Because of Poland's membership in the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA), commercial exchange with neutral states during the Cold War period was of particular importance for the economy of the country. Austria, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland played an important role in this co-operation. Poland's commercial contacts with the four states had quite a long history, as they commenced with the ending of the First World War, that is, the moment Poland regained its independence after an almost century-long period of oppression.

Economic relations with the four countries listed above were re-established immediately after the end of the Second World War, but beginning in the 1950s the mutual commercial exchange weakened. The Cold War, autarchic tendencies in the foreign policies of communist states, as well as embargoes imposed by capitalist countries on a growing group of goods hit Polish commercial exchange with capitalist states. Consequently, during the years 1950–70 imports from these countries decreased on average by approximately 10 per cent. During this time imports from neutral states diminished as well.

On the other hand, from the early to the mid-1970s commercial exchange with neutral states, as well as with the members of the European Economic Community (EEC) and the United States, grew steadily. This was the result of the particular foreign policy pursued by the group of technocrats who achaved leadership positions in the communist party. They tried to boost Poland's economic growth by forcing the import of goods from the so-called ‘second financial area’, that is from outside the communist bloc.