Dear Readers,

This week announcements of three new foreign investments of considerable size took place: we write about details of the latest NIDEC undertaking in Niepołomice, IBM’s centre in Gdańsk and Fujitsu Services initiative in Łódź. We inform also about projects realised by the Bureau of the Commissioner General of the Polish Section of EXPO 2010 in Shaghai. A virtual presentation of the Polish Pavilion has been prepared and the Polish mascot’s and a set of gimmicks’ concept projects for the event have been collected.

We invite all interested to take part in two conferences organized by PAIiIZ concerning investment climate and German investments in Poland.

Pleasant reading!

PAIiIZ’s editorial team

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NEWS

The investment climate research, similarly as in the previous years, was conducted by the Gdańsk Institute for Market Economics. In comparison to the year 2007 the general investment assessment has not changed considerably, yet the majority of elements managed to receive a slightly better evaluation. Entrepreneurs are of the opinion that the following elements improved most: political stability, tax rates due to the personal income tax, height of the social security contributions and transport infrastructure.

The second project was new and unique. It was carried out by the DiS Research and Analysis Office at the request of PAIiIZ and consisted in the analysis of Poland-based R&D centres active in the international market. In the course of the research detail information on over 300 centres was collected and gave a clear picture of the big economic potential of the country in the field of advanced technologies, finance, electronics, telecommunications and consulting. Over 45 thousand people active in the sector testify to the fact. Half of them work in the IT connected sphere, one third renders services within call centres and the rest carries out research and development activities. Moreover, the report shows that employment in the field will have been risen to 70 thousand by 2010 i.e. by over 50%. (PAIiIZ)

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The aim of the conference is to highlight the significance of the Polish-German economic relations with special attention on the German investments in Poland and the investment projects development prospects. The meeting will also serve as an occasion for attracting attention of the German investors to the possibilities of starting business activity in Poland. The focus will be on presenting the economic potential of Poland, investment conditions and a case study of one of the biggest German investors present in Poland.

The conference will be attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Economy, German Embassy in Poland and of the Polish-German Chamber of Commerce. The participants will also have a chance to meet delegates form the biggest German companies which invested in Poland, listen to experts specializing in the German investment service and became familiar with a showcase of an efficient co-operation among an investor, a Polish SEZ and a commune.
The meeting will be chaired by Mr Marek Zuber, President of the Dexus Partners Management Board, an economist and financial markets analyst. (PAIiIZ)

The conference will take place on October 29th 2008 in Warsaw at the Novotel Centre Hotel in Warsaw, 94/98 Marszałkowska Str., form 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Participation is free of charge. For more information contact Agnieszka Schütte, Economic Promotion Department; PAIiIZ, Tel. (22) 334 98 01, e-mail: agnieszka.schutte@paiz.gov.pl

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Till November 7^th (2p.m.) projects may be sent in or brought personally to the PAIiIZ seat in Warsaw (12 Bagatela Str.).
The selected project of the Polish EXPO mascot will become an official Polish gimmick during the EXPO 2010 exhibition in Shanghai. It is expected to evoke positive vibes connected with Poland which is not widely known in China.
A perfect mascot should not only be attractive but also in a way coherent with the global vision of the Polish Pavilion project and the practical side of the project realisation. A contract concerning the transfer of the copywrites and the rights to the mascot’s executive project will be concluded with the author of the best project.

The Agency has also been collecting projects for the concept outfit design for the Polish Pavilion’s staff. The theme of the 2010 EXPO exposition will be "Better City - Better Life". Organisers and participants plan to seek answers to three key issues: what city makes a life better, what life makes a city better and what is the development direction for cities to make the world a better place for people?

Poland focuses on the topic of cultural interference in a city, mutual influence between cities and rural areas and the role of family and migration. These are topics directly connected with the role of the most important elements of the modern cities - i.e. residents.

Fore more information go to www.paiz.gov.pl and www.expo2010.com.pl or contact Aleksandra Ptak at aleksandra.ptak@paiz.gov.pl

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INVESTMENTS IN POLAND

The agreement was signed by: the minister Waldemar Pawlak, Shin Akutagawa i Reiner Roessle (Source: Ministry of Economy)

The company decided to operate within the Cracow Special Economic Zone and will offer employment to 500 people, including 130 workplaces geared towards university graduates. Due to the number of workplaces created as a result of the project, the investment will receive a subsidy from public funds. An agreement concerning the grant was signed at the Ministry of Economy on October 20th. The official ceremony during which the contract was signed was attended, among others, by Mr Waldemar Pawlak, the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Rafał Baniak, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economy, Members of the NIDEC’s Management Board and by Mr Paweł Wojciechowski, PAIiIZ President. NIDEC was created in Japan in 1973 and specialises in the production of engines and electric drives for the automotive industry, IT, the machine and household appliances sectors. NIDEC has been operating in Poland for two years now. In 2006 the company took over Valeo Motors and Actuators and started producing engines and electric drivers, consequently offering employment to close to 200 people in Zielonka near Cracow. (PAIiIZ)

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IBM director general for Poland, Dariusz Fabiszewski, officially confirmed that the concern does plan to open a Regional IBM Competence, Research and Development Centre in Gdańsk. The facility is expected to offer employment to around 100 consultants, specialising in SAP and Chordiant solutions. In fact, the recruitment process has already started. The facility is planned to be opened in November this year.

The Gdańsk- based IBM division is thought to render services to the local market and clients from the EU. Yet it has not been ruled out that in the future the centre may also get involved in projects realised in other parts of the world. According to Dariusz Fabiszewski, IBM director general for Poland, the investment is an answer to the market expectations, especially in the face of the global finance crisis and forms part of a wider range of initiatives realised by IBM in Poland.

In 2008 the IBM opened its Warsaw R&D Centre for MSP solutions and a Technology Research Laboratory in the Gdańsk Technology University. Also this year the concern managed to create an entity for supporting companies in EU funds application process and plans to start the construction of a Businesses Continuity Centre in the Polish capital. In the south of Poland, in Cracow, the company has just started a recruitment process for its Software Laboratory and plans to hire 100 people by the end of the year, among others, software engineers are in demand. (IBM Polska)

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The investment is expected to be worth 15 million EUR. In the course of the next three years over 500 people will find employment in the Łódź-based centre. Specialists in business consulting, clients’ business tools improvement and efficiency rates supporting as well as productivity increase by appropriate IT infrastructure provision will be sought.
On Tuesday, October 21st, a seven-year long lease contract was signed in the presence of the city representatives. Thanks to the agreement the company will be entitled to use 4 thousand sq m in an office complex which is planned to be included in the Łódź Special Economic Zone in the future. “The project includes a high-ranking enterprise and world class services which may generate workplaces for highly-qualified specialists and universities graduates.”, said Jerzy Kropiwnicki, the Łódź president at a press conference. “The city of Łódź offers a range of key elements for new investments: industrial culture and the city hall activities geared towards new investors and its efforts in the creation of new workplaces together with the Łódź-based universities known for effective young talents development.“, said David Silitoe, director of the Groups Properties Fujitsu Services. “We hope the centre to become a centre for enhanced net management. The facility is planned to take a shape similar to the Fujitsu Lisbon-based facility.” Thanks to the co-operation between the investor and the Łódź Special Economic Zone, the Textorial Park will soon form part of the economic zone what will consequently enable Fujitsu to take advantage of the SEZ connected incentives and, among other things, pay lower taxes and count on help in getting into co-operation with universities situated in the city.

According to the investor’s representatives, the company decided on Łódź because of the city’s prefect infrastructure, high quality of academic centres and the high language competence of the city’s university graduates. In fact, the company has been co-operating with the Łódź academic centres and has further plans to recruit form among the Łódź graduates. The centre will be opened in February next year and is to resemble the Lisbon-based centre both in size and type of projects connected mainly with the company’s European clients.

Fujitsu Services is a leading IT sector company in Europe. It deals mainly with devising analyses, renders consulting services, integrates IT systems and manages them. The company has clients both in the private and public sectors across Europe, e.g. KLM i BP. The company has an annual turnover of 3.6 million EUR and hires over 19 thousand people in 20 countries all over the world. The company’s headquarter is situated in London. The Fujitsu Services is a European IT division of the Fujitsu Group. (PAP, Łódź City Hall)

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• Favourable economic prognosis from the Ministry of Economy

  The Ministry of Economy (MG) maintains economic growth forecast at the level of 5.5%.

  The Ministry does not change its economic growth forecasts for the current year, despite the fact that the 3rdQ 2008 was slightly weaker than it was previously expected. According to the Ministry’s estimates it is still possible that the 5.5% growth be achieved. (MG, PAP)

• 100 open wi-fi hotspots to be created in Małopolska

  At least 100 free of charge internet wi-fi hotspots will be created in the Małopolska region in the frame of a project realized by the region’s self-government.

  The programme will have been finished by the middle of 2009. Marek Nawara, the Małopolska Marshall, informed that central points of the regions towns and smaller places will be provided with special transmitter making free wireless access to the Internet possible and with cameras sending the registered material to the communes websites and also to the regional internet portal Gate of Małopolska (wrotamalopolski.pl )The estimated costs of the project account for 600 thousand PLN. Both the transmitters and the installation process as well as servicing costs will be covered by the region’s government. (PAP)

• Exchange rates (as of 23.10.2008):

	Buy	Sell
USD	2.9030	2.9616
EUR	3.7254	3.8006

Source: www.nbp.pl

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FROM THE REGIONS

Kielce to be promoted by a Chamber of Commerce

The idea was born in the Kielce City Hall and was initially thought as an association including only several companies. Soon enough it turned out that many more business entities showed their interest in the initiative. Finally, over 60 companies form the region agreed to from a cluster, the Chamber of Commerce - “Kielce Commerce Group”.

All the companies, organisations and associations present on the founding meeting adopted the resolution which called the Chamber into being. Also the Chamber’s statute and the entity’s management was selected. Mr Tadeusz Pęczek, EPRD (Office for Economic Policy and Regional Development) President became the Chamber’s President, Ms Bożena Hetman, Head of a Department at the Kielce Trade Fairs took the position of the Chamber’s vice President and Mr Tomasz Kłosiński, from “Mediateka” Advertising Agency became member of the management board.

The main objective of the cluster consists in co-operation aiming at competitiveness improvement of entities rendering services in the frame of the Kielce trade fairs, strengthening contacts and relations among local companies, representing the interests of its member companies and the promotion of the entire region. In fact, the development of the Kielce Trade Fairs fosters the expansion of the region’s businesses and substantially contributes to the hotel, restaurant, conference, printing, advertising and transport industry development and also generates new business entities related to the dynamic service sector. The fact that the already existing cluster took an official and legal form, enables all its members to apply for EU funds and realise jointly-managed initiatives.

The official inauguration of the Chamber’s activity took place on October 16th. Besides the distribution of founding certificates also a short presentation envisaging the plan and general directions for development of the chamber’s activities for the next year was presented. In the presence of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and Office of the Marshal of Kielce representatives possibilities for the support of the cluster’s activities from the EU funds were outlined. Works on a fund form to apply for grants from the Regional Operational Programme for the Śwętokrzyskie voivodship INNOVATION EXPRESS has been in progress. (Kielce Trade Fairs)

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