Investment crowdfunding platforms andtheir opportunities for easing access tofinance for SMEs with Belarusianshareholders in the EU

The report examines the potential impacts of EU enlargement, focusing on Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans. It highlights the benefits of a larger internal market, increased geopolitical influence, and improved food and energy security, while also addressing the financial and policy challenges, especially in agriculture and regional development. Enlargement would require major adjustments to the Common Agricultural Policy and Cohesion Policy, with Ukraine’s vast agricultural sector putting particular pressure on EU funds. Financial estimates suggest significant budget needs, leading the report to outline three scenarios: no new members until 2041, a single large expansion, or a phased approach over multiple budget cycles. The report underscores the critical role of local and regional authorities (LRAs) in managing these changes, recommending support and shared strategies to ensure a balanced, sustainable approach to EU growth.

The mBank-CASE seminar publication presents economic scenarios for Poland discussed by Polish economists in November 2023, shortly after the parliamentary elections that ended the eight-year rule of the Law and Justice party. The experts analyzed the country’s macroeconomic situation, growth prospects, and the consequences of the populist policies from 2016–2023. They highlighted current challenges such as labor market imbalances, high inflation, an expansionary fiscal policy, and the issue of an aging population. They also provided recommendations for monetary, fiscal, educational, and immigration policies. In addition to short-term challenges like very low unemployment and rising labor costs, the authors emphasize the need for a deliberate approach to economic policy. In the longer term, we face the challenge of diminishing potential to converge further with the more developed economies of the European Union. An aging population and the anticipated slowdown in productivity growth require us to take structural action. The experts suggest that only by increasing innovation, improving education quality, and creating conditions for well-integrated immigration will we be able to maintain sustainable economic growth in the coming decades.