POLISH INFOMATION AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT AGENCY
NEWSLETTER
September 10th, 2009,
Number 139

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Readers,

We are pleased to inform that Polish-Brazilian co-operation enters a new phase. ApexBrasil, a Brazilian investment agency co-operating with PAIiIZ has just opened its new business office in Warsaw. You will find an account of the event in the News section. Moreover, you will find invitations to events organised by PAIiIZ: to a conference on "Structural Funds for investment - A chance for development of regions" organised by PAIiIZ InfoPunkt and the Ministry of Regional Development and to a press conference devoted to the presentation of the Word Investment Report 2009 prepared by UNCTAD -more on the events in the News section. This week we also inform about new investments in the Wałbrzych and Starachowice Special Economic Zones.

In the Newsletter also news on the Krynica Economic Forum which together with the publication of two investment reports in which Poland improved its position classify among the most important events of the week.

Pleasant reading!

PAIiIZ’s editorial team

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NEWS

XIX Krynica Economic Forum

The XIX Krynica Economic Forum began on September 10th, 2009. This year’s motto is “European Solidarity - 20 years after revolution”. A discussion panel “Investment acquisition in the time of crisis - CEE’s competitiveness” prepared by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency will take place on the second day of the forum.

The Krynica forum, called “Polish Davos” has been for years now one of the most important meetings where economic, globalisation and the the future of Europe have been discussed.

The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency organizes a discussion panel “Investment acquisition in the times of crisis - CEE’s competitiveness” which is to take place on the second day of the Forum. The panel enjoys the patronage of the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies.

The discussion will aim to present investment climate in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and the region’s potential of investment acquisition in the field of the so called new wave sectors. The panel will also attempt to compare investment attractiveness of the region with the emerging markets in Asia (India, China).

PAIiIZ invited representatives of the Czech, Hungarian and Slovak investment agencies to take part in the discussion: Alexandra Rudyšarova- Director General of CzechInvest, Ivan Jukl - CzechInvest Managing Director, Ágnes Kozmaand - ITDH Management and Strategy Director, Ludwik Sobolewski - President of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and Wołodymir Łanowoj - delegate from the Kiev City Council. (PAIiIZ)

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Presentation of the World Investment Report 2009

In Poland the report will be presented on September 17th at 11 a.m. at the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency.

This year’s Report prepared by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is the 9th report concerning direct foreign investment (FDI) in the world. In accordance with the tradition, the Report will be presented in a number of countries all around the world. The main presentation will take place in Geneva. In Poland a press conference devoted to the report will be organised by PAIiIZ.

In order to provide all the conference participants with the most comfortable work conditions, only accredited journalists with a valid press pass will be admitted. Accreditations: Katarzyna.Antosik@paiz.gov.pl, Tel. +48 22 334 99 49 (PAIiIZ)

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ApexBrasil opens a new office in Poland

The growing trade exchange between Poland and Brazil made the Brazilian government decide to promote investment projects run by both countries. That is why Warsaw will now host ApexBrasil business centre. Last year PAIiIZ and ApexBrasil signed a co-operation agreement.

The office in Warsaw constitutes a new phase in the expansion of trade promotion between the countries and forms part of the strategy realised by ApexBrasil. In Warsaw ApexBrasil plans to focus on: providing Brazilian companies with information concerning the Polish market, exploration of export possibilities from the country and business partner matchmaking projects. The Agency plans to support the creation of Brazilian companies’ branch offices in Poland.

It is also worth emphasizing that the centre's key tasks include promotion of Polish investment projects which stand the chance of being realised in Brazil. In turn, the Warsaw-based office will enable the Agency to actively operate in the whole CEE region.


Adam Szejnfel -Secretary of State in the Ministry of Economy and Agnieszka Łukaszewska-Wojnarowska - Director of the PAIiIZ Regional Development Department. (Source:PAIiIZ)

The opening ceremony of the office, which took place on September 4th, in the Multimedial Centre Foksal was attended by: Carlos Alberto Simas Magalhaes - Brazil’s Ambassador for Poland, Adam Szejnfeld - Secretary of State in the Ministry of Economy, Agnieszka Łukaszewska-Wojnarowska - Director of the PAIiIZ Regional Development Department and Gilberto Lima - Coordinating Director of ApexBrasil Office and Piotr Kulka, Director of ApexBrasil Office in Poland who opened and chaired the meeting.

The value of Polish-Brazil trade exchange has been gradually increasing for last years. 2008, saw the most significant upsurge - the overall value of exchange amounted to USD 859 mln . Among the products which Poland tends to import from Brazil there are: car components, soy, coffee, wood and cigarettes. Polish companies in Brazil mostly sell chemical articles, coal, steel and car parts.


Gilberto Lima Junior - Coordinating Director of ApexBrasil Office in Warsaw. (Source: PAIiIZ)

Brazil, similarly to Poland, has not suffered from the global economic crisis to such an extent as the United States or other hard hit countries. Last months Brazil recorded even a reduction in public debt. In addition, this country managed to maintain a fiscal stability and the inflation seems to be under control. In the first quarter of the year the consumption increased by about 0.7 %. The average increase in industry production between January and April 2009 accounted for 1.5%. Since mid 2008 retail trade continues on the rise.

Brasilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency runs Business Support Centers in Miami, Dubai, Warsaw, Havana and Beijing. These are supposed to take care of companies which are going to open foreign branch office, to store their products and to give possibility to use their office infrastructure. The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency and ApexBrasil have signed an agreement on co-operation in January 2008. In the agreement the agencies commit themselves to support and strengthen trade, investment and economic bounds between the countries. (PAIiIZ)

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Conference "Structural Funds for investment - A chance for development of regions"

Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency and Ministry of Regional Development are kindly inviting to participate in a conference related to possibilities of co-financing of investment from European Funds. The conference will be held in the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency’s Information Centre, 12 Bagatela Street in Warsaw between 11:00 and 14:30.

The conference will be dedicated to possibilities of support from the countrywide and regional Operational Programmes.

The panel will include representatives from selected Implementing Institutions.

During the conference, participants will be given the latest version of the European Funds for Entrepreneurs Guidebook.
The meeting will be translated into English.


If you are interested in participating please call  (+48 022) 334 99 34 or e-mail us at info-punkt@paiz.gov.pl

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INVESTMENTS IN POLAND

Keiper opened a new factory in Skarbimierz

Keiper, a German producer of car components, opened its new production facility in Skarbimierz within the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone.

The facility was constructed on a 10ha lot and will produce structures for passenger car seats, complete truck seats and guide rails for heavy goods vehicles.

Keiper was granted a business activity permission which entitles a company to operate in the Skarbimierz sub zone of the Wałbrzych SEZ „INVEST-PARK” in August 2008. The company declared to create at least 400 new workplaces and will invest PLN 53.5 mln. The project is expected to be completed in December 2010.

The factory in Skarbimierz is the second, after the Świebodzin-based facility, Keiper investment in Poland.
The opening ceremony was attended by company’s representatives from Germany and delegates from the Opole and Brzesko authorities. Beside Keiper also Cadbury which already runs a Skarbimierz-based factory manufacturing chewing gum, plans to open another chocolate factory in Skarbimierz.

This year the Wałbrzych SEZ issued 11 business activity permissions. The issued permissions guarantee that the companies will invest PLN 390 mln and create over 700 new jobs. By comparison, the first half of 2008 saw 18 permissions issued. But last year was record high in terms of investment for the Wałbrzych SEZ „INVEST-PARK”.
Among the most important and biggest investors there are Guardian Automotive Poland, PPHU DEFALIN GROUP, AAM Poland and Sauer Danfoss. (Wałbrzych SEZ)

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MACROECONOMIC POLAND

Ministry of Finance revises growth forecast up

Poland’s economic growth will be higher than it was assumed by the government and will account for 0.9% in 2009 and 1.2% in 2010 - informed the Minister for Finance Jacek Rostowski.

Until now the government’s GDP forecast accounted for 0.2% and 0.5% respectively. (ISB - Euromoney Institutional Investor company) 

  • Exchange rates (as of 10.09.2009):

Buy

Sell

USD

2.7946

2.8510

EUR

4.0727

4.1549


Source: www.nbp.pl

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FROM THE REGIONS

New investment of SeFaKo in the Starachowice Special Economic Zone

“SeFaKo” opened a new assembly hall in the Sędziszów sub zone of the Starachowice SEZ. The investment, worth almost PLN 70 mln, will create 150 new workplaces.

Construction of the assembly hall, which measures 15,500 sq m and its cubic measure amounts to 300,000 cubic meters, was finished on Friday. The investor is going to produce there boilers and other energetic devices which will be composed of components produced in the existing production facility. Besides its assembly functions the facility will serve also a centre for water trails, technical review and product shipment to customers.

The investment included also a social and office block measuring 2,000 sq m, a laboratory for roentgenography studies and a multi-functional technical building. The total area of the facility equals 4.5ha.


Production equipment at SeFAKo (photo: SeFAKo)

The investment is located within the Starachowice Special Economic Zone (Sędziszów). SeFaKo is one of the biggest boiler producers in Poland and produces a wide range of boilers for pulverized coal, liquid or gas fuels. Currently, the manufacturing plant has been employing about 1,200 persons. Thanks to the new investment, SeFaKo wil be able to hire 150 new ones.

The Starachowice Special Economic Zone was established in 1998. By the end of the first half of the current year Starachowice SEZ has issued 74 permissions thanks to which investors committed themselves to invest EUR 381 mln and to create 3,400 new jobs. The area of the zone is developed in almost 63%. (PAP, Starachowice SEZ) 

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ANALYSES AND REPORTS

Poland’s investment attractiveness on the rise

In the latest report “The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010” published by World Economic Forum in Davos Poland improves its position by 7 places. The report is one of the most important publications in the World concerning competitiveness of countries.

Against the backdrop of other CEE countries Poland results to be highly attractive as an investment destination. In this year’s report the country outperformed Hungary and Slovakia in the overall rating (Poland-46, Slovakia-47 and Hungary-58), in the arting of investment incentives (Poland-31, Slovakia-34 and Hungary-45) and the innovation level of economy (Poland-46, Slovakia-57 and Hungary-58).

The Czech Republic remains our main competitor in the region. The country went up by 2 positions in comparison to the 2008 report and now ranks 31 (i.e. 24 in the investment incentives category and 26 the innovation level category).

The report indicates common challenges which appear in the assessment of all the countries in Central-Eastern Europe. Among the issues which respondents indicated as the region’s major drawbacks there were: tax regulations, bureaucracy, difficulty in accessibility to financing for investment. The Report is one of the most influential publications describing economic and investment conditions characteristic of 133 economies from all over the world. (PAIiIZ)

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Poland goes up in the Doing Business 2010 ranking

The latest World Bank’s  ranking Doing Business saw Poland at 72nd position i.e. 4 positions higher than last year.

Questionnaires, which determine the ranking, concerned investment conditions and the climate for business activity management in the surveyed countries. This year the survey was conducted in 183 countries all over the world. Thanks to the questionnaires both domestic and foreign companies were given the opportunity to indicate the advantages and disadvantages of managing a company in the economic and legal context of a given country.

Poland’s overall assessment as a place for conducting business improved. Poland went up 7 positions in the ranking. In the category concerning business activity, Poland improved by 28 positions and in the category where the access to finance sources was assessed, mainly to credits, the country went up 12 positions. Among the countries from the Central Europe and Central Asia (regions named according to the World Bank methodology) Poland classified on 16th position.

The Czech Republic ranked on 74th position, Hungary classified 47th and Slovakia 42nd.

The report will officially be presented during the Krynica Economic Forum. (PAIiIZ)

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DID YOU KNOW...?

Competition for journalists "Don’t miss changes in the East"

The competition, which started on September 3rd, “Don’t miss changes in the East” is geared towards local media journalists from Eastern Poland and representatives of country-wide professional media.

The aim of the competition is to show the impact of investment financed from European Union founds on inhabitants of this macro region.

Articles, broadcasts and programmes should make it possible and easier for inhabitants of Eastern Poland to gather information about changes which were triggered in their regions by projects financed from EU funds. Only materials published between January 2009 and December 20th, 2009 qualify for the competition. Publications and programmes will be assessed in four categories: press article, radio broadcast, TV programme and a publication on the Internet. The competition is directed to journalist from the five Eastern regions: warmińsko-mazurskie, świętokrzyskie, podlaskie, lubelskie and podkarpackie as well as country-wide professional media. In each category laureates will be awarded either money or an award together with a statuette designed and made by students from the Academies of Fine Arts situated in the regions.

The competition is organised by Ministry of Regional Development which acts as the Management Institution of the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland. The competition is held under the patronage of the Polish Press Agency (PAP), the Association of Polish Journalists and the Polish Robert Schuman Foundation and enjoys media patronage of the Press monthly.

For more details go to: www.nieprzegapzmian.pl. (PAP)

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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
Polish Infomation and Foreign Investment Agency www.paiz.gov.pl