The Business Council, together with Chairmen Michał Sołowow and Rafał Brzoska, decided to establish the Council for SMEs. The Council is expected to change the figures: 5% of exporters, last place in the EU in AI adoption, and a 59% survival rate for new companies. The Polish SME sector currently faces a clear paradox. On the one hand, it is the driving force of the economy, accounting for 46.6% of GDP. On the other hand, its potential is limited by systemic barriers that are difficult to overcome at the level of individual companies.

As many as 2.3 million Polish SMEs employ 6.9 million people and invest PLN 132 billion annually. Despite this scale, their voice in the lawmaking process remains fragmented and underrepresented. In response to this gap, the SME Council of The Company Think Tank is being established – an initiative aimed at translating entrepreneurs’ experience into concrete economic decisions.

These numbers won’t change on their own. It’s increasingly clear that the problem isn’t a lack of entrepreneurship, but rather the lack of an effective mechanism to translate the needs of businesses into the language of regulations and public decisions. The current model of dialogue between business and the state was based primarily on reports and proposals. Today, entrepreneurs increasingly point out that this isn’t enough. A permanent, institutionalized representation is needed that not only diagnoses problems but also genuinely influences their solutions.

The Think Tank Business Council brings together 13 leading Polish entrepreneurs (Chairman: Michał Sołowow, Chairman of the Foundation Council: Rafał Brzoska). Now, this model is expanding to include a sector that generates nearly half of Poland’s GDP. The SME Council is entering an ecosystem encompassing energy security, AI implementation, the international expansion of Polish companies, and the shape of the state in the 2026-2036 perspective. The Business Council and the SME Council operate simultaneously – large and small businesses are working together to build the first supra-political, substantive think tank for entrepreneurs in Poland.

In business, no one starts from a market leader position – every large company today was once a small garage venture, lacking scale and resources, but with ambition and a willingness to take risks. We’ve walked this path ourselves, understanding the challenges companies face at this stage of growth. Today, the Polish SME sector comprises over 2 million companies, generating nearly half of Poland’s GDP and employing millions of people – yet their voices are still too weakly heard in the decision-making process. That’s why we want SME entrepreneurs to have not only representation but a real influence on the shape of regulations and the direction of change. Because a strong economy starts with the foundation, and that foundation is precisely small and medium-sized enterprises,” said Michał Sołowow, Chairman of the Business Council of Think Tank The Company.

Polish entrepreneurs have demonstrated for years that ambition and willingness to invest are the foundation of economic development. Each year, they allocate approximately PLN 132 billion to the development of their companies, and research and development expenditures are growing at a rate of 19% year-on-year. These are not figures from a peripheral country—they signal an economy striving to compete at the highest global level. Yet, we continue to face a harsh reality: the productivity of Polish companies remains 44% lower than the EU average. This isn’t a problem of the quality of entrepreneurs, their competences, or their work ethic. The problem lies in the systemic environment, which cannot keep up with business dynamics. Excessive regulatory complexity, legal instability, limited access to development capital, and insufficient support for innovation mean that companies’ potential doesn’t fully translate into results. Therefore, today we need not just corrections but a qualitative shift in our approach to economic policy. The SME Council can be an important step in this direction – provided it becomes a real platform for cooperation, not merely an advisory body without influence. It is crucial to combine the perspectives of large enterprises, which have scale and access to international markets, with the dynamism and flexibility of the small and medium-sized enterprise sector. A strong economy does not arise in isolation. It arises where public institutions understand the pace of market change and actively support entrepreneurs in scaling their operations, investing in innovation, and expanding abroad. If Poland truly aspires to be one of the world’s key economies, comparable to the G20 countries, it must build a system that acts as an accelerator, not a brake. Today, growth is no longer the only issue at stake – the ability to compete with the most advanced economies is at stake. We have the capital, we have the people, we have the ambition. Now we need institutions that will be partners for business, not barriers,” said Rafał Brzoska, Chairman of the Council of the Think Tank The Company Foundation.

In 2023, only 59% of new businesses survived their first year – the worst result in years. A micro-enterprise employee earns PLN 4,828 – 63% of the sector average. The tax system leaves micro-entrepreneurs no room for growth or investment in their employees. The SME Council wants to propose specific changes to change these numbers. The SME Council exists to change these numbers – not through another report, but through concrete changes – added Adam Niedziółka. Chairman of the SME Council, ADN.

173 “CheckMY” initiatives have entered into force – including the cash-based personal income tax (PIT) for small businesses, the presumption of taxpayer innocence, and the end of requests for documents available in public registers. These changes directly relieve the burden on SMEs. The SME Council is the next step – a permanent voice for 2.3 million companies in the lawmaking process. Not an advisory body, but a mechanism for real influence. Large and small, a shared agenda. This is what business-state dialogue should look like,” said Adam Malinowski, CEO of Think Tank The Company.

Polish SMEs face many challenges today: from excessive regulation, to limited access to development capital, to the lowest AI adoption in the European Union. Therefore, the support of the Council, composed of 21 business practitioners, is a tremendous boost for The Company Think Tank. These are new ambassadors and co-creators of our agenda in the field of small and medium-sized enterprises, people whose experience will directly translate into the recommendations we make to decision-makers,” concluded Eliza Kruczkowska, Managing Director of The Company Think Tank.

The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) report on the state of the SME sector in Poland from 2025[1] paints a picture full of contrasts. On the one hand, strength: SMEs represent 99.8% of all Polish companies, 46.6% of GDP, and 6.9 million employees. Capital expenditures are growing by 7.8% annually, while research and development expenditures are growing by 18.8%. The profitability of microenterprises (17.9%) is four times higher than that of large entities. On the other hand, systemic barriers hinder potential:

• The survival rate of new companies fell to 59.2% – the lowest result in years, a decrease of 7.8 percentage points year-on-year.

• AI adoption in Polish companies: 5.9% – last place in the EU together with Romania (EU average: 13.5%).

• Only 4.9% of companies export products. 0.8% export services.

• 34.6% of Polish companies are actively innovative – in Belgium 51.4%.

• Productivity (value added per company): EUR 155,000 in Poland vs. EUR 277,000 EU average.

• A micro-enterprise employee earns PLN 4,828 – 63% of the sector average.

These numbers won’t change on their own. Therefore, a permanent mechanism is needed to translate entrepreneurs’ experience into concrete changes in the law—not just another report, but a real tool for influence.

The Council’s mission is to strengthen the SME sector as the foundation of the Polish economy by creating conditions for growth, innovation and expansion.

Composition of the SME Council