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Poland is home to the largest economy in Central and Eastern Europe and continues to grow. The Polish GDP in 2025 is $980B. Excluding 2020, the country has grown in GDP every year since 1992. This resilient and competitive economy is led by strong performance in the sectors of food & beverage, automotive, chemicals, electronics, and furniture. Poland is an advanced manufacturing hub in Europe, meriting a need for new technologies and materials via imports. Innovation and modernization projects are occurring in the agricultural, defense, and transportation sectors, while demand increases for clean energy. Given the country’s NATO membership and geographic location, Poland’s military is important globally and provides numerous opportunities for trade engagement. U.S. exporters will benefit from local expertise and experience as they navigate these markets, but Poland’s sizeable business and consumer markets are generally open to many industries and products.

Known as the “Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe”, Romania provides a plethora of opportunities for exporters in technology, defense, energy, and healthcare sectors. Momentum has slowed slightly, but Romania continues to make strides toward the European Union average GDP per capita. Romania is the largest Balkan country and boasts a highly educated workforce, particularly in information technology – it has the 6th highest density of IT professionals in the world. The country is a hub for agriculture given its extensive natural resources. Romania is making efforts to modernize its military, healthcare system, and educational system and pursue renewable energy sources. While knowledge of the regulatory framework via a local representative may be helpful, exporters in any industry can find success in Romanian markets with a strong value proposition.

In 2025, the talk of tariffs and trade deals has dominated headlines. The U.S. imposed substantial tariffs on many goods from virtually all countries earlier this year but quickly pulled back some tariffs in the hopes of negotiating new trade deals. So far, the U.S. has implemented an economic prosperity agreement with the United Kingdom while other deals remain pending at the time of writing this. In addition to trade deal negotiations, the U.S. is currently reviewing several U.S. unilateral programs, including the Caribbean Basin Initiative and the African Growth and Opportunity Act.