| POLISH INFOMATION AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT AGENCY | ||||||||||
NEWSLETTER July 30th, 2009, Number 133 | ||||||||||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND
FROM THE REGIONS
DID YOU KNOW...?
FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, This week UNCTAD published its survey which provides data confirming that Poland not only has successfully been resisting the current economic crisis but shows also that the country classifies among the top 15 most FDI friendly countries in the world. In the News section we inform about an agreement which was signed by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency and the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and concerns the economic promotion of Eastern Poland. We write also about new investment projects which are to be realized in special economic zones, the Acer’s declaration to create a logistic-service centre in Wrocław and modernization plans for Polish railway stations. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS Poland still attractive to investors The current crisis verified economic attractiveness of investment destinations worldwide. According to a survey conducted by UNCTAD, Poland not only is among the countries which do not suffer effects of the global economic downturn but classifies as one of the top 15 most FDI friendly countries in the world.
On July 22nd, 2009 the UNCTAD published its yearly survey “World Investment Prospects Survey 2009-2011”. This year’s results confirm Poland’s position among the most FDI friendly countries in the world. In fact, the country is the only CEE representative in the group of the top 15 countries attractive for FDI by factors favoring investment. From among countries in the west of Europe it was Germany, France and the UK that managed to enter the group. Investment attractiveness of the countries was evaluated in 13 categories. In several of them Poland performed well above the world average. The country was highly assessed in respect of the size of local market and the growth of market. In that categories the surveyed appreciated also the BRIC countries, Indonesia, Germany, Vietnam and Thailand. Moreover, the surveyed highly appreciated the Polish investment incentive system and the fact that Poland offers an easy access to international markets. From among the new EU member states only Poland and the Czech Republic managed to appear among the top 30 most attractive investment destinations, with Poland in high 11th position. The yearly UNCTAD survey was conducted in the first half of the year and covered 241 transnational corporations. (UNCTAD/ PAIiIZ) Agreement on promotion of Eastern Poland On July 29th, 2009 an agreement concerning the promotion of Eastern Poland was signed by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency and the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP). Promotion activities will be realized in the frame of the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland.
Last year the Minister of Regional Development entrusted the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency with the performance of the measure 1.4 of the OP Development of Eastern Poland. That is why PAIiIZ could now sign a financing agreement to the tune of 86 mln PLN. In order to determine the best activity directions and evaluation of the Programme, specific analyses and marketing research will be carried out. All the activities will be conducted in accordance with a cohesive visual identification system which is to be designed in the first stage of the realization process. The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) is an Intermediate Body of OP DEP. The project will be realized by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency in a close co-operation with the regions. Contractors of specific parts of the project will be selected pursuant to the procedures determined in the Public Procurement Act. (PAIiIZ) Investment panel on the XIX Krynica Economic Forum The XIX Krynica Economic Forum will be held from September 9th to 12th, 2009 in Krynica-Zdrój. During this year’s edition of Poland's most important event gathering politicians, businessmen, scientists and journalists from European countries, an investment panel concerning FDI acquisition will be organized.
The aim of the Forum is to create a friendly atmosphere and favourable conditions for co-operation development in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. “European Solidarity - 20 years after revolution” is this year’s motto. The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency under the patronage of the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies organizes a discussion panel “Investment acquisition in the time of crisis - CEE’s competitiveness” which is to take place on the second day of the Forum. Among the panellists invited by PAIiIZ to take part in the discussion there are Alexandra Rudyšarova - Acting CEO, CzechInvest, György Rétfalviego - Chief Executive Officer, the Hungarian Investment and Trade Development Agency, Ludwik Sobolewski- President of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and Volodymir Lanovyi- former Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister. The discussion will aim to present investment climate in the region of Central and Eastern Europe and the region’s potential 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). For more information visit: www.forum-ekonomiczne.pl. Preliminary panel schedule is available at: www.paiz.gov.pl (PAIiIZ) Go to top... 
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND Acer invests 3 mln EUR in a logistic-service centre in Wrocław The overall cost of the Acer project in Wrocław is estimated to account for 3 mln EUR. The company will open a modern logistic-service centre which will deal with Acer products distribution in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The investment will generate over 300 jobs and is expected to be realized in the upcoming months.
Investor representatives, including the Acer Group customer service director Mario Fazio, visited Dolny Śląsk and met with Marek Łapiński, Marshal of Dolny Śląsk. Mario Fazio admitted that the company was considering the Czech Republic and Hungary as possible destinations for the project. Despite that it was the Polish region of Dolny Śląsk that results to be the best place for the investment. - We chose the region for several reasons. First of all, because of well-developed infrastructure, high standards of technology universities located in the region and the well-educated, competent personnel. We also enjoyed a strong support on the part of local business circles - said Mario Fazio on a press conference.
Mr Łapiński emphasized that the project contributes significantly to the construction of a knowledge-based economy and helps implement new technologies in the region. - It is the innovativeness of the project that besides the new workplaces which will be generated, constitutes its strongest point - said Mr Łapiński. The centre is planed to be completed by November 2009. In the second quarter of 2010 Acer will also launch light production i.e. mainly notebook assembly. In order to start the investment Acer will use 20,000 sq m of rented space in newly constructed industrial space in Wrocław. Acer offers a broad range of PC products and spare parts. The company has been hiring 5000 employers all over the world. (Dolny Śląsk Marshal's Office) MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS 27 mln EUR for five regions in the east of Poland The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) informed that 27 mln PLN will be allocated to five Polish regions situated in the eastern part of the country. The money comes from the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland (OP DEP).
Till the end of June PARP was accepting applications for additional financing in the frame of DEP. The subsidies were granted to 24 entities operating in five of the regions covered by the Programme i.e. Świętokrzyskie, Podkarpacie, Lubelskie, Podlaskie and Warmińsko-Mazurskie. PARP informed that the contest covered three different categories focusing on the development of investor assistance centres, clusters and regional policies. Among those entitled to apply for the grants there were local government associations, cluster co-ordinators and the already existing investor assistance centres. Subsidies can be allocated, among other things, to support regional policy in the form of research and social-economic analyses concerning tourist and culture potential of the regions in the East of Poland as well as to development of Internet websites devoted to the introduction of EU policy cohesion in Eastern Poland. Data provided by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) shows that projects devoted to cluster development (16 applications) and connected to regional policy creation (6 applications) were among the most popular. Results of the contest will be published in September. If the accepted applications do not use all the available funds, there is a possibility to organize an additional application round at the end of the year. The Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland for the years 2007-2013 has been realized with the use of funds from the European Regional Development Fund and from the national budget of Poland. The Objective of Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland is: ”Hastening the pace of social and economic development in Eastern Poland pursuant to the sustainable development principle”. (PAP) Pharmaceutics investment in Łódź Adamed - a Polish pharmaceutics company plans to invest 35 mln PLN and extend a warehouse and a production plant situated in Ksawerów within the Łodź Special Economic Zone.
The company plans to extend the already existing plant and construct new production space, a warehouse, office blocks and a quality control laboratory. Adamed has been hiring 125 people and declared to create 10 new workplaces. Investment outlays are planned to account for 35.5 mln PLN. The company has already been granted a business activity permission to operate in the zone. The project has much to do with the company’s foreign expansion and plans to introduce new medicines on the market. Moreover, Adamed signals it would be interested in the privatization of Polfa, one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in Poland. Adamed has been producing, among other things, cardiology, pulmonary and gynaecological drugs. The company has also developed 20 patents on their own drug formulas. In the last five years the company allocated over 150 mln PLN to R&D projects. (Łódź SEZ, Gazeta Prawna) New service centre in the Kraków SEZ On July 28th, 2009 the management of the Kraków Technology Park granted a business activity permission to UBS Service Centre (Poland). The company was created as a shared-service centre for entities forming part of the UBS AG Group and has been providing services in data processing, accountancy, bookkeeping and IT.
UBS declared to create over 250 workplaces and to invest over 1.5 mln PLN. The investment will be realized in Zabierzów sub zone on a lot which was included in the zone on the strength of the regulation of the Council of Ministers from April 14th, 2009. It is worth emphasizing that although the sub zone measures slightly above 7ha, it will host businesses which may jointly generate more than 2250 jobs for qualified employees in the field of finance and IT sector. (KPT) A new railway station in Katowice By mid 2012 the city of Katowice will have a new railway station. Polish State Railways concluded an agreement with a Spanish Neinver, which is to finance and realize the invetsment, worth 240 mln EUR.
PKP President Andrzej Wach told the Polish Press Agency that this is the first train station modernization project on such a scale to be realized in Poland. Among other cities which plan to introduce similar initiatives there is Kraków, Wrocław, Gdynia, Poznań and Warszawa. The agreement was signed in the presence of the Minister of Infrastructure Cezary Grabarczyk. The Minister said that modernization of stations constitutes one of the major elements in railway system modernization schedule. Recently it became possible to co-finance projects of the kind also from the national budget. Despite that the Katowice investment will be realized from private funds. - This is the first project on such a scale in the Polish railways and I am sure other stations wil follow suit. We want to use a similar formula to overhaul the Warszawa Zachodnia railway station - says the Minister and adds that also the construction of a new Dworzec Centralny in Warsaw should be realized in co-operation with private partners. The project of the new Katowice-based station was presented during the agreement signing ceremony. The most valuable and oldest elements from the beginning of the 1970s will be preserved and incorporated in the new construction. The Katowice-based station classifies among the biggest stations in the country (round 400 trains every day). The station sells round 3 mln tickets annually and provides services to round 9 mln people. (PAP) DID YOU KNOW...? Six Polish universities to create a quantum laboratory Scientists from six Polish universities dealing with quantum technologies set up a consortium. Thanks to the initiative the scientists obtained 50 mln PLN in EU subsidies and will now be able to buy new equipment.
Quantum technologies rise big hopes. The technologies may exert significant influence on the development of numerous disciplines e.g. meteorology, navigation, materials engineering, health care or environment protection. Universities all over the world have been conducting research in the field. Research in the field has been done also in Poland. Now the National Quantum Technologies Laboratory was established by six universities i.e. the Warsaw University of Technology, the Universities from Warsaw, Kraków, Toruń, Gdańsk and Łódź together with the Institute of Physics at the Polish Academy of Sciences. University of Warsaw acts as the project’s co-ordinator and on behalf of the consortium filed an application for additional financing from the OP Innovative Economy. Due to the fact that the project was highly evaluated the received financing accounts for 47.5 mln PLN. New equipment will be distributed among the already existing 15 laboratories. Moreover, 4 new laboratories will be constructed. Some of the machines will be available for use this year and the rest in 2010. The most important aspect of the initiative consists in that scientists will now be able to more effectively co-operate and avoid repeating the already done research. Participants will also create an Internet website to streamline information exchange. (Gazeta Wyborcza) 
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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