Poland has already caught up with many French regions

Somewhere in Northern France, 9:00 AM.

I haven't been able to post recently due to family issues in France, but my stay allowed me to notice a few things.

In the five years since I arrived in Poland, I have been taken aback by the rapid advancement of the Polish economy. When asked if life in Poland was expensive, I used to casually reply, "oh, just divide everything by two." That time is over.

While walking through the city centers of Dieppe, Le Tréport, and Mers-les-Bains in Normandy a week ago, I was struck by the number of buildings in need of renovation (a sight I have become unaccustomed to in Poland), that is, one in two (old electrical installations, single glazing, etc). Looking at the construction dates: 1857, 1904, ... All this requires huge investments. Even when renovated, the outdated building materials mean that these buildings remain unheatable and damp. Obviously, nothing can be demolished because it’s historic…

France lives in the past, it wants nothing to change to preserve its uniqueness. It doesn't have a century of advance with its old investments; it is a century behind. The wake-up call is going to be brutal.

In comparing the local economies of France and Poland, several key factors highlight the rapid advancement of the Polish economy and its convergence with French standards.