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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND
FROM THE REGIONS
DID YOU KNOW...?
FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, This week PAIiIZ and the Ministry of Regional Development presented the latest version of “The EU-funds for entrepreneurs” guide. Also this week the Agency together with the Ministry of Economy and Polish special economic zones organized a conference during which corporate social responsibility principles in Polish SEZ were discussed. Moreover, we write about the initiation of the Ford Ka production in Tychy and the plans to create a Małopolska Information Technologies Cluster. At the end of this week’s edition you will find information on Poland’s International Energy Agency accession. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS “European Funds for Entrepreneurs” - a seminar The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ) together with the Ministry of Regional Development (MRR) organised a seminar devoted to the possibilities entrepreneurs in Poland have to obtain EU subsidies. The meeting which took place on September 29th at the Novotel hotel in Warsaw served also as an opportunity to present the latest PAIiIZ and MRR edition of “The EU-funds for entrepreneurs” guide.
The seminar was geared towards Polish and foreign business entities interested in obtaining subsidies from EU-funds. Iwona Chojnowska, Director of the PAIiIZ Foreign Investment Department presented investment incentives available in Poland including tax exemptions offered by the special economic zones, governmental close-end grants and training enticements. Bożena Lublińska - Kasprzak, Deputy to Chief Executive Officer of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development discussed activities undertaken in the frame of operational programmes for human capital, investment and research and development activities. Szymon Rozmus, a representative of the Ministry of Economy familiarised the participants with the details of subsidy application process within, popular among big investors, measure 4.5 of the Operational Programme - Innovative Economy (IE OP). In turn, Ms Agnieszka Rendemann form the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management, an institution implementing a variety of priorities within the - Infrastructure and Environment (IaE OP) focused on grants for environmental protection projects. The latest edition of “The EU-funds for entrepreneurs” guide, an effect of joint efforts on the part of PAIiIZ and MRR, was also presented on the seminar. The guide has been the first publication on the Polish market to encompass a comprehensive set of information concerning the realization of priorities within operational programmes geared towards entrepreneurs, institutions and business environment. The publication includes addresses of institutions working on the implementation of the programmes, the amount of possible funding, case studies of projects and assessment criteria. To date, the publication has been available in Polish and English, French and German versions of the guide are expected to be issued soon.
Mr Jarosław Pawłowski, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Regional Development and Mr Paweł Wojciechowski, PAIiIZ President attended the meeting. Minister Pawłowski emphasized that round one third of EU funds is allocated for entrepreneurs’ support and added that the present version of the guide is to be continually updated. Mr Paweł Wojciechowski, the moderator of the meeting, informed also that the Agency has recently become a beneficiary of the Operational Programme - Development of Eastern Poland (EPD OP) co-financed from EU funds. EU funds have been enjoying a considerable interest on the part of entrepreneurs. President Wojciechowski announced planes for the creation of an information and consultancy point for entrepreneurs interested in obtaining detailed information concerning the EU funds application process for investment projects. The information point is to be set up in PAIiIZ at the beginning of 2009. (PAIiIZ) Go to top...
Corporate social responsibility in SEZs A conference on “Social Environment in Special Economic Zones” co-organised by PAIiIZ, the Ministry of Economy and the Foundation CentrumCSR.PL took place on September 30th in Warsaw. The meeting attracted numerous participants interested in corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The aim of the conference was to promote the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and to signal the need of defining best practices concerning building relationships between foreign investors operating within special economic zones (SEZ) and both the local community representatives and local administration. The meeting, opened by Mr Rafał Baniak, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economy and Mr Paweł Wojciechowski, President of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, was attended by management and investors’ representatives of the Katowice and Starachowice SEZ as well as by delegates from the Polish Humanitarian Organization, Podkarpacie Chamber of Commerce, the University of Opole, the Polish Directors Institute and the organizers’ delegates.
PAIiIZ has been acting as the Poland's OECD National Contact Point (NCP) since 2001. One of the Agency’s goals consists exactly in the promotion of the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises publication. In fact, the Guidelines have been gaining in significance and exerting ever greater influence on companies and their CSR policy-making. Corporate social responsibility is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities beyond their commercial interests. In the increasingly conscience-focused marketplaces of the 21st century, CSR develops not simply to satisfy social expectations but because companies themselves perceive such approach to be essential in their policies. (PAIiIZ) Go to top...
PAIiIZ to become a partner of the Faculty of Economic Science of the University of Warsaw The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency became a content-related consultant in the field of post-graduate studies in “Territorial Marketing - regions' and cities' development promotion” on the University of Warsaw.
The aim of the study programme is to familiarise students with the know-how and practical skills of economic management of destination competitiveness. Polish self-governments need appropriate management and promotion in order to effectively attract investments, tourists and human capital. The post graduate programme of studies organised under the motto of “Destination competitiveness through territorial promotion.” is thought as a useful tool to help develop effective regional promotion. Students are expected to learn about ways of investment attractiveness rising techniques, image building strategies, policies of tourist attraction and image and brand management. Lectures and classes are planned to be conducted in the most possible interactive way, among others, in the form of workshops devoted to regional attractiveness analysis and city promotional strategy planning case studies. Application deadline is October 31st. For more information please got to: http://www.wne.uw.edu.pl/jgorski/podyplomowe. Go to top...
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND Agreement signed on the creation of the Małopolska Information Technologies Cluster On Wednesday, October 1st the management board of the Kraków Technology Park and the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) signed a contract concerning the preparation of a project entitled “Kraków Technology Park development into an Information Technology Cluster.”
The project is to be realised in the frame of the Operational Programme - Innovative Economy 2007-2013 (IE OP) measure 5.3. The initiative stands a good chance of resulting in the creation of an office and laboratory centre in Pychowice (jointly measuring 12 000 m2) geared towards companies, institutions and R&D centres active in the broadly understood field of Information Technologies. The project is estimated to cost round 110 million PLN. The recently signed agreement constitutes a very important step in the process of the Małopolska region’s modern economy development. It is also worth remembering that the Kraków-based Technology Park’s project has been included in the Ministry of Regional Development list of key investments. It is the perfect co-operation among the new Park’s management board, universities and local authorities that contributed substantially to a successful preparation of the project’s concept and funds acquisition for the project’s realisation. The fundamental mission of the Kraków Park is to support the region’s economic development. The park manages local special economic zone and contributes to the implementation and promotion of initiatives involving highly advanced technologies. (Kraków Technology Park) Tychy-based factory launches a new Ford Ka production Production of the new Ford Ka has just been launched in Tychy. An estimated amount of 120 000 cars is expected to leave the factory every year.
Production of the new Ford Ka, a twin model of the well known in Poland Fiat 500, was officially launched on Thursday September 25th. Out of over 200 million EUR which was invested in the project, 100 million was allocated directly to the creation of the Poland-based factory. Investment costs included the organisation of a new paint and welding shops and a assembly room. Ford’s Europe deputy president, Wolfgang Schneider does not rule out the possibility of launching the manufacture of other Fiat models in the Tychy-based factory. Thanks to the new model’s production the factory’s staff number rose from 1.5 thousand to 5.7 thousand and a further increase by 800 employees was declared in connection with the Ford Ka production. By the end of the year 20 thousand cars will have been produced. According to the overall plans the estimated period of the model’s production in Poland accounts for the next ten years with the production reaching 120 thousand cars and a joint amount of 600 thousand vehicles leaving all the Tychy factories annually. While the personal and delivery car production in Poland in 2007 accounted for 700 thousand entities, in 2008 it reached 870 thousand items, from which round 98% of the production is exported to the EU markets. (Rzeczpospolita, Samar) MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS Education and research centre to be created in Silesia The city of Chorzów will host a Silesian Cross-University Education and Interdisciplinary Research Centre (CEBI). The idea originetd in the University of Silesia yet other local universities also take part in the initiative i.e. University of Economics in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, Silesian Technical University and also Central Mining Institute and the Occupational Medicine and Public Health Institute in Sosnowiec.
The idea behind the project consists in integrating the region’s cadre and aims at an effective accumulation of local experience in academic fields where research standards meet world research criteria. The centre will conduct educational and research activities in three main fields i.e. health, new technologies and science. The facility will be fitted out with modern equipment offering academic development possibilities and opportunities for academic-business interaction. Students will have a unique chance to pursue an all-round education and to obtain two university diplomas. The region of Silesia accumulates the second largest, after the capital city of Warsaw, pool of highly qualified academic cadre which till now tended to be rather dispersed among the many region’s academic centres. The planned facility will comprise of 11 laboratory buildings and 2 education facilities located in the vicinity of a motorway connecting the Silesian cities. The cost of the first edifice to be erected is estimated to reach round 104 million PLN and is planned to take up round 18 thousand sq m. The facility will be equipped by the universities and the rest of the needed machinery will be financed from budgets allocated to the realisation of research projects to be conducted by the centre. Undoubtedly EU funds (64 million PLN) and subsidies form the local self-government's budget (20 million PLN) play crucial part in the creation of the centre. There are five universities in Chorzów attended by over 9 thousand students. The Silesian Cross-University Education and Interdisciplinary Research Centre will not only attract a greater amount of students but will also improve the city’s competitiveness against other big academic centres. (PAP, Chorzów City Council) DID YOU KNOW...? Poland becomes a member of the International Energy Agency On September 25th Poland joined the International Energy Agency. IEA accession improves substantially Poland’s energy security in that fellow country members of the Agency declare to make their own countries’ oil reserves available in case of oil supply emergency.
IEA accession entailed an introduction of a set of legal tools that would guarantee the accumulation of an appropriate amount of oil stocks in Poland and also required drawing up a strategy ensuring oil consumption limitations in case of an oil supply crisis. Moreover, the IEA entry enables Poland to take an active part in the Agency’s works on counteracting the negative effects of oil supplies disruptions, energy media usage impact on environment, energetic effectiveness, renewable energy use and clean coal burning techniques. The International Energy Agency was established in 1974 at the request of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). An oil crisis brought about by the Arab-Israeli conflict constituted the main reason behind the creation of the Agency. Poland is the 28th country to join the organization. Actions taken by the Agency in the USA, in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005 may serve as an example of the Agency’s effectiveness. It was the IAE that co-ordinated the struggles to maintain the continuous supply of oil to the region where many drilling platforms, pipelines and refineries suffered serious damages. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)  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 98, e-mail: redakcja@paiz.gov.pl | |||||||||||||
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