2019

Export and import of mineral raw materials

The data source

The information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of mineral raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by the Polish Custom Service. Given information is actual data coming from the custom declarations and INTRASTAT declarations. The data do not include the upward adjustments from the entities which were off the hook to report in the INTRASTAT system and which have not fulfilled the obligation within the required time limit. The custom declarations apply in the trade in goods carried out by European Union Member States with third countries which are not EU Member States. Such declarations are the basis for the EU statistical system EKSTRASTAT. The INTRASTAT system, however, is the statistical system containing the trade between EU Member States and is obligatory since the 1^st January 1993 on the European Single Market. The INTRASTAT declarations have to be filled when the commodities value exceeds the certain threshold – the threshold values are every year defined by the President of Statistics Poland and published in the statistical survey program introduced in the form of the Prime Minister regulation. In 2019 the basic threshold for the commodities import was PLN 4 million, whereas for the export it was PLN 2 million. The Polish Custom Service informed that the underestimation of the trade turnover data not exceeding the mentioned above limits was in 2019 equal 4.5% in imports and 2.0% in exports.

The integrated Tariff of the European Union - TARIC

In relation to the previous editions of “The balance…” the list of presented commodities is upgraded according to the Polish Custom Service tabulations. These tabulations are based on the integrated Tariff of the European Union – TARIC. The legal base of the TARIC is Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (Official Journal L 256, 07/09/1987). The Regulation was amended by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1006/2011 of 27 September 2011 changing the Annex I to the Regulation No 2658/87 (Official Journal L 282, 28/10/2011).

The TARIC is based on the Combined Nomenclature (CN) which is set up to meet the requirements both of the Common Custom Tariff (CCT) and of the EU’s external trade statistics. The CN is also used in intra-EU trade statistics. The CN was established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Every year Annex I to the basic CN Regulation (No 2658/87) is updated and published as a stand-alone Regulation in the EU’s Official Journal (L series). The CN contains about 10,000 items and is the 8-digit code system – it is a further development (with special EU-specific subdivisions) of the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System Nomenclature (HS). On the 6-digit level the CN is analogous to the HS. The HS was established by the International Convention on the Harmonized System prepared under the auspices of World Customs Organization in Brussels of 14 June 1983 (Official Journal No 11, pos. 62, 1997).

The TARIC is a multilingual database integrating all measures relating to EU customs tariff, commercial and agricultural legislation. The TARIC is updated and maintained daily in almost every of the EU languages. The TARIC data are transmitted daily via an electronic network to the Member States which guarantee immediate and correct information for the national administrations of the Member States, who use this data mainly to feed their national systems for customs clearance, with the goal of maximizing automatic customs clearance.

The TARIC is not legally binding, nevertheless it’s codes have to be used during the custom clearance and in statistics according to the Article 5 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 254/2000 (Official Journal of 3/02/2000).

In Poland, the TARIC database is carried out by the Customs Department of the Ministry of Finance as a part of the Integrated Customs Tariff Information System – ISZTAR 3. It provides detailed information concerning the commodity turnover to the Customs Administration and to all interested in that issue. Both the EU data coming from the TARIC system and the Polish data (VAT and excise taxes), as well as some national non-tariff measures not integrated in the TARIC database, are presented in the browser. Similarly to the TARIC, the ISZTAR is not legally binding, nevertheless it’s codes have to be used during the custom clearance and in statistics.

The tendencies of the mineral raw materials turnover in Poland

The accession to the European Union caused substantial changes in the mineral raw materials turnover in Poland – in 2004 and in the following years. The significant growths of exports and imports value were recorded in 2006 with the magnitude remaining at the similar level as in 2004-2005. Next two years (2007-2008) brought the increase in the import value and volume; the export magnitude decreased while the export value after the drop in 2007 slightly increased in 2008. Due to the worldwide economic crises in 2009 there were drops recorded both for imports and exports – regarding the value and the amount. In 2010 the tendency reversed and growths were noted. In the next two years (2011-2012) such tendency remained regarding the value of the import and the export, whereas the import magnitude grew in 2011, decreased in 2012, and the export volume dropped in 2011 and then increased in 2012. In 2013 the value decreased both for the import and export with the import magnitude drop and the export magnitude increase. In 2014-2015 the value of raw materials turnover dropped. The turnover amount in 2014 decreased for export and increased for import and in 2015 it grew for both turnover aspects. In 2016 the import and export value got better, whereas the import volume grew and the export magnitude decreased. The significant import and the slight export growth were noted in 2017 with the import magnitude growth and the slight export magnitude decline. The similar changes took place in 2018. In 2019, the import decreased, both for the value and for the magnitude, whereas the export value increased slightly and the export volume dropped significatnyl.

The summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland in 2019 was presented within four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The magnitude and the value for the total of imports-exports as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1a/1b. The export/import values are presented both in PLN and EURO.

Table 1a/1b. Mineral raw materials exports and imports in 2019 (value in PLN and in EURO)

The data on the mineral raw materials turnover do not cover natural gas. The data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. The natural gas export from Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of the raw materials turnover. The lack of data on the natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and the value of raw materials brought to Poland. The data officially presented by the Central Statistical Office of Poland cover only the magnitude of natural gas imported by Poland but without publishing the imports directions. Therefore, such data are not included in this study. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in analyzed period natural gas import increased from 9-10 billion m³ in 2009-2010 to about 14.95 billion m³ in 2018. Information covering 2019 will be issued later. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the balance of mineral raw materials turnover is higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The exports and imports of the mineral raw materials in 2018 – the comparison with the previous years

The total raw materials export value increased by 2.02% in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 56,323,891 thousand (EURO 13,105,933 thousand) in 2019. The imports value amounted to PLN 108,057,496 thousand (EURO 25,143,621 thousand), decreasing by 4.67%. The exports-imports turnover balance remained negative and was more gainful – it dropped by PLN 6,415,129 thousand (EURO 1,619,137 thousand) and amounted to PLN 51,733,604 thousand (EURO 12,037,688 thousand) – excluding natural gas. It was the first time for three years with the negative balance drop.

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2019, were: hard coal and coal derivatives (19.94% of the total export value), crude oil and petroleum products (15.95%), the raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (15,24%), precious metals (7.60%), iron and ferroalloys (6.91%), aluminum (5.69%), silver (4.96%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (4.79%) and insulating materials (2.49%; Fig. 1).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related mainly to the such raw materials as: crude oil and petroleum products (58.81% of the total import value), hard coal and coal derivatives (7.23%), aluminum (6.61%), iron and ferroalloys (4.68%), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (3.27%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (2.38%), precious metals (1.83%), zinc (1.40%) and bitumen and natural asphalt (1.36%; Fig. 2).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports decreased by 4.95% in 2019 and amounted to 79,108 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity decreased by 9.10% and amounted to 29,646 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2019

 

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2019

 

Table 2 shows values of an imports-exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

Table 2. The balance of Polish mineral raw materials turnover in terms of value in 2010–2019 (PLN million).

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remained positive till 2016. Nevertheless, it should be noted that 2016 was the fourth consecutive year with the declining balance for this group. In the 2017-2018 period the balance got significantly worse and remains negative, the 2019 brought the significant improvement and the noted balance was positove. For three remaining raw material groups the balance has been clearly negative in the analized period. Chemical raw materials are characterized by the declining tendency, especially in 2009-2016; which was stopped only in 2017. For fuels the positive tendency which lasted in the 2015-2016 period, was replaced by the twice balance drop till 2018. In 2019, there was a slightly improvement noted.The balance for rock raw materials decreased in 2011 and in the 2017-2018 period, whereas the most positive tendency was recorded in the 2012-2013 periodn and then in the 2015-2016 period.

Table 3 shows the imports-exports quantity balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

Table 3. The balance of Polish mineral raw materials turnover in terms of quantity in 2010–2019 (million tonnes).

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been clearly negative in the whole analyzed period. In the case of metallic raw materials the negative tendency has been occurring in the 2012-2018 period and the slight improvement was noted in 2019. The balance for rocks – after a significant drop in 2011 – have been characterized by a quite stable level till 2017. The last two years were characterized by the negative tendency. The balance for fuels was at the quite even level in 2013-2016 and then dropped largely in 2017 and 2018. Such negative tendency was stopped in 2019. For chemical raw materials the balance was slightly positive in 2009 and then was followed by the visible negative tendency in the 2010-2016 period and in the 2019. Considering fuels, it should be noted that taking into account the magnitude of the natural gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 14.95 million tonnes in 2018) the balance would drop in 2019 to about -50.50 million tonnes. Accordingly, the total balance would decrease to about -64.40 million tonnes.

The variation of the imports–exports balance by the value and the quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

Figure 3. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

 

Figure 4. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

 

The value balance decreased substantially in two periods: 2010-2012 and 2017-2018 (Fig. 3). The negative tendency was stopped in the 2013, 2015 and 2019. The lowest level was attained in 2018 - it amounted to PLN -58.15 billion. The quantity balance declined significantly in 2011 (Fig. 4). There was a meaningful improvement of the balance in 2012-2013 when it amounted to -23.31 million tonnes. In 2014-2018 the balance decreased to the level of about -51 million tonnes. The last year brought the slight improvement of the balance. Taking into account the magnitude of the gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 15 million tonnes) the balance would drop in 2019 to about -64.40 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2018-2019 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in metals export (by 5.20%) and chemical import (by 0.80%). The highest decreases were observed within fuels export (by 5.50%) and fuels import (by 2.10%). Fuels are still the most important group regarding Polish imports (mainly due to the crude oil and petroleum products) and metals are the most important group regarding the export (mainly due to the copper).

Figure 5. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2018–2019

 

Figure 6. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2018–2019

 

Regarding the quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that only metals export increased in 2019 – by 0.41 million tonnes. Fuels export dropped significantly – by 1.79 million tonnes, and rocks export decreased by 1.15 million tonnes (Fig. 7).

Figure 7. The magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2018–2019 (million tonnes)

 

There were imports growths within two raw materials groups in 2019. The biggest increase was recorded for chemicals import – by 0.48 million tonnes, while rocks import increased by 0.45 million tonnes. The drops were noted for fuels import and metals import – by 3.85 million tonnes and 1.19 million tonnes, respectively (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. The magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2018–2019 (million tonnes)

 

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2018–2019.

Table 4. The comparison between export/import value in 2018–2019 (PLN million)

The total import value in 2019 decreased by 4.67% and export value grew by 2.02% in comparison with 2018. Regarding imports, the value grew significantly only for chemicals – by 10.32%; for rocks and metals it increased slightly – by 1.58% and 0.10%, respectively. There was a siginificant drop recorded for fuels – by 7.53%. The export value rose by 14.70% for metals, by 5.66% for chemicals and by 3.49% for chemicals. In the case of fuels it decreased by 10.26% (Table 4).

Table 5. The comparison between export/import quantity in 2018–2019 (million tonnes)

The total import magnitude in 2019 decreased by 4.95% and the export magnitude increased by 9.10% in comparison with 2018. The import quantity increased within two groups: - chemicals by 7.95%; - rocks by 4.81%. It decreased significantly for metals (by 10.18%) and fuels (by 6.86%). The export quantity increased only for metals – by 11.42%. For the three other groups there were drops recorded – the export magnitude decreased by 20.18% for rocks, by 9.64% for fuels and by 9.05% for chemicals (Table 5).

The quantitative and valuable relations of exports and imports within particular mineral raw materials groups were as follows:

• Fuels – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2019 bigger than export despite not including the data on natural gas. Therefore, the quantity balance was negative and amounted to 35,508 thousand tonnes. It got better by 2,064 thousand tonnes (5.49%) in comparison with 2018. The value balance remained definitely negative and amounted to PLN 51,443,678 thousand. The balance improved by PLN 3,457,237 thousand (6.30%). It was the first time for three years with the balance improvement (in 2018 it enlarged by PLN 16,514,515 thousand (43.02%). Taking into account the natural gas import, the total import value would be much higher and therefore the balance much more negative.
• Metals – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2019 bigger than export and such difference was for the second consecutive year slightly smaller than in the previous year. Despite the negative proportion between the import and the export volume, and thanks to the positive economic situation (the import of more expensive raw materials together with the export of the cheaper ones), till 2016 the value balance was still positive. In the two following years the balance recorded the negative value – in 2017 it got worse in comparison with the previous year by PLN 1,801,291 thousand and amounted to PLN 1,342 203 thousand, whereas in 2018 it remained at the similar level and was equal PLN 1,252,588 thousand (the improvement by PLN 89,615 thousand that is by 6.68%). In 2019, there was the significant improvement noted and the balance was back positive – it amounted to PLN 2,061,470 thousand and got better by PLN 3,314,058 thousand in comparison with 2018.
• Chemicals – similarly to the two groups mentioned above the import amount exceeded the export magnitude in 2019. Therefore, the quantity balance remained negative (2,200 thousand tonnes) and enlarged by 907 thousand tonnes (70.15%). The import value increased by PLN 631,452 thousand (10.32%), whereas the export value increased by PLN 162,196 thousand (3.49%). The value balance remained negative and enlarged in comparison with 2018 – it amounted to PLN 1,944,747 thousand.
• Rocks – the quantity balance was negative and got significantly worse than in 2018 (by 1,600 thousand tonnes – 43.84%). It amounted to 5,250 thousand tonnes. Nevertheless, the value balance got better in comparison with 2018 by PLN 113,090 thousand due to the more significant growth of the export value (by PLN 168,392 thousand – that is by 5.66%) than that of the import value (only by PLN 55,302 thousand – that is by 1.58%).

The main partners of the raw materials exports and imports

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There were 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Table 6. Main directions of mineral raw materials exports and imports in Poland in 2019

Regarding the exports directions, the highest value – similarly to the previous years – was reached by the raw materials export to Germany. It amounted to PLN 13,322,806 thousand, which constituted 23.65% of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with the significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were: Czech Republic (PLN 6,317,927 thousand – 11.22%) and Netherlands (PLN 3,454,409 thousand – 6.13%; Fig. 9). These three items on the list of the export directions have not changed in comparison with 2018. The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 23,095,141 thousand (41.00% of the total export value).

Figure 9. The Polish raw materials export in 2019, by countries

 

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2019 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 43,930,247 thousand, which constituted 40.65% of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (PLN 8,447,008 thousand – 7.82%) and Saudi Arabia (PLN 6,881,976 thousand – 6.37%; Fig. 10). The first two items on the list of the import directions have not changed in comparison with 2018, whereas Saudi Arabia took the place occupied in 2018 by Kazakhstan. The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 59,259,232 thousand (54.84% of the total import value).

There are quantities and values of import and export of mineral raw materials and selected semi-finished products presented in the Table 7.

Table 7. The import and export of mineral raw materials and selected semi-finished products in 2019

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2019, by countries

 

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński

2018

Export and import of mineral raw materials

The data source

The information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of mineral raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by the Polish Custom Service. Given information is actual data coming from the custom declarations and INTRASTAT declarations. The data do not include the upward adjustments from the entities which were off the hook to report in the INTRASTAT system and which have not fulfilled the obligation within the required time limit. The custom declarations apply in the trade in goods carried out by European Union Member States with third countries which are not EU Member States. Such declarations are the basis for the EU statistical system EKSTRASTAT. The INTRASTAT system, however, is the statistical system containing the trade between EU Member States and is obligatory since the 1^st January 1993 on the European Single Market. The INTRASTAT declarations have to be filled when the commodities value exceeds the certain threshold – the threshold values are every year defined by the President of Statistics Poland and published in the statistical survey program introduced in the form of the Prime Minister regulation. In 2018 the basic threshold for the commodities import was PLN 3 million, whereas for the export it was PLN 2 million. The Polish Custom Service informed that the underestimation of the trade turnover data not exceeding the mentioned above limits was in 2018 equal 4.3% in imports and 2.1% in exports.

The integrated Tariff of the European Union - TARIC

In relation to the previous editions of “The balance…” the list of presented commodities is upgraded according to the Polish Custom Service tabulations. These tabulations are based on the integrated Tariff of the European Union – TARIC. The legal base of the TARIC is Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff (Official Journal L 256, 07/09/1987). The Regulation was amended by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1006/2011 of 27 September 2011 changing the Annex I to the Regulation No 2658/87 (Official Journal L 282, 28/10/2011).

The TARIC is based on the Combined Nomenclature (CN) which is set up to meet the requirements both of the Common Custom Tariff (CCT) and of the EU’s external trade statistics. The CN is also used in intra-EU trade statistics. The CN was established by Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Every year Annex I to the basic CN Regulation (No 2658/87) is updated and published as a stand-alone Regulation in the EU’s Official Journal (L series). The CN contains about 10,000 items and is the 8-digit code system – it is a further development (with special EU-specific subdivisions) of the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System Nomenclature (HS). On the 6-digit level the CN is analogous to the HS. The HS was established by the International Convention on the Harmonized System prepared under the auspices of World Customs Organization in Brussels of 14 June 1983 (Official Journal No 11, pos. 62, 1997).

The TARIC is a multilingual database integrating all measures relating to EU customs tariff, commercial and agricultural legislation. The TARIC is updated and maintained daily in almost every of the EU languages. The TARIC data are transmitted daily via an electronic network to the Member States which guarantee immediate and correct information for the national administrations of the Member States, who use this data mainly to feed their national systems for customs clearance, with the goal of maximizing automatic customs clearance.

The TARIC is not legally binding, nevertheless it’s codes have to be used during the custom clearance and in statistics according to the Article 5 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 254/2000 (Official Journal of 3/02/2000).

In Poland, the TARIC database is carried out by the Customs Department of the Ministry of Finance as a part of the Integrated Customs Tariff Information System – ISZTAR 3. It provides detailed information concerning the commodity turnover to the Customs Administration and to all interested in that issue. Both the EU data coming from the TARIC system and the Polish data (VAT and excise taxes), as well as some national non-tariff measures not integrated in the TARIC database, are presented in the browser. Similarly to the TARIC, the ISZTAR is not legally binding, nevertheless it’s codes have to be used during the custom clearance and in statistics.

The tendencies of the mineral raw materials turnover in Poland

The accession to the European Union caused substantial changes in the mineral raw materials turnover in Poland – in 2004 and in the following years. The significant growths of exports and imports value were recorded in 2006 with the magnitude remaining at the similar level as in 2004-2005. Next two years (2007-2008) brought the increase in the import value and volume; the export magnitude decreased while the export value after the drop in 2007 slightly increased in 2008. Due to the worldwide economic crises in 2009 there were drops recorded both for imports and exports – regarding the value and the amount. In 2010 the tendency reversed and growths were noted. In the next two years (2011-2012) such tendency remained regarding the value of the import and the export, whereas the import magnitude grew in 2011, decreased in 2012, and the export volume dropped in 2011 and then increased in 2012. In 2013 the value decreased both for the import and export with the import magnitude drop and the export magnitude increase. In 2014-2015 the value of raw materials turnover dropped. The turnover amount in 2014 decreased for export and increased for import and in 2015 it grew for both turnover aspects. In 2016 the import and export value got better, whereas the import volume grew and the export magnitude decreased. The significant import and the slight export growth were noted in 2017 with the import magnitude growth and the slight export magnitude decline. The similar changes took place in 2018.

The summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland in 2018 was presented within four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The magnitude and the value for the total of imports-exports as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1a/1b. The export/import values are presented both in PLN and EURO.

Table 1a/1b. Mineral raw materials exports and imports in 2018 (value in PLN and in EURO)

The data on the mineral raw materials turnover do not cover natural gas. The data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. The natural gas export from Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of the raw materials turnover. The lack of data on the natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and the value of raw materials brought to Poland. The data officially presented by the Central Statistical Office of Poland cover only the magnitude of natural gas imported by Poland but without publishing the imports directions. Therefore, such data are not included in this study. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in analyzed period natural gas import increased from 9-10 billion m³ in 2009-2010 to about 15.44 billion m³ in 2017. Information covering 2018 will be issued later. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the balance of mineral raw materials turnover is higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The exports and imports of the mineral raw materials in 2018 – the comparison with the previous years

The total raw materials export value increased by 9.77% in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 55,206,742 thousand (EURO 12,974,169 thousand) in 2018. The imports value amounted to PLN 113,355,475 thousand (EURO 26,630,994 thousand), increasing substantially – by 23.62%. The exports-imports turnover balance remained negative and was much more adverse – it enlarged by 40.46% (PLN 16,748,519 thousand, EURO 3,964,611 thousand) and amounted to PLN 58,148,733 thousand (EURO 13,656,825 thousand) – excluding natural gas. It was the second consecutive year with the negative balance growth.

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2018, were: hard coal and coal derivatives (21.08% of the total export value), crude oil and petroleum products (20.34%), the raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (13.29%), iron and ferroalloys (7.09%), aluminum (6.58%), precious metals (4.56%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (4.39%), silver (3.80%) and insulating materials (2.36%; Fig. 1).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related mainly to the such raw materials as: crude oil and petroleum products (60.37% of the total import value), hard coal and coal derivatives (7.93%), aluminum (7.08%), iron and ferroalloys (4.83%), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (2.58%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (1.89%), zinc (1.45%), precious metals (1.23%) and potassium raw materials (1.02%; Fig. 2).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports increased by 15.44% in 2018 and amounted to 83,228 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity decreased by 1.75% and amounted to 32,618 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2018

 

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2018

 

Table 2 shows values of an imports-exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

Table 2. The balance of Polish mineral raw materials turnover in terms of value in 2009–2018 (PLN million).

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remained positive till 2016. Nevertheless, it should be noted that 2016 was the fourth consecutive year with the declining balance for this group. In the 2017-2018 period the balance got significantly worse and nowadays remains negative. For three remaining raw material groups the balance has been clearly negative in the analized period. Chemical raw materials are characterized by the declining tendency, especially in 2009-2016; which was stopped only in 2017. For fuels the positive tendency which lasted in the 2015-2016 period, was replaced by the twice balance drop till 2018. The balance for rock raw materials was decreasing in 2010-2011, this negative trend has been stopped in the five following years and then it again decreased in the 2017-2018 period.

Table 3 shows the imports-exports quantity balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

Table 3. The balance of Polish mineral raw materials turnover in terms of quantity in 2009–2018 (million tonnes).

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been clearly negative in the whole analyzed period. In the case of metallic raw materials the negative tendency has been occurring since 2012, the balance for rocks – after significant drops in 2008-2012 – have been characterized by a quite stable level in the last few years. The balance for fuels was at the quite even level in 2013-2016 and then dropped largely in 2017 and 2018. For chemical raw materials the balance was slightly positive in 2009 and then was followed by the visible negative tendency in the next seven years. Considering fuels, it should be noted that taking into account the magnitude of the natural gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 15.4 million tonnes in 2017) the balance would drop in 2018 to about -53 million tonnes. Accordingly, the total balance would decrease to about -66 million tonnes.

The variation of the imports–exports balance by the value and the quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

Figure 3. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

 

Figure 4. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

 

The value balance decreased substantially in two periods: 2010-2011 and 2017-2018 (Fig. 3). The negative tendency was stopped in 2012-2013 and 2015. The lowest level was attained in 2018 - it amounted to PLN -58.15 billion. The quantity balance declined significantly in 2010-2011 (Fig. 4). There was a meaningful improvement of the balance in 2012-2013 when it amounted to -23.31 million tonnes. In 2014-2018 the balance decreased to the level of about -51 million tonnes. Taking into account the magnitude of the gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 15.4 million tonnes) the balance would drop in 2018 to about -66 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2017-2018 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in fuels import (by 5.3%) and fuels export (by 2.7%). The highest decreases were observed within metals import (by 4.2%) and metals export (by 2.4%). Fuels are still the most important group regarding Polish imports (mainly due to the crude oil and petroleum products) and export (mainly due to the petroleum products and coke and semi-coke).

Figure 5. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2017–2018

 

Figure 6. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2017–2018

 

Regarding the quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that rocks export increased in 2018 – by 0.92 million tonnes, whereas metals export grew by 0.38 million tonnes. Fuels export dropped significantly – by 1.47 million tonnes, and chemical export decreased by 0.43 million tonnes (Fig. 7).

Figure 7. The magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2017–2018 (million tonnes)

 

There were imports growths within three raw materials groups in 2018. The biggest increase was recorded for fuels import – by 8.88 million tonnes, while rocks import increased by 2.06 million tonnes and metals import by 0.35 million tonnes. The only drop was noted forchemicals import – by 0.17 million tonnes (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. The magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2017–2018 (million tonnes)

 

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2017–2018.

Table 4. The comparison between export/import value in 2017–2018 (PLN million)

The total import value in 2018 increased by 23.62% and export value by 9.77% in comparison with 2017. Regarding imports, the value grew significantly for two groups: - fuels by 33.64%; - rocks by 22.05%. There were also slightly increases - for metals by 3.30% and for chemicals by 3.05%. The export value rose by 16.74% for fuels, by 13.56% for rocks, by 3.92% for metals and by 2.96% for chemicals (Table 4).

Table 5. The comparison between export/import quantity in 2017–2018 (million tonnes)

The total import magnitude in 2018 increased by 15.44% and the export magnitude decreased by 1.75% in comparison with 2017. The import quantity increased within three groups: - rocks by 28.26%; - fuels by 18.81%; - metals by 3.09%. It decreased for chemicals by 2.74%. The export quantity increased for rocks – by 19.25%, and for metals – by 11.84%. For the two other groups there were drops recorded – the export magnitude decreased by 8.30% for chemicals and by 7.34% for fuels (Table 5).

The quantitative and valuable relations of exports and imports within particular mineral raw materials groups were as follows:

• Fuels – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2018 bigger than export despite not including the data on natural gas. Therefore, the quantity balance was negative and amounted to 37,572 thousand tonnes. It got worse by 10,352 thousand tonnes (38.03%) in comparison with 2017. The value balance remained definitely negative and amounted to PLN 54,900,915 thousand. The balance got worse by PLN 16,514,515 thousand (43.02%). It was the second year of the negative tendency – in 2017 it enlarged by PLN 12,687,113 thousand (49.37%). Taking into account the natural gas import, the total import value would be much higher and therefore the balance much more negative.
• Metals – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2018 bigger than export and such difference was slightly smaller than in 2017. The quantity balance was negative and equal 8,095 thousand tonnes (smaller by 41 thousand tonnes – 0.50% in comparison with 2017). Despite such proportion, two years ago (in 2016) the positive value balance was noted – due to the beneficial price situation (the more expensive metals were being sold and the cheaper ones bought by Poland). Still in 2016 the balance amounted to PLN 459,088 thousand. However in 2017 the value balance for the first time dropped to the negative one – it got worse in comparison with 2016 by PLN 1,801,291 thousand and amounted to PLN 1,342,203 thousand. In 2018 the balance remained at the similar level and amounted to PLN 1,252,588 thousand (improved by PLN 89,615 thousand – 6.68%).
• Chemicals – similarly to the two groups mentioned above the import amount exceeded the export magnitude in 2018. Therefore, the quantity balance remained negative (1,293 thousand tonnes) and enlarged by 260 thousand tonnes (25.17%). The import value increased by PLN 180,874 thousand (3.05%), whereas the export value increased by PLN 133,408 thousand (2.96%). The value balance remained negative and enlarged in comparison with 2017 – it amounted to PLN 1,428,025 thousand.
• Rocks – the quantity balance was negative and got significantly worse than in 2017 (by 1,148 thousand tonnes – 45.88%). It amounted to 3,650 thousand tonnes. The value balance remained negative and enlarged more than twice in comparison with 2017 (213.37%) - the export value increased by PLN 354,933 thousand (13.56%) whereas the import value grew by PLN 631,086 thousand (22.05%). The balance amounted to PLN 519,739 thousand.

The main partners of the raw materials exports and imports

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There were 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Table 6. Main directions of mineral raw materials exports and imports in Poland in 2018

Regarding the exports directions, the highest value – similarly to the previous years – was reached by the raw materials export to Germany. It amounted to PLN 12,815,230 thousand, which constituted 23.21% of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with the significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were: Czech Republic (PLN 6,100,504 thousand – 11.05%) and Netherlands (PLN 4,309,674 thousand – 7.81%) (Fig. 9). These three items on the list of the export directions have not changed in comparison with 2017. The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 23,225,408 thousand (42.07% of the total export value).

Figure 9. The Polish raw materials export in 2018, by countries

 

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2018 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 50,619,996 thousand, which constituted 44.66% of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (PLN 9,380,896 thousand – 8.28%) and Kazakhstan (PLN 6,346,505 thousand – 5.60%) (Fig. 10). The first two items on the list of the import directions have not changed in comparison with 2017, whereas Kazakhstan took the place occupied in 2017 by Norway. The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 66,347,397 thousand (58.53% of the total import value).

There are quantities and values of import and export of mineral raw materials and selected semi-finished products presented in the Table 7.

Table 7. The import and export of mineral raw materials and selected semi-finished products in 2018

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2018, by countries

 

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński

2017

Export and import of mineral raw materials

The information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of mineral raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by the Polish Custom Service. Such data come from the special custom statements - SAD (in case of the trade turnover by European Union countries to/from non-EU countries) and INTRASTAT (in case of export and import within EU). The INTRASTAT statements have to be submitted when the commodities value exceeds the imposed limits – in 2017 the limit in the commodities import was equal PLN 3 million, whereas in the export it was PLN 1.5 million. The Polish Custom Service informs that the underestimation of data of the trade turnover not exceeding the mentioned above limits is usually about 10%.

The information on the trade turnover is prepared according to the Combined Nomenclature (CN), which is deeply connected with the international classification system named Harmonized System - HS. The Combined Nomenclature is the obligatory one in the Polish Customs Tariff since 1991. The Combined Nomenclature is the part of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) which was established by virtue of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Regulation (EC) No 1789/2003 of 11 October 2003 amended the Regulation mentioned above. The Regulation established in 2003 is the obligatory one in Poland since the 1^st of May 2004.

The accession to the European Union caused substantial changes in mineral raw materials turnover in Poland – in 2004 and in the following years. The significant growths of exports and imports value were recorded in 2006 with the magnitude remaining at the similar level as in 2004-2005. Next two years (2007-2008) brought the increase in the import value and volume; the export magnitude decreased while the export value after the drop in 2007 slightly increased in 2008. Due to the worldwide economic crises in 2009 there were drops recorded both for imports and exports – regarding the value and the amount. In 2010 the tendency reversed and growths were noted. In the next two years (2011-2012) such tendency remained regarding the value of the import and the export, whereas the import magnitude grew in 2011, decreased in 2012, and the export volume dropped in 2011 and then increased in 2012. In 2013 the value decreased both for the import and export with the import magnitude drop and the export magnitude increase. In 2014-2015 the value of raw materials turnover dropped. The turnover amount in 2014 decreased for export and increased for import and in 2015 it grew for both turnover aspects. In 2016 the import and export value got better, whereas the import volume grew and the export magnitude decreased. The significant import and the slight export growth were noted in 2017 with the import magnitude growth and the slight export magnitude decline.

The summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland in 2017 was presented within four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The magnitude and the value for the total of imports-exports as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1a/1b. The export/import values are presented both in PLN and EURO.

The data on the mineral raw materials turnover in 2006-2017 do not cover natural gas. The data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. The natural gas export from Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of the raw materials turnover. The lack of data on the natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and the value of raw materials brought to Poland. The data officially presented by the Central Statistical Office of Poland cover only the magnitude of natural gas imported by Poland but without publishing the imports directions. Therefore, such data are not included in this study. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in analyzed period natural gas import increased from 9-10 billion m³ in 2008-2010 to about 13.92 billion m³ in 2016. Information covering 2017 will be issued later. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the balance of mineral raw materials turnover is higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The total raw materials export value increased by 15.05% in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 50,294,598 thousand (EURO 11,774,701 thousand) in 2017. The imports value amounted to PLN 91,694,812 thousand (EURO 21,466,915 thousand), increasing substantially – by 28.34%. The exports-imports turnover balance remained negative and was much more adverse – it enlarged by 49.29% (PLN 13,669,006 thousand, EURO 3,311,551 thousand) and amounted to PLN 41,400,214 thousand (EURO 9,692,214 thousand) – excluding natural gas.

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2017, were: hard coal and coal derivatives (22.30% of the total export value), crude oil and petroleum products (17.13%), the raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (14.64%), aluminum (6.35%), iron and ferroalloys (6.29%), precious metals (5.08%), silver (5.00%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (4.55%) and zinc (2.76%; Fig. 1).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related mainly to the such raw materials as: crude oil and petroleum products (56.42% of the total import value), aluminum (7.83%), hard coal and coal derivatives (6.84%), iron and ferroalloys (5.72%), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (3.60%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (2.39%), precious metals (1.91%), zinc (1.86%) and potassium raw materials (1.17%; Fig. 2).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports increased by 10.50% in 2017 and amounted to 72,095 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity decreased by 7.47% and amounted to 33,204 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2017

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2017

Table 2 shows values of an imports-exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remained positive till 2016. Nevertheless, it should be noted that 2016 was the fourth consecutive year with the declining balance for this group. In 2017 the balance made significantly worse and was negative for the first time. For three remaining raw material groups the balance has been clearly negative in the analized period. Chemical raw materials are characterized by the declining tendency, especially in 2009-2016; which was stopped in 2017. For fuels such tendency was stopped couple of times – in 2009, 2013 and in 2015-2016; with 2017 characterized by the significant drop. The balance for rock raw materials was decreasing in 2010-2011 and such negative trend has been stopped in the following years.

Table 3 shows the imports-exports quantity balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been negative since 2007. In the case of metallic raw materials the negative tendency has been occurring since 2012, the balance for rocks – after significant drops in 2008-2011 – have been characterized by a quite stable level in the last few years. The balance for fuels was at the quite even level in 2013-2016 and then dropped largely in 2017. For chemical raw materials the balance remained slightly positive till 2009 and was followed by the visible negative tendency in the next seven years. Considering fuels, it should be noted that taking into account the magnitude of gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 14 million t/y) the balance would drop in 2017 to about -41 million tonnes. Accordingly, the total balance would decrease to about -53 million tonnes.

The variation of the imports–exports balance by the value and the quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

Figure 3. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

Figure 4. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

The value balance decreased substantially in 2010-2011 and in 2017 (Fig. 3). The negative tendency was stopped in 2012-2013 and 2015. The lowest level was attained in 2011 - it amounted to PLN -49.05 billion. The quantity balance declined significantly in 2010-2011 (Fig. 4). There was a meaningful improvement of the balance in 2012-2013 when it amounted to -23.31 million tonnes. In 2014-2017 the balance decreased to the level of about -39 million tonnes. Taking into account the magnitude of the gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 14 million tonnes) the balance would drop in 2017 to about -53 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2016-2017 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in fuels import (by 2.6%) and metals export (by 0.8%). The highest decreases were observed within chemicals import (by 1.9%) and fuels export (by 1.0%). Fuels are still the most important group regarding Polish imports (due to the crude oil and petroleum products), whereas their contribution in exports value dropped. Therefore, metallic raw materials were the most important group regarding Polish export.

Figure 5. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2016–2017

Figure 6. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2016–2017

Regarding a quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that chemicals export increased substantially in 2017 – by 1.03 million tonnes, whereas rocks export grew by 0.45 million tonnes and metals export by just 0.13 million tonnes. Fuels export dropped significantly – by 4.28 million tonnes (Fig. 7).

Figure 7. The magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2016–2017 (million tonnes)

There were imports growths within all four raw materials groups in 2017. The biggest increase was recorded for fuels import – by 5.33 million tonnes, while metals import increased by 0.60 million tonnes, rocks import by 0.47 million tonnes and chemicals import by 0.45 million tonnes (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. The magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2016–2017 (million tonnes)

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2016–2017.

The total import value in 2017 increased by 28.34% and export value by 15.05% in comparison with 2016. Regarding imports, the value grew significantly for three groups: - fuels by 33.61%; - metals by 27.40%; - and rocks by 11.27%. There was a slight drop observed within chemicals – by 0.80%. The export value rose by 22.35% for chemicals, by 17.08% for metals, by 12.27% for fuels and by 9.99% for rocks (Table 4).

The total import magnitude in 2017 increased by 10.50% and the export magnitude decreased by 7.47% in comparison with 2016. The import quantity increased within all four groups: - fuels by 12.69%; - chemicals by 7.81%; - rocks by 6.89%; and metals by 5.59%. The export quantity increased for chemicals – by 24.82%, for rocks – by 10.39% and for metals – by 4.22%. The meaningful drop was observed for fuels – the quantity decreased by 17.60% (Table 5).

The quantitative and valuable relations of exports and imports within particular mineral raw materials groups were as follows:

• fuels – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2017 bigger than export despite not including the data on natural gas. Therefore, the quantity balance was negative and amounted to 27,220 thousand tonnes. It got worse by 9,610 thousand tonnes (54.57%). The value balance remained definitely negative and amounted to PLN 38,386,400 thousand. The balance got worse by PLN 12,687,113 thousand (49.37%) after the two-year improving tendency – in 2015 it got better by PLN 17,702,278 thousand (38.51%) and in 2016 by PLN 2,562,205 thousand (9.07%). Taking into account the natural gas import, the total import value would be much higher and therefore the balance much more negative;
• metals – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2017 bigger than export and such difference was slightly larger than in 2016. The quantity balance was negative and equal 8,136 thousand tonnes (extended by 478 thousand tonnes – 6.24% in comparison with 2016). Despite such proportion, the previous years were characterized by the positive value balance – due to the beneficial price situation (the more expensive metals were being sold and the cheaper ones bought by Poland). Still in 2016 the balance amounted to PLN 459,088 thousand. However in 2017 the balance for the first time dropped to the negative one – it got worse in comparison with 2016 by PLN 1,801,291 thousand and amounted to PLN 1,342,203 thousand;
• chemicals – similarly to the two groups mentioned above the import amount exceeded the export magnitude. Therefore, the quantity balance remained negative (1,033 thousand tonnes) but improved by 579 thousand tonnes (35.92%). The import value decreased by PLN 48,017 thousand (0.80%), whereas the export value increased by PLN 823,449 thousand (22.35%). The value balance remained negative, however was more favorable than in 2016 – it amounted to PLN 1,428,025 thousand;
• rocks – the quantity balance was negative and got slightly worse than in 2016 (by 13 thousand tonnes – 0.52%). It amounted to 2,502 thousand tonnes. The value balance remained negative and was less favorable than in 2016 - the export value increased by PLN 237,831 thousand (9.99%) whereas the import value grew by PLN 289,899 thousand (11.27%). The balance amounted to PLN 243,586 thousand.

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There were 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Regarding the exports directions, the highest value – similarly to the previous years – was reached by the raw materials export to Germany. It amounted to PLN 11,914,031 thousand, which constituted 23.69% of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with the significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were Czech Republic (PLN 5,839,507 thousand – 11.61%) and Netherlands (PLN 2,977,931 thousand – 5.92%; Fig. 9). These three items on the list of the export directions have not changed in comparison with 2016. The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 20,731,469 thousand (41.22% of the total export value).

Figure 9. The Polish raw materials export in 2017, by countries

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2017 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 40,615,254 thousand, which constituted 44.29% of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (PLN 9,461,071 thousand – 10.32%) and Norway (PLN 3,419,130 thousand – 3.73%; Fig. 10). These three items on the list of the import directions have not changed in comparison with 2016. The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 53,495,455 thousand (58.34% of the total import value).

There are quantities and values of import and export of mineral raw materials and selected semi-finished products presented in the Table 7.

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2017, by countries

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński

2016

Export and import of mineral raw materials

The information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of mineral raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by the Polish Custom Service. Such data come from the special custom statements - SAD (in case of the trade turnover by European Union countries to/from non-EU countries) and INTRASTAT (in case of export and import within EU). The INTRASTAT statements have to be submitted when the commodities value exceeds the imposed limits – in 2017 the limit in the commodities import was equal PLN 3 million, whereas in the export it was PLN 1.5 million. The Polish Custom Service informs that the underestimation of data of the trade turnover not exceeding the mentioned above limits is usually about 10%.

The information on the trade turnover is prepared according to the Combined Nomenclature (CN), which is deeply connected with the international classification system named Harmonized System - HS. The Combined Nomenclature is the obligatory one in the Polish Customs Tariff since 1991. The Combined Nomenclature is the part of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) which was established by virtue of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Regulation (EC) No 1789/2003 of 11 October 2003 amended the Regulation mentioned above. The Regulation established in 2003 is the obligatory one in Poland since the 1^st of May 2004.

The accession to the European Union caused substantial changes in mineral raw materials turnover in Poland – in 2004 and in the following years. The significant growths of exports and imports value were recorded in 2006 with the magnitude remaining at the similar level as in 2004-2005. Next two years (2007-2008) brought the increase in the import value and volume; the export magnitude decreased while the export value after the drop in 2007 slightly increased in 2008. Due to the worldwide economic crises in 2009 there were drops recorded both for imports and exports – regarding the value and the amount. In 2010 the tendency reversed and growths were noted. In the next two years (2011-2012) such tendency remained regarding the value of the import and the export, whereas the import magnitude grew in 2011, decreased in 2012, and the export volume dropped in 2011 and then increased in 2012. In 2013 the value decreased both for the import and export with the import magnitude drop and the export magnitude increase. In 2014-2015 the value of raw materials turnover dropped. The turnover amount in 2014 decreased for export and increased for import and in 2015 it grew for both turnover aspects. In 2016 the import and export value got better, whereas the import volume grew and the export magnitude decreased. The significant import and the slight export growth were noted in 2017 with the import magnitude growth and the slight export magnitude decline.

The summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland in 2017 was presented within four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The magnitude and the value for the total of imports-exports as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1a/1b. The export/import values are presented both in PLN and EURO.

The data on the mineral raw materials turnover in 2006-2017 do not cover natural gas. The data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. The natural gas export from Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of the raw materials turnover. The lack of data on the natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and the value of raw materials brought to Poland. The data officially presented by the Central Statistical Office of Poland cover only the magnitude of natural gas imported by Poland but without publishing the imports directions. Therefore, such data are not included in this study. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in analyzed period natural gas import increased from 9-10 billion m³ in 2008-2010 to about 13.92 billion m³ in 2016. Information covering 2017 will be issued later. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the balance of mineral raw materials turnover is higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The total raw materials export value increased by 15.05% in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 50,294,598 thousand (EURO 11,774,701 thousand) in 2017. The imports value amounted to PLN 91,694,812 thousand (EURO 21,466,915 thousand), increasing substantially – by 28.34%. The exports-imports turnover balance remained negative and was much more adverse – it enlarged by 49.29% (PLN 13,669,006 thousand, EURO 3,311,551 thousand) and amounted to PLN 41,400,214 thousand (EURO 9,692,214 thousand) – excluding natural gas.

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2017, were: hard coal and coal derivatives (22.30% of the total export value), crude oil and petroleum products (17.13%), the raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (14.64%), aluminum (6.35%), iron and ferroalloys (6.29%), precious metals (5.08%), silver (5.00%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (4.55%) and zinc (2.76%; Fig. 1).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related mainly to the such raw materials as: crude oil and petroleum products (56.42% of the total import value), aluminum (7.83%), hard coal and coal derivatives (6.84%), iron and ferroalloys (5.72%), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (3.60%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (2.39%), precious metals (1.91%), zinc (1.86%) and potassium raw materials (1.17%; Fig. 2).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports increased by 10.50% in 2017 and amounted to 72,095 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity decreased by 7.47% and amounted to 33,204 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2017

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2017

Table 2 shows values of an imports-exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remained positive till 2016. Nevertheless, it should be noted that 2016 was the fourth consecutive year with the declining balance for this group. In 2017 the balance made significantly worse and was negative for the first time. For three remaining raw material groups the balance has been clearly negative in the analized period. Chemical raw materials are characterized by the declining tendency, especially in 2009-2016; which was stopped in 2017. For fuels such tendency was stopped couple of times – in 2009, 2013 and in 2015-2016; with 2017 characterized by the significant drop. The balance for rock raw materials was decreasing in 2010-2011 and such negative trend has been stopped in the following years.

Table 3 shows the imports-exports quantity balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been negative since 2007. In the case of metallic raw materials the negative tendency has been occurring since 2012, the balance for rocks – after significant drops in 2008-2011 – have been characterized by a quite stable level in the last few years. The balance for fuels was at the quite even level in 2013-2016 and then dropped largely in 2017. For chemical raw materials the balance remained slightly positive till 2009 and was followed by the visible negative tendency in the next seven years. Considering fuels, it should be noted that taking into account the magnitude of gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 14 million t/y) the balance would drop in 2017 to about -41 million tonnes. Accordingly, the total balance would decrease to about -53 million tonnes.

The variation of the imports–exports balance by the value and the quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

Figure 3. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

Figure 4. The balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

The value balance decreased substantially in 2010-2011 and in 2017 (Fig. 3). The negative tendency was stopped in 2012-2013 and 2015. The lowest level was attained in 2011 - it amounted to PLN -49.05 billion. The quantity balance declined significantly in 2010-2011 (Fig. 4). There was a meaningful improvement of the balance in 2012-2013 when it amounted to -23.31 million tonnes. In 2014-2017 the balance decreased to the level of about -39 million tonnes. Taking into account the magnitude of the gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 14 million tonnes) the balance would drop in 2017 to about -53 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2016-2017 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in fuels import (by 2.6%) and metals export (by 0.8%). The highest decreases were observed within chemicals import (by 1.9%) and fuels export (by 1.0%). Fuels are still the most important group regarding Polish imports (due to the crude oil and petroleum products), whereas their contribution in exports value dropped. Therefore, metallic raw materials were the most important group regarding Polish export.

Figure 5. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2016–2017

Figure 6. The contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2016–2017

Regarding a quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that chemicals export increased substantially in 2017 – by 1.03 million tonnes, whereas rocks export grew by 0.45 million tonnes and metals export by just 0.13 million tonnes. Fuels export dropped significantly – by 4.28 million tonnes (Fig. 7).

Figure 7. The magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2016–2017 (million tonnes)

There were imports growths within all four raw materials groups in 2017. The biggest increase was recorded for fuels import – by 5.33 million tonnes, while metals import increased by 0.60 million tonnes, rocks import by 0.47 million tonnes and chemicals import by 0.45 million tonnes (Fig. 8).

Figure 8. The magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2016–2017 (million tonnes)

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2016–2017.

The total import value in 2017 increased by 28.34% and export value by 15.05% in comparison with 2016. Regarding imports, the value grew significantly for three groups: - fuels by 33.61%; - metals by 27.40%; - and rocks by 11.27%. There was a slight drop observed within chemicals – by 0.80%. The export value rose by 22.35% for chemicals, by 17.08% for metals, by 12.27% for fuels and by 9.99% for rocks (Table 4).

The total import magnitude in 2017 increased by 10.50% and the export magnitude decreased by 7.47% in comparison with 2016. The import quantity increased within all four groups: - fuels by 12.69%; - chemicals by 7.81%; - rocks by 6.89%; and metals by 5.59%. The export quantity increased for chemicals – by 24.82%, for rocks – by 10.39% and for metals – by 4.22%. The meaningful drop was observed for fuels – the quantity decreased by 17.60% (Table 5).

The quantitative and valuable relations of exports and imports within particular mineral raw materials groups were as follows:

• fuels – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2017 bigger than export despite not including the data on natural gas. Therefore, the quantity balance was negative and amounted to 27,220 thousand tonnes. It got worse by 9,610 thousand tonnes (54.57%). The value balance remained definitely negative and amounted to PLN 38,386,400 thousand. The balance got worse by PLN 12,687,113 thousand (49.37%) after the two-year improving tendency – in 2015 it got better by PLN 17,702,278 thousand (38.51%) and in 2016 by PLN 2,562,205 thousand (9.07%). Taking into account the natural gas import, the total import value would be much higher and therefore the balance much more negative;
• metals – the quantity of the raw materials import was in 2017 bigger than export and such difference was slightly larger than in 2016. The quantity balance was negative and equal 8,136 thousand tonnes (extended by 478 thousand tonnes – 6.24% in comparison with 2016). Despite such proportion, the previous years were characterized by the positive value balance – due to the beneficial price situation (the more expensive metals were being sold and the cheaper ones bought by Poland). Still in 2016 the balance amounted to PLN 459,088 thousand. However in 2017 the balance for the first time dropped to the negative one – it got worse in comparison with 2016 by PLN 1,801,291 thousand and amounted to PLN 1,342,203 thousand;
• chemicals – similarly to the two groups mentioned above the import amount exceeded the export magnitude. Therefore, the quantity balance remained negative (1,033 thousand tonnes) but improved by 579 thousand tonnes (35.92%). The import value decreased by PLN 48,017 thousand (0.80%), whereas the export value increased by PLN 823,449 thousand (22.35%). The value balance remained negative, however was more favorable than in 2016 – it amounted to PLN 1,428,025 thousand;
• rocks – the quantity balance was negative and got slightly worse than in 2016 (by 13 thousand tonnes – 0.52%). It amounted to 2,502 thousand tonnes. The value balance remained negative and was less favorable than in 2016 - the export value increased by PLN 237,831 thousand (9.99%) whereas the import value grew by PLN 289,899 thousand (11.27%). The balance amounted to PLN 243,586 thousand.

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There were 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Regarding the exports directions, the highest value – similarly to the previous years – was reached by the raw materials export to Germany. It amounted to PLN 11,914,031 thousand, which constituted 23.69% of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with the significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were Czech Republic (PLN 5,839,507 thousand – 11.61%) and Netherlands (PLN 2,977,931 thousand – 5.92%; Fig. 9). These three items on the list of the export directions have not changed in comparison with 2016. The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 20,731,469 thousand (41.22% of the total export value).

Figure 9. The Polish raw materials export in 2017, by countries

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2017 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 40,615,254 thousand, which constituted 44.29% of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (PLN 9,461,071 thousand – 10.32%) and Norway (PLN 3,419,130 thousand – 3.73%; Fig. 10). These three items on the list of the import directions have not changed in comparison with 2016. The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 53,495,455 thousand (58.34% of the total import value).

There are quantities and values of import and export of mineral raw materials and selected semi-finished products presented in the Table 7.

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2017, by countries

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński

2015

Export and import of mineral raw materials

Information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of mineral raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by Polish Custom Service. These data come from special custom statements – SAD (in case of the trade turnover by European Union countries to/from non-EU countries) and INTRASTAT (in case of export and import within EU). Information is prepared according to Combined Nomenclature (CN), which is deeply connected with the international classification system named Harmonized System – HS. Combined Nomenclature is the obligatory one in Polish Customs Tariff since 1991. The Combined Nomenclature is the part of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) which was established by virtue of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Regulation (EC) No 1789/2003 of 11 October 2003 amended the Regulation mentioned above. The Regulation established in 2003 is the obligatory one in Poland since the 1st of May 2004.

In 2015 summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland was presented within four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The total magnitude and value of imports–exports of the raw materials as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1. The export/import values are presented both in PLN and Euro.

The data on mineral raw materials turnover in 2006–2015 do not cover natural gas. Data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. Natural gas export in Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of raw materials turnover. The lack of data on natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and value of raw materials brought to Poland. The officially presented data (by Central Statistical Office of Poland) cover only the magnitude of natural gas imported by Poland but without publishing the directions of imports. Therefore, such data are not included in this study. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in analyzed period natural gas import increased from 9–10 billion m³ in 2006–2010 to about 11.2 billion m³ in 2014. Information covering 2015 will be issued later. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the balance of mineral raw materials turnover is higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The total value of the raw materials exports decreased by 5.62% in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 49,158 million (Euro 11,776 million) in 2015. The imports value amounted to PLN 76,973 million (Euro 18,434 million) and decreased by 19.41%. The exports–imports turnover balance improved significantly (by PLN 15,615 million) but was still negative and amounted to PLN 27,815 million (Euro 6,659 million) in 2015 (excluding natural gas).

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2015, were: petroleum products (27.44% of the total export value), hard coal and coal derivatives (14.74%), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (14.94%), aluminum (6.34%), silver (5.59%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (5.71%) and iron and ferroalloys (5.57%).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related to such raw materials as: crude oil (47.82% of the total import value), petroleum products (13.21%), aluminum (7.80%), iron and ferroalloys (4.75%), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (4.30%), hard coal and coal derivatives (3.39%), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (2.78%), potassium raw materials (1.44%), silica (1.24%) and phosphorus (1.15%).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports increased by 2.11% in 2015 and amounted to 64,008 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity increased by 3.14% and amounted to 37,075 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2015

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2015

Table 2 shows values of imports–exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remains positive but 2015 was the third consecutive year with the balance decline. For three remaining raw material groups the balance has been clearly negative (especially for fuels).

Table 3 shows imports–exports balance quantity of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been negative since 2006, while for chemical raw materials the balance remained slightly positive till 2009 and then dropped significantly in the next five years. Considering fuels, it should be noted that taking into account the magnitude of gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 11 million t/y) the balance would drop in 2015 to about -26.8 million tonnes. Accordingly, the total balance would decrease to about -37.9 million tonnes.

The variation of the imports–exports balance by value and quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

Figure 3. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

Figure 4. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

The value balance decreased substantially in 2007–2008 and in 2010–2011. This negative tendency was stopped in 2009 and 2012. The lowest level was attained in 2011 – it amounted to PLN -48.82 billion and improved significantly in 2013 (amounted to PLN -41.56 billion) and 2015 (amounted to PLN -27.82 billion). The quantity balance declined significantly in 2007–2011 with slightly growth in 2009. There was significant improvement of the balance in 2012–2013 when it amounted to -23.31 million tonnes. The balance dropped minutely in 2014 and 2015 to about -27 million tonnes. Taking into account the magnitude of gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 11 billion m3) the balance would drop in 2015 to about -38 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2014–2015 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in metals import (by 5.9%) and chemicals import (by 2.2%). The highest decreases were observed within fuels import (by 8.6%) and fuels export (by 2.9%). Fuels are still the most important group especially in Polish imports (due to the crude oil and petroleum products) but they are also contributing strongly in exports value (mainly thanks to the petroleum products and hard coal).

Figure 5. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2014–2015

Figure 6. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2014–2015

Regarding quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that fuels export increased significantly in 2015 (by 1.75 million tonnes). Chemical raw materials exports magnitude rose by 0.42 million tonnes. Metals and rocks export decreased in 2015 by 0.79 million tonnes and 0.26 million tonnes, respectively (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2014–2015 (million tonnes)

There were imports growths within three of four raw materials groups. Fuels imports increased by 0.83 million tonnes in 2015 while metals import by 0.56 million tonnes and chemicals by 0.16 million tonnes. Rock raw materials import decreased by 0.23 million tonnes (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2014–2015 (million tonnes)

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2014–2015.

Total import value in 2015 decreased by 19.41% and export value by 5.62% in comparison with 2014. The import value significantly increased in metal and chemical groups (both by 10.06%), while there were drops observed within fuels and rocks – by 28.56% and 2.38%, respectively. Export value rose by 14.78% for chemicals and by 6.59% for rocks, whereas there were drops noted for fuels (by 11.05%) and metals (by 3.63%).

Total import magnitude in 2015 increased by 2.11% and export by 3.14% in comparison with 2014. The import quantity increased within three groups: metallic raw materials (by 5.45%), chemicals (by 3.09%) and fuels (by 2.07%). The drop was observed in rocks – by 3.18%. The export quantity increased within two groups of mineral raw materials – by 10.34% (chemicals) and by 7.50% (fuels). Metals and rocks export decreased by 21.63% and 5.49%, respectively.

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There where 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Regarding the exports directions, similarly to the previous years, the highest value was reached by raw materials export to Germany. The export value to this country amounted to PLN 11,655 million, which constituted 23.71% of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were Czech Republic (13.15%) and Netherlands (7.21%) (Figure 9). The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 21,666 million (44.07% of the total export value).

Figure 9. Polish raw materials export in 2015, by countries

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2015 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 38,145 million, which constitutes 49.56% of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (9.47%) and Kazakhstan (4.44%) (Figure 10). The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 48,855 million (63.47% of the total import value).

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2015, by countries

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński

2014

Export and import of mineral raw materials

Information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of mineral raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by Polish Custom Service. These data come from special custom statements - SAD (in case of the trade turnover by European Union countries to/from non-EU countries) and INTRASTAT (in case of export and import within EU). Information is prepared according to Combined Nomenclature (CN), which is deeply connected with the international classification system named Harmonized System - HS. Combined Nomenclature is the obligatory one in Polish Customs Tariff since 1991. The Combined Nomenclature is the part of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) which was established by virtue of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Regulation (EC) No 1789/2003 of 11 October 2003 amended the Regulation mentioned above. The Regulation established in 2003 is the obligatory one in Poland since the 1st of May 2004.

In 2014 summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland was presented in four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The total magnitude and value of imports-exports of the raw materials as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1. The export/import values are presented both in PLN and Euro.

The data on mineral raw materials turnover in 2006-2014 do not cover natural gas. Data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. Natural gas export in Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of raw materials turnover. The lack of data on natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and value of raw materials brought to Poland. The officially presented data (by Central Statistical Office of Poland) cover only the magnitude of natural gas imported by Poland but without publishing the directions of imports. Therefore, such data are not included in this study. Nevertheless, it should be noted that in analyzed period natural gas import increased from 9-10 billion m³ in 2006-2010 to about 11.8 billion m³ in 2013. Information covering 2014 will be issued later. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that the balance of mineral raw materials turnover is higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The total value of the raw materials exports decreased by 5.4 % in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 52,085 million (Euro 12,452 million) in 2014. The imports value amounted to PLN 95,516 million (Euro 22,838 million) and decreased by 1.14 %. The exports-imports turnover balance was still negative and amounted to PLN 43,430 million (Euro 10,386 million) in 2014 (excluding natural gas).

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2014, were: petroleum products (29.13 % of the total import value), hard coal and coal derivatives (14.95 %), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (15.36 %), iron and ferroalloys (6.99 %), silver (5.00 %), aluminum (4.77 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (4.52 %) and zinc (3.04 %).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related to such raw materials as: crude oil (56.00 % of the total import value), petroleum products (13.36 %), aluminum (4.95 %), iron and ferroalloys (4.23 %), hard coal and coal derivatives (3.49 %), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (3.22 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (1.96 %), potassium raw materials (1.16%), silica (0.88 %) and dimension and crushed stones (0.87 %).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports increased (by 4.75 %) in 2014 and amounted to 62,690 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity decreased (by 1.61 %) and amounted to 35,948 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2014

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2014

Table 2 shows values of imports-exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remains positive but 2014 was the second consecutive year with the balance decline. For three remaining raw material groups the balance is clearly negative (especially for fuels).

Table 3 shows imports-exports balance quantity of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been negative since 2005, while for chemical raw materials the balance remained slightly positive till 2009 and then dropped significantly in the next four years. Considering fuels, it should be noted that taking into account the magnitude of gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 12 billion m³) the balance would drop in 2014 to about - 25.3 million tonnes. Accordingly, the total balance would decrease to about – 35.4 million tonnes.

The variation of the imports-exports balance by value and quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4. Due to the lack of data on natural gas there are two versions of the graph presented on each figure – first reflecting natural gas (in 2005) and the second one excluding natural gas.

Figure 3. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

Figure 4. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

The value balance decreased substantially in 2006-2008 and in 2010-2012. This negative tendency was stopped in 2009 and 2013. The lowest level was attained in 2011 - it amounted to PLN -48.82 billion and improved significantly in 2013 – amounted to PLN -41.56 billion. The quantity balance declined significantly in 2006-2011 with slightly growth in 2009. There was significant improvement of the balance in 2012-2013 when it amounted to -23.31 million tonnes. The balance dropped minutely in 2014. Taking into account the magnitude of gas import given by the Central Statistical Office of Poland (about 12 billion m³) the balance would drop in 2014 to about – 35.4 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2013-2014 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in metals export (by 1.5 %) and metals import (by 1.2 %). The highest decreases were observed within fuels export (by 2.3 %) and fuels import (by 1.8 %). Fuels are still the most important group especially in Polish imports (due to the crude oil and petroleum products) but they are also contributing strongly in exports value (mainly thanks to the petroleum products and hard coal).

Figure 5. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2013-2014

Figure 6. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2013-2014

Regarding quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that rocks export increased significantly in 2014 (by 0.60 million tonnes). Metal and chemical raw materials exports magnitude rose by 0.55 million tonnes and 0.12 million tonnes respectively. Fuels export decreased by 1.85 million tonnes in 2014 (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2013-2014 (million tonnes)

There were imports growths within all of raw materials groups. Fuels imports increased by 0.97 million tonnes in 2014 while metals import by 0.82 million tonnes, rocks by 0.72 million tonnes and chemical raw materials by 0.33 million tonnes (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2013-2014 (million tonnes)

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2013-2014.

Total import value in 2014 decreased by 1.14 % and export value by 5.40 % in comparison with 2013. The import value significantly increased in rock, metal and chemical groups (by 13.37 %, 6.94 % and 4.54 % respectively) while there were drop observed within fuels – by 3.53 %. Export value rose by 3.27 % for chemicals and by 1.15 % for rocks, whereas there were drops noted for fuels (by 9.61 %) and metals (by 1.65 %).

Total import magnitude in 2014 increased by 4.75 % and export decreased by 1.61 % in comparison with 2013. The import quantity increased within all four groups: rock raw materials (by 11.06 %), metals (by 8.68 %), chemicals (by 6.82 %) and fuels (by only 2.48 %). The export quantity increased within three groups of mineral raw materials – by 16.77 % (metals), 14.49 % (rocks) and 3.05 % (chemicals). Fuels export decreased by 7.35 %.

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There where 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Regarding the exports directions, similarly to the previous years, the highest value was reached by raw materials export to Germany. The export value to this country amounted to PLN 13,789 million, which constituted 26.47 % of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were Czech Republic (11.41 %) and United Kingdom (6.37 %) (Figure 9). The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 23,051 million (44.26 % of the total export value).

Figure 9. Polish raw materials export in 2014, by countries

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2014 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 56,660 million, which constitutes 59.32 % of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (7.43 %) and Kazakhstan (5.50 %) (Figure 10). The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 69,015 million (72.26 % of the total import value).

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2014, by countries

Prepared by: Krzysztof Szamałek, Marcin Tymiński

2013

Exports and imports of mineral raw materials

Information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by Polish Custom Service. These data come from special custom statements - SAD (in case of the trade turnover by European Union countries to/from non-EU countries) and INTRASTAT (in case of export and import within EU). Information is prepared according to Combined Nomenclature (CN), which is deeply connected with the international classification system named Harmonized System - HS. Combined Nomenclature is the obligatory one in Polish Customs Tariff since 1991. The Combined Nomenclature is the part of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) which was established by virtue of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Regulation (EC) No 1789/2003 of 11 October 2003 amended the Regulation mentioned above. The Regulation established in 2003 is the obligatory one in Poland since the 1^st of May 2004.

In 2013 summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland was presented in four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The total magnitude and value of imports-exports of the raw materials as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1.

The data on raw materials turnover in 2006-2013 do not cover natural gas. Data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. Natural gas export in Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of raw materials turnover. The lack of data on natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and value of raw materials brought to Poland. Therefore, the balance of mineral raw materials turnover is higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The total value of the raw materials exports decreased by 5.03 % in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 55,060 million (USD 17,532 million) in 2013. The imports value amounted to PLN 96,618 million (USD 30,708 million) and was lower than in 2012 by 8.74 %. The exports-imports turnover balance was still negative and amounted to PLN 41,558 million (USD 13,176 million) in 2013 (excluding natural gas).

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2013, were: petroleum products (29.55 % of the total import value), hard coal and coal derivatives (17.50 %), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (16.57 %), iron and ferroalloys (6.58 %), silver (5.12 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (3.96 %), aluminum (3.63 %) and zinc (1.80 %).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related to such raw materials as: crude oil (58.81 % of the total import value), petroleum products (12.10 %), iron and ferroalloys (4.38 %), aluminum (4.30 %), hard coal and coal derivatives (4.29 %), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (2.76 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (1.80 %), potassium raw materials (1.20 %) and silica (0.75 %).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports decreased (by 7.34 %) in 2013 and amounted to 59,852 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity significantly increased (by 17.15 %) and amounted to 36,540 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2013

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2013

Table 2 shows values of imports-exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remains positive, while for other raw material groups the balance is clearly negative (especially for fuels).

Table 3 shows imports-exports balance quantity of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been negative since 2004, while for chemical raw materials the balance remained slightly positive till 2009 and then dropped significantly in the next four years.

The variation of the imports-exports balance by value and quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4. Due to the lack of data on natural gas there are two versions of the graph presented on each figure – first reflecting natural gas (till 2005) and the second one excluding natural gas.

Figure 3. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

Figure 4. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

The value balance decreased substantially till 2008 and in 2010-2011. It amounted to PLN -48.82 billion in 2012 and improved significantly in 2013 – amounted to PLN -41.56 billion. The quantity balance was quite constant in 2004-2005 and then has been declining till 2008 and in 2010-2011. There was significant improvement of the balance in last two years – in 2013 it amounted to -23.31 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2012-2013 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in fuels export (by 3.8 %) and metals import (by 1.6 %). The highest decreases were observed within metals export (by 3.6 %) and fuels import (by 2.0 %). Fuels are still the most important group especially in Polish imports (due to the crude oil and petroleum products) but they are also contributing strongly in exports value (mainly thanks to the petroleum products and hard coal).

Figure 5. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2012-2013

Figure 6. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2012-2013

Regarding quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that fuels export increased significantly in 2013 (by 4.78 million tonnes). Rock and metallic raw materials exports magnitude rose – by 0.85 million tonnes and 0.09 million tonnes respectively. Chemical raw materials export decreased by 0.37 million tonnes in 2013 (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2012-2013 (million tonnes)

Rocks imports dropped significantly in 2013 (by 4.08 million tonnes) while fuels import decreased by only 1.35 million tonnes. There was significant growth observed within chemical raw materials group – by 0.44 million tonnes, while metals import increased by 0.25 million tonnes (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2012-2013 (million tonnes)

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2012-2013.

Total import value in 2013 decreased by 8.74 % and export value by 5.03 % in comparison with 2012. The import value slightly increased in metal and chemical groups (by 1.64 % and 0.39 % respectively) while there were significant drops observed within fuels and rocks – by 11.00 % and 10.93 % respectively. Export value rose by 9.00 % for rocks and by 2.47 % for fuels, whereas there were significant drops noted for chemicals (by 14.80 %) and metals (by 13.33 %).

Total import magnitude in 2013 decreased by 7.34 % and export increased by 17.15 % in comparison with 2012. The import quantity increased within chemical raw materials (by 10.00 %) and metals (by 2.72 %). There were significant drops in two other groups - by 38.53 % within rocks and by 3.32 % within fuels. The export quantity increased within three groups of mineral raw materials – by 25.84 % (rocks), 23.43 % (fuels) and 2.82 % (metals). Chemical raw materials export decreased by 8.58 %.

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There where 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Regarding the exports directions, the highest value was reached by raw materials export to Germany. The export value to this country amounted to PLN 14,601 million, which constituted 26.52 % of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were Czech Republic (8.48 %) and Netherlands (6.91 %) (Figure 9). The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 23,078 million (41.91 % of the total export value).

Figure 9. Polish raw materials export in 2013, by countries

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2013 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 61,899 million, which constitutes 64.07 % of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (6.39 %) and Norway (3.69 %) (Figure 10). The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 71,639 million (74.15 % of the total import value).

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2013, by countries

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński

2012

Exports and imports of mineral raw materials

Information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by Polish Custom Service. These data come from special custom statements - SAD (in case of the trade turnover by European Union countries to/from non-EU countries) and INTRASTAT (in case of export and import within EU). Information is prepared according to Combined Nomenclature (CN), which is deeply connected with the international classification system named Harmonized System - HS. Combined Nomenclature is the obligatory one in Polish Customs Tariff since 1991. The Combined Nomenclature is the part of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) which was established by virtue of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Regulation (EC) No 1789/2003 of 11 October 2003 amended the Regulation mentioned above. The Regulation established in 2003 is the obligatory one in Poland since the 1^st of May 2004.

In 2012 summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland was presented in four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The total magnitude and value of imports-exports of the raw materials as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1.

The data on raw materials turnover in 2006-2012 do not cover natural gas. Data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. Natural gas export in Poland amounts only to dozens million m³ annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of raw materials turnover. The lack of data on natural gas import to Poland brings down the total amount and value of raw materials brought to Poland. Therefore, the balance of mineral raw materials turnover will be higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The total value of the raw materials exports increased by 8.43 % in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 57,977 million (USD 17,740 million) in 2012. The imports value amounted to PLN 105,868 million (USD 32,468 million) and was higher than in 2011 by 5.73 %. The exports-imports turnover balance was still negative and amounted to PLN 47,891 million in 2012 (excluding natural gas).

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2012, were: crude oil and petroleum products (28.58 % of the total import value), hard coal and coal derivatives (17.14 %), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (16.72 %), silver (7.52 %), iron and ferroalloys (6.53 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (4.93 %), aluminum (3.07 %) and zinc (1.48 %).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related to such raw materials as: crude oil (60.35 % of the total import value), petroleum products (12.69 %), hard coal and coal derivatives (4.36 %), iron (3.69 %), aluminum (3.59 %) and copper ores (2.67 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (1.35 %), potassium raw materials (1.21 %), phosphorites (0.92 %) and dimension and crushed stones (0.88 %).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports decreased significantly (by 11.94 %) in 2012 and amounted to 64,586 thousand tonnes, while the export quantity slightly increased (by 2.16 %) and amounted to 31,188 thousand tonnes.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2012

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2012

Table 2 shows values of imports-exports balance of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

It can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remains positive, while for other raw material groups the balance is clearly negative (especially for fuels).

Table 3 shows imports-exports balance quantity of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been negative since 2003, while for chemical raw materials the balance remained slightly positive till 2009 and then dropped significantly in the next three years.

The variation of the imports-exports balance by value and quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4. Due to the lack of data on natural gas there are two versions of the graph presented on each figure – first reflecting natural gas (till 2005) and the second one excluding natural gas.

Figure 3. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

Figure 4. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tonnes)

The value balance has been quite constant in 2003-2004 and then decreased substantially till 2008 and in 2010-2011. It amounted to PLN -47.89 billion in 2012. The quantity balance has been declining till 2004 and in the 2006-2008 and 2009-2011 periods. There were only three years when it rose – 2005, 2009 and 2012. In 2012 it amounted to -33.40 million tonnes.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2011-2012 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increase in the contribution to the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in fuels export (by 0.6 %) and fuels import (by 0.5 %). The highest decreases were observed within rocks import (by 0.5 %) and chemicals export (by 0.4 %). Fuels are still the most important group especially in Polish imports (due to the crude oil and petroleum products) but they are also contributing strongly in exports value (mainly thanks to the petroleum products and hard coal).

Figure 5. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2011-2012

Figure 6. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2011-2012

Regarding quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that fuels export increased significantly in 2012 (by 0.93 million tonnes). Metallic and rock raw materials exports magnitude was quite constant in the analyzed period. Chemical raw materials export decreased by 0.37 million tonnes in 2012 (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2011-2012 (million tonnes)

Fuels and rocks imports dropped significantly in 2012 (by 4.90 and 3.90 million tonnes respectively) while chemicals import decreased by only 0.7 million tonnes. There has been significant growth within metallic raw materials group – by 0.73 million tonnes (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2011-2012 (million tonnes)

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2011-2012.

Total import magnitude in 2012 decreased by 11.94 % and export increased by 2.16 % in comparison with 2011. The import quantity increased only within metallic raw materials (by 8.62 %). There were significant drops in other groups - by 26.92 % within rocks, 13.73 % within fuels and 10.82 % within fuels. The export quantity increased within two groups of mineral raw materials – by 5.63 % (metals) and 4.78 % (fuels). Chemical raw materials export decreased by 7.91 % and rocks by 2.08 %.

Total import magnitude in 2012 decreased by 11.94 % and export increased by 2.16 % in comparison with 2011. The import quantity increased only within metallic raw materials (by 8.62 %). There were significant drops in other groups - by 26.92 % within rocks, 13.73 % within fuels and 10.82 % within fuels. The export quantity increased within two groups of mineral raw materials – by 5.63 % (metals) and 4.78 % (rocks). Chemical raw materials export decreased by 7.91 % and rocks by 2.08 %.

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There where 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Regarding the exports directions, the highest value was reached by raw materials export to Germany. The export value to this country amounted to PLN 13,837 million, which constituted 23.87 % of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were United Kingdom (9.95 %) and Czech Republic (7.72 %) (Figure 9). The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 24,079 million (41.53 % of the total export value).

Figure 9. Polish raw materials export in 2012, by countries

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2012 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 69,998 million, which constitutes 66.12 % of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (6.45 %) and Norway (3.27 %) (Figure 10). The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 80,294 million (75.84 % of the total import value).

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2012, by countries

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński

2011

Exports and imports of mineral raw materials

Information on the trade turnover in exports and imports of raw materials in Poland was prepared on the basis of data collected by Polish Custom Service. These data come from special custom statements - SAD (in case of the trade turnover by European Union countries to/from non-EU countries) and INTRASTAT (in case of export and import within EU). Information is prepared according to Combined Nomenclature (CN), which is deeply connected with the international classification system named Harmonized System - HS. Combined Nomenclature is the obligatory one in Polish Customs Tariff since 1991. The Combined Nomenclature is the part of the Integrated Tariff of the European Communities (TARIC) which was established by virtue of Article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 of 23 July 1987 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff. Regulation (EC) No 1789/2003 of 11 October 2003 amended the Regulation mentioned above. The Regulation established in 2003 is the obligatory one in Poland since the 1^st of May 2004.

In 2011 summary statistic for minerals and mineral commodities in Poland was presented in four groups: fuels, metals, chemicals and rocks. The total magnitude and value of imports-exports of the raw materials as well as for the particular groups of raw materials are presented in Table 1.

The data on raw materials turnover in 2006-2011 do not cover natural gas. Data on natural gas export and import are not available since 2006 due to the confidentiality of the information – according to the Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 3330/91. Natural gas export in Poland amounts only to dozens million m3 annually and the lack of data does not affect the total balance of raw materials turnover. The lack of data on natural gas import to Poland (about 6-7 billion m3 with total value of PLN 5-6 billion) brings down the total amount and value of raw materials brought to Poland. Therefore, the balance of mineral raw materials turnover will be higher than the balance taking into account these figures.

The total value of the raw materials exports increased by 32.28 % in comparison with the previous year and amounted to PLN 53,469 million (USD 18,244 million) in 2011. The imports value amounted to PLN 100,127 million (USD 34,080 million) and was by 34.76 % higher than in 2010. The exports-imports turnover balance was still negative and amounted to PLN 46,659 million in 2011 (excluding natural gas).

The most important, regarding the value of the raw materials exports in 2011, were: petroleum products (23.09 %), hard coal and coal derivatives (21.59 % of the total import value), raw materials and products of copper metallurgy (18.22 %), silver (7.68 %), iron and ferroalloys (7.04 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (4.77 %), aluminum (3.31 %), zinc (1.57 %) and salt and sodium compounds (1.45 %).

The highest values of imports, causing negative balance of the turnover value, related to such raw materials as: crude oil (52.76 % of the total import value), petroleum products (17.42 %), hard coal and coal derivatives (6.40 %), iron (4.10 %), aluminum (4.01 %) and copper ores (2.12 %), potassium raw materials (1.16 %), nitrogen and multi-component fertilizers (1.16 %), dimension and crushed stones (1.06 %), phosphorites (0.93 %), refractory materials (0.35 %), cement (0.28 %) and insulating materials (0.27 %).

The total quantity of the raw materials imports increased significantly (by 12 %) in 2011 and amounted to 73,351 thousand tones, while the export quantity dropped by 4.47 % and amounted to 30,533 thousand tones.

Figures 1 and 2 show the structure of exports and imports in Poland, i.e. total values and shares of various groups of commodities in the international turnover.

Figure 1. The structure of mineral raw materials exports in Poland in 2011

Figure 2. The structure of mineral raw materials imports in Poland in 2011

Table 2 shows imports-exports balance values of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

Speaking about data from Table 2 it can be seen that only for metallic raw materials the turnover balance remains positive, while for other raw material groups the balance is clearly negative (especially for fuels).

Table 3 shows imports-exports balance quantity of particular mineral raw materials groups in last 10 years.

The turnover balance within fuels, metals and rocks has been negative since 2002, while for chemical raw materials the balance remained slightly positive till 2009 and then dropped significantly in the next two years.

The variation of the imports-exports balance by value and quantity for the last 10 years is shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4. Due to the lack of data on natural gas there are two versions of the graph presented on each figure – first reflecting natural gas (till 2005) and the second one excluding natural gas.

Figure 3. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials value (PLN billion)

Figure 4. Balance of Polish imports and exports in terms of mineral raw materials quantity (million tones)

The quantity balance has been declining till 2004 and in the 2006-2008 period. There were only two years when it rose – 2005 and 2009. In 2011 it declined to -42.82 million tones. The value balance has been quite constant in 2002-2004, then it decreased substantially. It amounted to PLN -39,15 billion in 2008, then it rose to PLN -27.75 billion in 2009 and declined to PLN -46.66 billion in 2011.

The percentage contributions of the particular groups of raw materials to the value of exports and imports in 2010-2011 are presented in Figures 5 and 6. The highest increases of the turnover value with respect to the previous year took place in fuels import (by 1.5 %) and fuel export (by 0.8 %). The highest decreases of the turnover value was observed within metals import and export (by 1.2 % and 0.8 % respectively). Fuels are still the most important group especially in Polish imports (due to the crude oil and petroleum products) but they are also contributing strongly in exports value (mainly thanks to the petroleum products and hard coal).

Figure 5. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish exports in 2010-2011

Figure 6. Contribution of mineral raw materials to the value of Polish imports in 2010-2011

Regarding quantity of raw materials exports it can be seen that fuels export decreased significantly in 2011 (by 2.47 million tones). Chemical and rock raw materials exports magnitude was quite constant in the analyzed period. Metallic raw materials export increased by 0.49 million tones in 2011 (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Magnitude of mineral raw materials exports in 2010-2011 (million tones)

Fuels and metals imports have not changed significantly in 2011, but there has been significant growth within rock raw materials group – by 5.78 million tones. Chemical raw materials import increased by 0.45 million tones. (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Magnitude of mineral raw materials imports in 2010-2011 (million tones)

Tables given below show the comparison between export/import values (Table 4) and quantities (Table 5) in 2010-2011.

Total import value in 2011 increased by 34.76 % and export value by 32.38 % in comparison with 2010. The highest import value increase was noted for fuels (by 37.38 %) but there were also significant growths within chemical (by 31.11 %), rock (by 30.44 %) and metallic raw materials (by 23.09 %). Export value rose by 38.63 % within chemicals, 34.38 % in fuels, 29.72 % in metals and only 21.09 % in rock raw materials.

Total import magnitude in 2011 increased by 12.00 % and export decreased by 4.47 % in comparison with 2010. The import quantity increased by 66.36 % within rock raw materials, by 9.68 % within chemicals and by 4.28 % within fuels. There was a little drop in metallic raw materials import (by 0.22 million tones – 2.53 %). The export quantity increased significantly within two groups of mineral raw materials – by 19.37 % in metals and 12.00 % in rocks. Chemical raw materials export increased by only 4.00 % and there was considerable drop within fuels – by 2.47 million tones (11.26 %).

Directions of Polish export and import of mineral raw materials (divided into 4 main groups) are presented in Table 6. There where 25 most important countries selected (according to import/export value).

Regarding the exports directions, the highest value reached raw materials export to Germany. The export value to this country was PLN 14,284 million, which constituted 26.72 % of the total Polish raw materials exports value. Other important countries with significant contribution to the total Polish raw materials exports value were Czech Republic (8.66 %) and United Kingdom (7.85 %) (Figure 9). The total export value to these three countries amounted to PLN 23,115 million.

Figure 9. Polish raw materials export in 2011, by countries

The major part of the mineral raw materials imports in 2011 came from Russia. The import value was PLN 57,605 million, which constitutes 57,53 % of the total mineral raw materials imports value in Poland. Other important countries were Germany (7.87 %) and Norway (4.78 %) (Figure 10). The total import value from these three countries amounted to PLN 70,269 million.

Figure 10. Polish raw materials import in 2011, by countries

Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński