The impact of the European Union on Polish social policy (2007–2024).

The aim of this study is to analyze the European Union’s influence on the development of social policy in Poland between 2007 and 2024. To understand developments in social policy in Poland and the European Union’s influence on it after 2007, this study also analyzes the changes that took place prior to that year and their long-term consequences during the period covered by the study. This thesis examines the tools that EU institutions, such as the European Commission and the Council of the European Union, used during this period to influence the internal decisions of the ruling authorities, and to what extent the social policy paths chosen by various Polish governments were the result of European Union actions, and to what extent other factors influenced this policy, such as the effects of political transformation, the ideology of particular governments, the global economic crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, or the outbreak of war in Ukraine and the influx of migrants. This thesis demonstrates that social policy is not a phenomenon that operates in isolation, but rather part of a broader mechanism that interacts with other policies. Since social policy is closely linked to public spending, it changes together with global economic shifts and sudden events, and is also influenced by the policy directions adopted by both the Polish government and the European Union.