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NEWSLETTER November 26th, 2009, Number 150 | |||||||||||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
FROM THE REGIONS
ANALYSES AND REPORTS
DID YOU KNOW...?
NEWS Wind energy in Poland The report “Wind energy in Poland” was presented on November 25th, 2009 at the PAIiIZ Information Centre. The report was prepared by the consulting firm TPA Horwath in co-operation with the Domański Zakrzewski Palinka Law Firm and the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ).
Poland’s large area and favourable wind conditions make the country one of the most attractive wind farm locations in Europe. In comparison to other European countries, particularly the ones whose use of renewable energy sources is advanced , such as Germany, Spain or Denmark, Poland is only beginning its wind power adventure. This energy source was practically not used in Poland before the year 2000. Recent years have witnessed a substantial growth of the wind farm installed capacity in Poland. The growth between 2000 and 2009 was more the 166-fold. The dynamic development is also confirmed by the creation of facilities with the cumulative capacity of 206 MW in the years 2007 and 2008. According to the Energy Regulatory Office data, the installed capacity of the wind power sector in Poland reached 666 MW. There is a total of 282 licensed sources in Poland. The main location for wind energy investment is a several dozen kilometre wide strip of the Baltic seashore, the region of central Poland and the region of the Carpathians. According to the estimates of the Polish Wind Energy Association (PSEW), there are over 100 entities in the Polish market that acquire investment lots and develop wind power projects.
Nevertheless, the development of wind energy farms in Poland has been hampered by a number of barriers. It is the procedural and legal obscurity as well as problems with installation’s connection to the national energy grid and environmental influence assessment that tend to hamper preparation proceedings of wind power investments and cerate the greatest difficulties. As a result of the existing difficulties, the investment preparation period of such projects reached in Poland the record of 4 years and has until recently, been reserved for people who are prepared to bear substantial financial outlays and tolerate organisational disruption. Procedure liberalisation and a shortening of the wind energy project execution period are expected to be introduced in the foreseeable future. In the context of Poland’s and the EU’s environment policies, it is the responsibility of the Polish legislature to take appropriate measures to remove the existing complications. Some of the changes have already been initiated. PAIiIZ competition: to select authors of Visual Identification System PAIiIZ informs that the deadline for submission of tenders for the Visual Identification System for the Programme of Economic Promotion of Eastern Poland has been extended until December 1st, 2009.
President of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency announces a competition for the creation of the Visual Identification System for the "Economic Promotion of Eastern Poland", a project carried out by PAIiIZ under the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland 2007-2013. Deadline for submission of tenders has been extended until December 1st, 2009. Detailed contest information and documents are available at: Conference: “Legal barriers to the inflow of foreign direct investments to Poland” The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency invites to the conference “Legal barriers to the inflow of foreign direct investments to Poland”. The conference will take place on December 4th, 2009 at 12:00 at the PAIiIZ Information Centre in Warsaw, 12 Bagatela Str.
The conference is organised to present conclusions concerning barriers which hamper foreign entrepreneurs’ activity in Poland. Experts invited to the conference will analyse legal barriers and recommended changes in the fields of: foreigner residence permit in Poland, tax law, initiatives in the formula of public-private partnerships and investment in renewable energy sources. Participation in the conference is free of charge. The conference will be held in Polish. Translation into English will be provided. To register contact Katarzyna Antosik at katarzyna.antosik@paiz.gov.pl. Go to top...
Seminar: Implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency is pleased to invite you to the "Seminar on the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises”. The seminar is a follow up program of the initiative "Implementation of the OECD Guidelines. Responsible Business” and aims at promoting the OECD Guidelines. Partners of the program are BPCC, FOB and CSRInfo.
The OECD Guidelines are one of the basic standards which shape the strategy of corporate social responsibility. This area has been gaining importance and do influence the shape of relationships between businesses and their stakeholders. Therefore, we observe an substantial growth of interest in the topic in Poland. The OECD Guidelines are the most universal document introducing behaviour standards for multinational companies and bringing up issues such as: human rights, sustainable development, employment and labour relations, information disclosure, environmental protection, fight against corruption, protection of consumer interests and taxation. Among institutions invited to take part in the seminar there are representatives of multinational companies in Poland as well as independent civil society organizations, trade unions and NGOs. The aim of the training is to encourage multinational companies to implement the OECD Guidelines and to stimulate civil society organizations and NGOs to engage in actions which could ensure effective introduction of the Guidelines. The seminar will also provide an opportunity to discuss and assess actions undertaken by the OECD National Contact Point in Poland, as well as to discuss ways of making complaints in case of the Guidelines violation by multinational companies and the role of mediator in resolving such conflicts. The seminar will be held on December 8th, 2009 in Warsaw, at the seat of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, 12 Bagatela Str. at 10:00 am. To register please contact Danuta Łożyńska at danuta.lozynska@paiz.gov.pl. (PAIiIZ) Agreement on co-operation in supporting the business services sector The co-operation agreement was signed on November 20th in Warsaw by the recently established Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL), the Minister of Economy and the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency.
The SSC/BPO (Shared Services Centres/ Business Process Outsourcing) sector has been dynamically developing in Poland. In fact, the current economic climate makes more and more companies create their own shared services centres and outsource business processes by external partners. At the moment the SSC/BPO sector (which is estimated to cover around 200-300 companies) gives employment to over 40.000 people and the upcoming 2-3 years may see the number go up to 70.000. The sector’s significant growth created the need to initiate a dialog and to start co-operation among the 16 biggest companies active in the field. In May this year the first association - Association of Business Service Leaders ABSL - representing interests of the sector in Poland was created. - We want to create a common platform for discussion, deepen co-operation with public authorities and help understand the nature of our sector - said Jacek S. Levernes, President of ABSL, on a daily basis, managing director of HP Global Business Centre in Wroclaw. Among ABSL members there are corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Capgemini, Thomson Reuters, UBS, Franklin Templeton, Geoban or Infosys and other centres that deliver services internally to their own companies (SSC) or provide similar services for external clients (BPO). Rafał Baniak, the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economy ensured that all BPO investment projects which wait for government aid are regularly examined. PAIiIZ President Sławomir Majman added that supporting investors constitutes one of the Agency's top priorities. - I declare that PAIiIZ will lay an even greater emphasis on reinvestment support. President Majman stressed Poland’s advantages which clearly show that the country is a good destination for projects in the business services sector. - Poland has more higher education establishment than China. Every tenth student in Europe comes from Poland. And it is exactly in the well-prepared personnel that the country’s real attractiveness can be found. Currently the top 15 BPO localisations list includes four Polish cities. All today’s signatories of the agreement will make all the necessary effort to increase the number of such cities in Poland. Jarosław Czarzasty, director at Thomson Reuters observed that the number of locations prepared to accommodate BPO investments worldwide is on the increase. - For us it is important that Poland continues to be an important investment location for services projects. We want the sector to develop in the country. This sector has good development prospects because SSC and BPO projects usually translate into additional savings for companies, valuable workplaces for qualified people in the whole country and paths for employees to pursue professional career. (PAIiIZ/ABSL) Go to top...
Conference "All roads lead to Russia" The conference took place today at the Sheraton Hotel in Warsaw. The meeting focused on the conditions which influence Polish goods and services access to the Russian market.
The conference was organised by: the Polish-Russian Chamber of Commerce, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ). The main purpose of the meeting was to inform entrepreneurs about how to introduce food products and other commodities on the Russian market, to discuss legal regulations important to entrepreneurs operating on the market and to exchange experiences and information on co-operation opportunities between the Polish and Russian sector of small and medium-sized enterprises. You will find account of the conference in the next Newsletter. (PAIiIZ) MACROECONOMIC POLAND In October, industrial production was lower than the year before and higher than in September According to preliminary data, industrial production in October this year was 1.2% lower than a year before and 1.9% higher when compared with September this year.
The first 10 month of the year saw industrial production decrease by 5.4% y-o-y. In turn, sales of industrial products in October were higher by 0.6% than in the same period last year and last month. Compared to October last year there was a decrease of production sales in the 19 (out of 34) branches of industry, including in production of machinery and equipment, hard and brown coal mining and in the production of metals. The increase in industrial output, compared with October last year, could be observed in 15 industry segments including the production of computers, electronic and optical products, paper and paper products, beverages and electrical appliances. (Ministry of Economy)
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS A Technology Incubator will be opened in Stalowa Wola (Podkarpackie) The project funded by the program Development of Eastern Poland is estimated to cost PLN 18 million. The Incubator will start operating next year.
The manager for EU funds in the Stalowa Wola city council Ryszard Sęczyk says that the main aim of the project is to create friendly and preferential conditions for companies, both those who have recently opened, and those that already exist. - This will be possible thanks to modern devices, that will be installed in the incubator. It will be equipped with high tech treatment and laboratory machines. This will help in different types of experiments, and also trainings for employees which will help introduce them to high tech equipment. The incubator is being created in a newly built 2000 square meter hall - said Sęczyk. Thanks to the incubator, the council of Stalowa Wola wants to attract companies that use the most modern technologies. This will stimulate the development of the local industrial centre and improve its competitiveness. Sęczyk points out, that scientists including those from Rzeszów University of Technology that have already signed agreements will be allowed to use the incubator. - The incubator will open next year in September. There will be a tender to choose the company that will manage it. We are convinced that this project will help raise qualifications of employees in the region and help them meet the demands of the modern employment market. I hope that in the long-run the project will help attract more companies with advanced and innovative technologies - said Sęczyk. The project "Od COP-u do innowacji i rozwoju - Inkubator Technologiczny w Stalowej Woli jako narzędzie rozwoju gospodarki i innowacji Polski Wschodniej (from the Central Industrial Region to innovation and development - the Technology Incubator in Stalowa Wola as a tool to develop industry and innovation in Eastern Poland)" has been financed from the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland. The council of Stalowa Wola will provide 15 percent of the funds. (PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland) ANALYSES AND REPORTS Polish GDP in 2009 will increase by 1.4% Despite deep recession, the Polish economy continues to grow.
According to the OECD report "Economic Outlook" Polish GDP growth in 2009 will amount to 1.4%, next year to 2.5% and in 2011 should reach 3.1%. OECD report shows that economic growth in Poland is influenced by several factors: the monetary policy, currency appreciation, relatively low dependence on international trade, stable banking sector, low private sector debt, tax reduction, other fiscal measures and additional infrastructure investment financed from EU funds as well as infrastructure projects related to Euro 2012 championships. (OECD) Less corruption in Poland Recent years saw Poland improve its ratings in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI). This means the country has been perceived as a place with depleting corruption.
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published by the Transparency International is the most well-known ranking which measures corruption worldwide. The index measures the perceived level of public-sector corruption. The study used a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption). Poland, which in 2000-2005 hovered between 4.1 and 3.4 points in the last three years has improved its position by 21 places. In 2007, the country got 4.2 points in 2008, 4.6 point, and this year received 5 points. This year Poland ranked on 49 place (Slovakia 56 Hungary on 46, the Czech Republic 52). The vast majority of the 180 countries included in the 2009 index scored below five points. Fragile, unstable states that are scarred by war and ongoing conflict linger at the bottom of the index. These are: Somalia, with a score of 1.1, Afghanistan at 1.3, Myanmar at 1.4 and Sudan tied with Iraq at 1.5. Highest scorers in the 2009 CPI are New Zealand at 9.4, Denmark at 9.3, Singapore and Sweden tied at 9.2 and Switzerland at 9.0. (Transparency International) DID YOU KNOW...? Silesian scientists awarded at the congress of the Association of Tissue Banks Scientists from the Regional Center of Blood Donation and Treatment (RCKiK) in Katowice have improved an innovative method of autologous preparation for the transplantation of human chondrocytes, i.e. cells of the cartilage tissue.
The technology may be used in treating damaged knees. The project for a special chodrocyte carrier - a glue based on fibrinogens (plasma glycoprotein) made from the patients blood - that was created by the RCKiK was awarded at the 18 International Congress of the European Association of Tissue Banks (EATB). The project was awarded in the competition for young scientists - said the head of the Tissue Bank in Katowice doctor Henryk Bursig. 250 scientists from Europe, Israel, the USA, South Korea, Australia and Argentina attended the congress which took place at the beginning of November in Kraków. Participants exchanged their views and experiences about current methods and research projects concerning transplanting human cells, tissues and the introduction of advanced therapies. The main prize (500 euro) for the best presentation was awarded to Patrycja Malinowska from the Katowice Tissue Bank. She represented a team of: Aleksandra Wysocka-Wycisk, Dr Fabian Kępski, Henryk Bursig , Dr Dorota Król and Dr Stanisław Dyląg. - The project showed possibilities of stabilizing human chondrocite carriers with the use of gel made from fibrinogens. The project was part of the Katowice Tissue Bank's research on possibilities of transplanting human chondrocites in cases of knee damage - said Bursig. Autologous transplant of chondrocites consists in taking a fragment of undestroyed cartilage, reproducing it with the usage of in vitro methods. The processed cartilage is then introduced in the place of the damaged cartilage. 
Editorial office: Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, 00-585 Warsaw, Bagatela Street 12 Economic Promotion Department, tel: (+48 22) 334 98 15, fax: (+48 22) 334 99 99, e-mail: redakcja@paiz.gov.pl | |||||||||||
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