| POLISH INFOMATION AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT AGENCY | ||||||||||||||
NEWSLETTER July 2nd, 2009, Number 129 | ||||||||||||||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND
FROM THE REGIONS
DID YOU KNOW...?
FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, In this issue we particularly recommend to read an account of the official opening of the PAIiIZ European Funds Information Point and about the finals of the contest on the best PPP projects which took place last week at the PAIiIZ information Centre. Moreover, we inform about several new foreign investments acquired by the Łódź, and Kostzryn-Słubice Special Economic Zones. Pay attention also to the account of the investment forum in Lublin and the information on an understanding concerning foreign investment support in the region signed by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, the management of the Łódź Voivodship and the Łódź SEZ. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS European Funds Information Point at PAIiIZ opened The official opening of the Point took lace on June 30th, 2009 at the PAIiIZ Information Centre. The event offered an opportunity to present the measure 4.5 of IE-OP - Support for investment of considerable importance to the economy - a measure of key importance for the Agency’s partners.
- Poland does have the chance to stand out from the rest of European countries and to become a relative winner in the fight against economic crisis - emphasized Sławomir Majman, Member of the PAIiIZ Board. Effective usage of European funds may result to be one of the ways to tackle recession. Information Points were created to streamline the process. A Central Information Point, 16 points at Marshal Offices and over 90 local points will be created in the frame of the “European Funds Information System 2007-2013”. The system envisages also several specialized points, like the one in PAIiIZ. The Points provide information on financial subsidies distributed from the Operational Programmes on Innovative Economy, Infrastructure and Environment, Human Capital, Development of Eastern Poland and other Regional Operational Programmes. In the EU financial perspective 2007-2013 over 60 mld EUR was allocated to Poland. The greatest part of the funds i.e. 43% was allotted to the OP Infrastructure and Environment. The Innovative Economy - Operational Programme received 11% of the total of the funds. Within the programme 2 mln PLN was allocated to the 4.5 measure supporting production industry and R&D centres. - At the moment not more than 15% of the support has been used - observed Rafał Baniak, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Economy. I am glad we can inaugurate the Information Point and I believe the surplus of funds will be effectively distributed - added the Minister.
- Support may be provided to entrepreneurs who operate and have their seat in Poland. Entrepreneurs should also be able to guarantee project's results durability during at least 5 years and in case of SME up to 3 years after the end of the project. It should be emphasized that the subsidies may be combined with public financial aid provided by other resources, provided the subsidies do not exceed limits indicated in the regional aid map. - explained Ms Agnieszka Łukaszewska-Wojnarowska, director of the PAIiIZ Regional Development Department. The low percentage of structural funds usage results from several factors. Magdalena Burnat-Mikosz, Partner at Deloitte Tax Consulting, focused on the difficult entry criteria e.g. the requirement of providing as many as 200 workplaces in the production sector for a period of 5 years, detailed financial plans or a difficult to prove innovativeness. - On the other hand, the criteria make the 4.5 measure less popular thus increasing the chances of entrepreneurs who decide to apply for this kind of support - she observed.
The process of acquiring structural funds in the frame of the sub-measure 4.5.2. in the Innovative Economy OP was discussed by Ewa Wiśniewska whose company Laboratory & Co applied for the funds. The aim of the company’s project was to construct a Research&Development Centre where a unique base of indicators concerning advertisement and based on psico-physical reactions to advertisements was devised. - It was the creation of a detailed 2-year budget that constituted the major difficulty in the whole process. The project proved successful due to its innovativeness, a high percentage of college-educated employees and experts in neurophysiology as well as the creation of 56 stable workplaces - emphasized the director of Laboratory & Co. The company received 50% of qualified costs i.e. over 6.2 mln PLN. At the end of the meeting Minister Rafał Baniak cut a ribbon and officially opened the European Funds Information Point. The Best PPP projects awarded Between June 25-26, 2009 the PAIiIZ Information Centre hosted participants of the conference “Good practices in PPP” organized by Investment Support. Results of the III edition of the contest were published on the first day. Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency acted as a patron of the contest.
Prizes were handed in by Adam Szejnfeld, Deputy-Minister of Economy. The Minister emphasized that hopes are high that projects realized in the frame of public-private partnership result successful. Mr Szejnfeld estimates PPP projects next year may be jointly worth several billion euro. - Numerous foreign companies, among others from Italy and Spain, signal interest in this kind of investment initiatives. Against all appearances, economic downturn does not hamper PPP projects. Quite the contrary, slowdown in economy opens new perspective for such projects. There is hardly any safer investment than a project co-financed from public sector - said Minister Szejnfeld. This year the contest had three categories: communal infrastructure, sport-recreation infrastructure and small PPP i.e. projects involving less that 10 mln EUR. The commune of the town of Sopot, won in the category of communal infrastructure. The commune was awarded for a project "Revitalization of local station surroundings and its communication infrastructure”. The project envisages a construction of a two-storey underground car park, organisation of an underground communication system, modernization of nearby roads, construction of two roundabouts, rearrangement of green space as well as a new hotel and six shops. - The project plans to develop 17,000 sq m of the area. Investor will then be able to rent office space in the newly constructed buildings what will improve the situation in the fast developing sector of renting space in the town - said Sopot’s president.
In the second category, the Kraków urban commune got a prize for a project "Extension Plan for the Sport and Recreation Centre ">Kolna<”.Construction of the centre began in 2000. To date, two out of four investment stages have been realized including a mountain canoeing track, a sports hall and a swimming pool. The facility is open to residents and tourists as well as to professional sportsmen as it forms part of the Olympic technical resources complex. The 3rd stage, construction of a hotel, has currently been realized. The last stage envisages construction of a playing field and a tennis hall. For the last two undertakings the City Council has been looking for a private investor to co-operate in the PPP frame. The third category saw the City Council of Płock awarded for a project of a multi-storey car park which is bound to solve communication problems in the centre and the city’s old town. Shops and restaurants are planed to be located in two underground floors while cars will be distributed in the three overground floors. The projects will be promoted on the international Investment Forum which is to be organized by Investment Support this autumn. Additionally representatives of the winning projects will take part in a study tour to France. The tours will be financed by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (PAIiIZ) Go to top... 
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND Gedia develops investments in Nowa Sól
Gedia Assembly Poland starts production in the Nowa Sól sub zone of the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone. The company bought a 7.3 ha lot and plans to build a factory which would support car parts production.
The company plans to invest at least 19 mln EUR. The project should result in the minimum of 150 jobs. The factory will be constructed by, at the latest, the end of next year. Gedia Polska has been present in Nowa Sól for several years now. The company hires 900 people and produces aluminum car parts for a variety of car makers. Gedia Poland Assembly is not only an assembly line but a well-developed production facility with IT and accounting services, a call centre and a research and technical analysis centre. (Kostrzyn-Słubice SEZ) New investor in the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone On June 24th, 2009 the management of the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone issued a new business activity permission to AGROPIN.
Agropin, a company with Polish capital, bought an investment lot in Słubice sub-zone where it plans to Słubice’s perfect location in the vicinity of the A2 highway and close to the Polish-German border in Świecko make the town attractive for logistic companies who produce for West European markets. For more information go to www.kssse.pl (Kostrzyn-Słubice SEZ) New investor in Tomaszów Mazowiecki Łódź SEZ issued 11th business activity permission this year. Thus the joint amount of investment outlay declared by investors this year exceeded 285 mln PLN and the planed number of workplaces to be created reached 740.
Wagran declared to invest at least 9.5 mln PLN and hire 40 people in the Tomaszów Mazowiecki sub zone. Wagran was established in 2007. In Tomaszów Mazowiecki the company will construct a factory producing resistant granite sinks. The Łódź Special Economic Zone covers 1162 ha in three different regions, i.e. the regions of Łódź, Wielkopolska and Mazowesze. The zone consists of 41 sub zones. Wagran is the 11th company that decided to invest in the Łódź SEZ this year. (Łódź SEZ) MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS Understanding on foreign investment support in the region The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, the management of the Łódź Voivodship and the Łódź SEZ reached an understanding in the frame of a foreign investment support system.
The Understanding was signed in the Łódź Marshal Office. The document is the first Understanding concluded in the frame of a complex system including all Polish regions which aims at supporting economic development and improving the regions competitiveness through economic promotion and FDI support. Close co-operation between regional Investor Assistance Centres and Special Economic Zones will form an important element of FDI acquisition startegies. (PAIiIZ) Investment-Economic Forum LUB-INVEST 2009 Between June 18-19, 2009 Lublin hosted foreign entrepreneurs participating in the Investment-Economic Forum LUB-INVEST 2009. This is the first project of the type, organized in the frame of a two-year long “Lublin Metropolitan Area - Investor-Friendly”. The forum enjoys the patronage of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency.
The project, co-financed (75%) from EU funds, has been realized by the Lublin City Council and four districts i.e. Lubartów, Lublin, Łęczyca and Świdnik. The major aim of the initiative consist in improving the region's investment image. The first day consisted of a seminar part when outside experts presented the possibilities of establishing co-operation with Ukrainian, Indian and Chinese markets. The second stage of the first day focused on business meetings attended by Lublin and foreign entrepreneurs. In the second day foreign partners visited selected Lublin-based companies. This year’s Forum hosted visitors from Ukraine, the UK, Sweden, Finland, China and India. Jointly over 150 meetings were organized. The 2010 edition of the Forum is planed to take place in June next year. (Lublin City Council) DID YOU KNOW...? LG Display factory in Dolny Śląsk produced its 10th million LCD display Despite the global downturn, LG Display, a Korean LCD monitor producer, has been extending investment in Biskupice Podgórne (Dolny Śląsk). Several days ago a 10th million monitor was produced there.
LG Display, the second largest LCD screen producer in the world, hires almost 1,500 people in its only European factory situated in Biskupice Podgórne and ranks among the biggest employers in Dolny Śląsk. So far the company has invested over 230 mln USD in Poland. In May this year LG inaugurated a new production line and hired over 100 new workers. The facility is now able to produce as many as 650 thousand LCD modules a month. According to analyses concerning the sector, 2009 may see 127 mln monitors produced. In Europe, the major target market for the Poland-based LG factory, TV set sales are expected to rise by 17.5 % and should exceed 41 mln sets. Outside Polad LG Display has factories in Korea and China. The factories generate round 20% of world LCD monitors. (PAP) 
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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