Can political climate influence the decision to relocate?

In recent conversations with clients from Poland, political topics have increasingly come up, for obvious reasons, following the election of a new president. Some of my friends have even decided to move to Spain purely for ideological reasons. Although the Polish economy has been booming in recent years, growing faster than in many Western European countries, economics is not everything.

For many, Spain is a different kind of choice, a secular and open country where individual rights and diversity are respected.

Poland was governed by a right-wing administration for most of the past decade. The PiS government (2015–2023), followed by the recent election of another conservative president, signals that the country remains on a path where the Church continues to exert strong influence over public life, and women’s and minority rights remain limited. Under the previous government, relations with the European Union and its core values became increasingly strained. Despite the current government’s efforts to shift course, without support from the new president, building a more secular and inclusive society will be extremely difficult.

Meanwhile, Spain, despite its own challenges, continues to prioritize personal freedom, liberal laws, secularism, social openness, and strong alignment with EU integration and values.

Can the decision to move abroad stem from a deeper disagreement with the dominant values of your homeland? Warsaw may offer higher salaries than Barcelona or Madrid, but sometimes that is not enough, especially when your country no longer reflects your personal core beliefs and principles.

Interestingly, some of my Spanish friends see it the other way around. They feel Spain has shifted maybe a bit too far to the left. Still, when you live with sunshine, tapas, fiestas, and the Mediterranean lifestyle, it is hard to walk away from that, even if you do not agree with everything.