Poland’s 2.3 million SMEs employ 6.9 million people and invest PLN 132 billion annually. Despite this scale, their voices in the lawmaking process remain fragmented and underrepresented. “In business, no one starts from a market leadership position,” points out Michał Sołowow, Chairman of the Business Council of the Think Tank The Company.
A key sector with systemic barriers
The Business Council of the Think Tank The Company and entrepreneurs associated with the initiative established the SME Council, whose goal is to strengthen the influence of small and medium-sized businesses on the legislative process. The SME sector in Poland comprises 2.3 million companies, employs 6.9 million people, and generates 46.6% of GDP. However, as the initiators point out, its potential is limited by regulatory and organizational barriers.
The problems include a low survival rate of new companies at 59%, poor technology adoption, and limited foreign expansion.
“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 small and medium-sized businesses,” said Michał Sołowow, Chairman of the Business Council of Think Tank The Company.
Low innovation and weak foreign expansion
Data cited by the initiators indicate that only 4.9% of companies export goods, and 0.8% export services. The level of AI implementation is among the lowest in the EU, at 5.9%. Productivity in the sector remains significantly lower than the EU average, as does wage levels in micro-enterprises.
According to the creators of the initiative, the current model of state-business dialogue did not ensure sufficient representation of the sector, therefore the Council is to serve as a permanent mechanism for translating the needs of entrepreneurs into regulatory and economic actions.
“For years, Polish entrepreneurs have demonstrated that ambition and a 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 aren’t figures from a peripheral country—they signal an economy that wants to compete at the highest global level,” explains Rafał Brzoska, Chairman of the Council of the Think Tank The Company Foundation.
“And yet, we still face a harsh reality: the productivity of Polish companies remains 44 percent lower than the EU average. This isn’t a problem with the quality of entrepreneurs, their competences, or their work ethic. The problem is the systemic environment, which hasn’t kept up with business dynamics,” he adds.
“Excessive regulatory complexity, legal instability, limited access to development capital, and insufficient support for innovation mean that companies’ potential does not fully translate into results. That is why we need not only corrections but a qualitative change in our approach to economic policy,” he explains.
Composition of the SME Council
The Council brings together entrepreneurs who represent the voice of business, with a particular emphasis on the SME sector. The inaugural SME Council members:
1. Rafał Chrapkowicz (Pako Lorente),
2. Grzegorz Ciwoniuk (Workai),
3. Beata Drzazga (BetaMed SA),
4. Marcin Ejma (Eagle),
5. Bartłomiej Hajduk (Fundacja Odzyskaj Środowisko),
6. Ryszard Hołubniak (DCU),
7. Michał Jesionowski (Jesion Inwestycje),
8. Wiceprzewodniczący Rady – Jędrzej Karasek (Primavera Parfum),
9. Andrzej Ladziński (GWW),
10. Wiceprzewodniczący Rady – Paweł Łossowski (Ever Grupa),
11. Tomasz Macherowski (Grupa Transportowa),
12. Piotr Marczak (Mago),
13. Łukasz Milewski (Peritum First),
14. Przewodniczący Rady – Adam Niedziółka (ADN),
15. Jakub Nowak (JNT Group),
16. Anna Pawelak (Elplast+),
17. Karol Popa (GAVIA Scaling Up),
18. Dawid Pyszniak (Compass & Partners),
19. Adriana Stempkowska (TSC),
20. Róża Szafranek (HR Hints),
21. Mikołaj Wroniszewski (Aicon X-ray).
Source: strefabiznesu.pl