Poland’s EU Presidency – A secure and resilient EU supported by a competitive Single Market

After ten years of Amazon operations in Poland, the country has emerged as one of our key technology hubs in Europe and is now a cornerstone of our continental logistics network. Between 2012 and 2023, we invested over PLN 30 billion (€7 billion) in Poland, supporting job creation, innovative technologies, logistics, and SMEs, contributing to more than PLN 19 billion (€4.4 billion) in total wages. With Poland one month into its presidency of the Council of the European Union, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment of political change. Poland’s agenda – which focuses on the ‘security and freedom of business’ – aligns well with our local economic impacts and addresses the current challenges facing the European landscape.

Fortifying the competitiveness of the Single Market 

Revitalising the Single Market is a flagship initiative of the Polish presidency, which includes developing plans based on the Better Regulation proposals. I am encouraged to see this aligning with Mario Draghi’s report on European competitiveness (which I’ve written about previously), as well as the recent report from Flint Global which found that completing the Single Market could raise EU-wide GDP by €198 to €335 billion a year. Amazon will continue to champion greater enforcement of rules and completion of the Single Market to strengthen global competitiveness of European SMEs and enhance the resilience of the European economy.

I am also eagerly awaiting the release of the European Commission's Competitiveness Compass. This strategic initiative is expected to play a crucial role in shaping policies that strengthen Europe's economic landscape and support key sectors within the Single Market.

Amazon is a long-term investor in Europe - over €180 billion since 2010. In 2023, more than 127,000 SMEs from the EU sold more than 1.3 billion products worldwide via Amazon, leading these businesses to create an estimated 350,000 new jobs in 2024 to support their online operations as they scale up to meet increasing demand. SMEs in Poland are eagerly seizing export opportunities, with those on Amazon generating over PLN 4.7 billion in export sales in 2023. We are delighted to support these pioneering businesses - like E-wicker24, a family business well-known for its wicker products in northeastern Poland, whose owner Joanna Radomska has called for the simplification of rules for selling across borders.

Legislative complexity should not stifle the ability of SMEs to harness the Single Market. Harmonisation, simplification, and consistent enforcement of existing rules are critical to ensuring a frictionless market for European SMEs. This is also supported in a recent report by Implement Economics, where more than 2,000 European SMEs shared their views on how Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta’s recommendations would help them grow their business. It includes proposals to cut compliance costs by simplifying and harmonising legislation. I also support the strong push for the use of digital tools and solutions for a wide range of use cases; it would mean facilitating SMEs to take part in the Circular Economy, simplifying exports through digital labelling, as well as reaching more customers. The good news is that these are concrete issues where progress can be achieved pretty quickly, and the Polish EU Presidency will continue putting SMEs high on the agenda.

European security

Amazon stands ready to support European policymakers in enhancing Europe’s overall security through innovation and cutting-edge technologies. We do this by combatting organised fraud to protect customers and brands on our stores; protecting data for the most security sensitive organisations with our cloud infrastructure; or providing businesses and governments with secure communication channels. AWS has also announced plans to invest €7.8 billion in the AWS European Sovereign Cloud, a new, independent cloud for Europe, designed to help public sector organisations and customers in highly regulated industries meet their evolving sovereignty needs.

Additionally, Amazon has committed over €100 million to support Ukraine following Russia's invasion, establishing humanitarian aid hubs, providing secure cloud infrastructure, and offering skills training for displaced Ukrainians. AWS received the Ukraine Peace Prize in 2022 for these efforts.

European resilience

Amazon is committed to strengthening Europe's resilience through strategic investments in renewable energy, green technologies, and innovative connectivity solutions, all of which contribute to an economically robust continent. We believe that this resilience is further enhanced by fostering open, collaborative relationships across borders, particularly in transatlantic partnerships.

For example, we are focusing on building energy resilience by investing in renewable energy production to feed into local grids. In fact, at the beginning of 2025 we were ranked the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy globally by Bloomberg NEF for the fifth year in a row. We are also proud to stimulate investment in green technologies development and this month we announced our largest-ever order of electric heavy goods vehicles, with more than 200 new eActros 600 vehicles from Mercedes-Benz Trucks. We are dedicated to playing our part in ensuring that Europe is strong, prosperous, green and secure.

Project Kuiper, our satellite initiative, will provide affordable connectivity to underserved communities and secure communications, while supporting European space industry jobs through partnerships with companies like ArianeGroup and Airbus.

Poland, part of the D9+ group of member states, is spearheading the debate against inward-looking protectionist stances in the EU, leading moves to strengthen transatlantic economic openness and co-operation. In line with this outlook, in 2024 Amazon's Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy David Zapolsky met with the Head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister Jan Grabiec to discuss the importance of transatlantic relations and American investments within local communities and businesses, enabling more resilience in Europe.

As Poland leads the Council of the EU, Amazon stands ready to support many of its bold ideas of a secure, resilient, and competitive Europe with a strengthened Single Market empowering businesses of all sizes.