Infrastructure is lacking despite economic growth in largest of nations about to join European Union

Just weeks before Poland joins the European Union on May 1, Warsaw struts a new prosperity. But all is not what it seems: Despite strong economic growth driven by exports, the country faces high unemployment, political uncertainty and deeply rooted corruption. Paradoxes abound. Those who can afford new Volvos or BMWs must still drive them along potholed roads. The hip cafes that draw fashionable young people are often housed in drab Stalinist-era concrete block buildings. And many of the luxury goods for sale in the bright new shops and malls remain off-limits to many in Poland, where only 1 percent earn above $18,000 a year. Such contrasts exist in all eight former communist states due to join the EU, but the stakes are highest in Poland, the largest of the new countries. With more than 38 million people, Poland accounts for 52 percent of the new EU citizens. Poles will be 8.4 percent of the union’s population, so its economy performance will have a major impact on the rest of the bloc, the world’s largest economic union. Analysts say that Poland’s greatest economic strength is the many modern, efficient companies that have made the transition and are already selling successfully to EU countries. Ten years ago, Polish exports consisted mostly of raw products like coal, sulfur, apples and meat. Today, exports also include higher-value goods like precision surgical instruments, pharmaceuticals and car engines.