 November 2023. The Prime Minister delivered a statement to the Sejm on 19 November 2019 before obtaining a vote of confidence with 237 of the 460 MPs voting in the affirmative.
The Ministry of Climate and Environment is a ministry in the Polish government, established on 6 October 2020. It is headed by Paulina Hennig-Kloska, who has held the position of Minister of Climate and Environment since 13 December 2023. The ministry is also responsible for energy, forestry, and water management.
Jan Józef Pawelec is a Polish official and political scientist, since 2023 serves as Poland ambassador to Angola.
