POLAND TODAY magazine #16

Environmental issues are on the agenda to combat smog and create viable energy solutions. page 46

The whole of Poland is now one big economic zone. Will it spread the wealth? page 50

Egyptian overcomes barriers and builds a new life in Kraków. page 94

New Directions

PRICE: 25 PLN / 7 EUR

photo: Eclipse Images

Education in Poland has overcome a traumatic past and is undergoing a turbulent present.

Can it create a bright future? pages 36-43

Magazine • Portal • Conferences • find out more at www.poland-today.pl

H1 2018 issue No. 16

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editorial

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table of contents

in focus

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Green Report: Legacy to our grandchildren

Inventiost preptaturem qui dolor autem esci beaquis reictate nobitis esequatempor alitam nobiscid mo cus moditas il ilique evellab orumqui voluptate solesti aut apel mosseque ad qui bernatus et que pernam el in nam, velibus enimporrum fuga. Maxim id quis eum que et inciusciet e dolestissi diam ad quaepe nam, incipsantur?

Politics & Economy

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BUSINESS

Face of change 50-52 A level playing field Poland’s government started the new year with a fresh face at the helm, but familiar problems soon re-emerged. Four of Polityka Insight’s team of experts discuss the major challenges facing the country in 2018.

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Echoes of the past

Although his parents never came back to the country they left in 1939, Adam Zamoyski frequently visited the nation of his renowned ancestors. He recalls these evocative trips, and places the issues of today into the context of the past.

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Predictions

Want a heads up on what could happen in 2018? Philip Boyes shares his (less than scientific) predictions for what lies ahead this year.

LEADER

Table of contents

36-43

Education in Poland

To find out why institutional learning in Poland is more than a matter of life and death, you need to understand that for much of its history, it literally was… a matter of life and death.

And despite loud protestations to the contrary, Poland isn’t doing too badly in comparison with the rest of the world. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of room for improvement.

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Filling Poland’s labour gap

Education in Poland. page 36

The demographic problem in Poland is not going to disappear any time soon. In the meantime Ukrainians are helping to plug the hole in the labour market, drawn in ever increasing numbers by rising wages and the demand for workers. But can the government cut down the amount of red tape they and their employers face, and will Poland rev up its efforts to make them feel more at home?

Until now, investors seeking tax breaks and other incentives have been directed to just 14 locations, known as Special Economic Zones – or SEZs for short. Now the whole of Poland is there for the them.

They must, however, offer more than just cash and jobs to get the full benefits.

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Polska Goes Global: exporting tastes

Poland is earning increasing global recognition for its fresh and delicious produce.

And this is an export sector that the whole country can share in. From Zachodniopomorskie in the northwest to Podkarpackie in the southeast, all regions of the country are offering their natural bounties to the world.

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Global goes Polska

It’s not just Poles taking their wares abroad – foreigners are bringing the flavours of their homelands to this country. From an entrepreneurial wine pioneer to the Brittany take on pancakes, we profile two.

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Startup programmes at Campus Warsaw

Not even half a decade ago startups in Poland were rarely heard about, and even more rarely seen. Now entrepreneurs from across the CEE region and beyond are flocking to Poland to take part in competitions and look for investors.

Warsaw is becoming a regional hub, and Campus Warsaw is proving a willing base.

URBAN ISSUES

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Focus on MIPIM 2018

CULTURE & HISTORY

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Eyewitness: Auschwitz survivor and activist

World War II and its horrors seem confined to the history books. Yet Marian Turski, who lived through the eye of the Holocaust, remains active in the world of journalism and humanitarian activism. He has been praised by world leaders, but he remains most impo tant to his family.

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impressions

It happened

Assembling a life in China

Racławice panorama The giant canvas boasts a story almost as dramatic as the battle it depicts. Created in then-Polish Lwów, it was a painting-non-grata during the communist era, but is now firmly ensconced in its home in Wrocław, visited by dignitaries and loved by the public.

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Vincent on the silver screen

table of contents

Poland Today looks back at some of the key business events over the last few weeks, from a gala to honour stars of the BSS industry to a conference which brought inspirational urban changemakers from Chicago and Bilbao to an audience in Warsaw.

80 in June...

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Event Review

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When a young executive took a call asking if she would accept a career move to Beijing, she and her family decided to embrace the unknown. Communicating with Poland Today via Skype, Whatsapp and Facetime, she tells Poland Today that in China they have an app which is all three – and more – rolled into one.

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Filling Poland's labour gap. page 44

Trading Egyptian sands for Polish snow

A young Egyptian man fell love with Poland’s culture after meeting a Polish woman abroad.

The move to Poland has made him more openminded towards local beliefs and customs.

It may not have won the Oscar for Best Animated Film, but the world’s first fully oil-painted feature length film has few peers when it comes to originality and persistence. This Polish production is a labour of love, and loved by audiences in return.

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Piloci take flight on Warsaw stage

Warsaw’s Roma Theatre has proved a hit over the years, but its musicals were usually translated imports from Broadway and the West End. Not many expected a home grown hit, fewer still would have predicted the subjects to be fighter pilots. But the recipe has sparked rave reviews and proved an enormous success.

Echoes of the past. page 30

Green Report: Legacy to our grandchildren. page 46

What is PropTech? page 66

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editorial

'The Ministry of Economic Development has come up with a much-needed act whose aim is to spread the benefits of increasing economic prosperity more evenly around Poland by rewarding investors who set up in areas of high unemployment.'

The interviews with

Richard Stephens

Editor’s Note

Founder & Editor, Poland Today

two senior members of the government in these pages demonstrate that though the government is often – and in several cases, deservedly – criticised, there are several initiatives that are laudable. The Ministry of Higher Education & Science is making substantive efforts to open up universities and usher in a more student-oriented, discussion-based approach, as well as connect academia and business in order to bring higher education in line with the demands of the ‘Industry 4.0’ world. The Ministry of Economic Development has come up with a much-needed act whose aim is to spread the benefits of increasing economic prosperity more evenly around Poland by rewarding investors who set up in areas of high unemployment. They are also being much more picky about who gets incentives, rewarding investments which place a strong emphasis on R&D and high-quality jobs.

How frustrating then, that a ham-fisted law, pushed forward by die-hard ideologies in the ruling elite, should undermine these efforts to make Poland a more open country – and harm its reputation abroad. A nation’s reputation matters greatly in its own right, but it’s also of critical importance for economic investment, both inward (Foreign Direct Investment) and outward (exports). It is right that every effort should be made to combat the careless, lazy or hostile attribution of the World War II death camps, which were on Polish soil through no fault of its own, to Poland. But this should be done by spreading knowledge and discussion, not through legislation. Politicisation of an issue usually backfires, and it’s time the government took this on board.

Tawally Investments Sp. z o. o. SKA

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Founder & Editor Creative Director Online Editor & Editorial Coordinator

Richard Stephens Bartosz Stefaniak Monica Zielinski

Contributors

Liam Frahm Klaudia Siczek Marta Bogacz David Sands Philip Boyes Annabelle Chapman Santa Kraukle Wiktor Doktór Dawid Krawczyk

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Photographs

Polska Agencja Fotografów Forum, Oleh Diakon

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Bartosz Stefaniak www.madeinPolska.eu

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nazwa działu

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in focus

compiled by Santa Kraukle

EUROPE The Independent (UK)

World’s first smog vacuum cleaner placed in Poland

On high-smog days in Kraków, air pollution can exceed safe levels by up to six times.

To help clean the air, Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde created an air purifier called the Smog-Free Tower. The 23-foot-tall structure was installed in February at Jordan Park in Kraków, where it will stay until 15th April.

According to Roosegaarde, it can clean more than 30,000 m3 of air per hour and uses no more electricity than a water boiler. The air purifier can also make jewelry. The fine carbon particles that the tower collects can be condensed to create tiny “gemstones” that can be embedded in rings and cufflinks.

Reuters (UK)

Poland to merge two large oil refiners

Poland’s two biggest oil refiners, PKN Orlen and Grupa Lotos, will merge in order to create a bigger and stronger corporation capable of competing better on international markets.

PKN Orlen and the state treasury signed an agreement to buy at least 53% of shares in Lotos. Shares in PKN and Lotos had risen as investors bet on potential synergies and costcutting after the merger. Daniel Obajtek, President of the PKN Orlen Management Board said, “The merger is needed for multiple reasons: the future of the two companies’ business, creation of shareholder value, national energy security, and the interests of retail customers.”

Deutsche Welle (Germany)

Global news review

Polish university offers course on PiS leader Kaczyński

The University of Warsaw's Institute of Sociology is offering a new course to analyze the country's most powerful politician, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party leader Jarosław Kaczyński. Students will analyse the politician by studying sources from a broad political spectrum. No matter their own political convictions, the students are expected to take into account many different points of view, and write term papers. The course explores questions such as: What makes the leader of the PiS party so successful? How does he steer the government from the back benches, win majorities, and select and drop prime ministers?

ASIA Al Jazeera (Saudi Arabia)

Polish climbing team attempts to scale K2

A team of Polish elite climbers attempted to scale one of the deadliest mountains on Earth. K2 in Pakistan is the only major peak in the world which has never been conquered during winter months, despite first being reached in 1954. Only 306 people have stood on the summit, compared to more than 4,500 on Mt Everest. The Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism provided 1m zł in funding for the trip. The team of 13, led by Krzysztof Wielicki, expects to return in the middle of March.

Update: Denis Urubko, a 44-year-old Russian-Polish mountaineer, was expelled from the Polish K2 team after he abandoned his teammates to reach the summit alone.

He was unable to complete the solo ‘suicidal’ climb and returned to base camp.

Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

Facebook digital training hub in Poland

Social media giant Facebook will open three new “digital learning centres” in Europe, including one in Poland.

The other two locations will be in Spain and Italy. The digital learning centres will offer workshops in digital skills, media literacy and online safety to groups with limited access to technology, including the elderly, youth and refugees. By 2020, Facebook’s goal is to train one million people and provide in-person training for 100,000 small- and medium-sized businesses. Similar centres have been opened in countries such as Nigeria and Brazil.

Xinhua (China)

Nuclear power plants in Poland?

Poland will decide later this year whether to build its first nuclear power plant to lower carbon emissions. Poland needs to invest in a zero-emission energy source to balance out the coal-based power plants that the country wants to continue using as its main source of energy. The construction of three nuclear power units are planned to be built by 2040, costing about 75bn zł in total. The first unit could be launched around 2030 if the decision is made soon. Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski says that the decision will be made in the first half of 2018.

The New Indian Express (India)

Poland broke EU nature protection law

Poland violated EU law by allowing logging in the ancient Białowieża forest according to an official of the European Court of Justice.

Poland's government, however, argued that they were just cleaning old trees as part of forest management. The European Commission took Poland to court last year claiming it was destroying a forest that boasts unique plant and animal life. Białowieża is one of Europe’s last primeval forests and home to 800 European bison, the continent’s largest mammal.

AMERICA VOA News

Poland - One of America’s closest NATO allies

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is focusing on strengthening Washington’s “strategic partnership” with Warsaw. This was one of the main reasons he visited Warsaw at the end of January. “The purpose of the secretary’s trip is really to underscore the importance and the deep alliance and friendship that we share with Poland and the Polish people, especially as one of our closest NATO allies,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

TIME

Polish women protest against abortion laws

Thousands of people protested in front of Parliament in Warsaw and in 50 different Polish cities over the rejection of the pro-abortion rights bill and the progress of the anti-abortion bill. Poland is home to some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the EU. The procedure is only permitted if the mother’s health is at risk, there’s a fetal abnormality, or the pregnancy results from rape or incest. In Poland, about 1,000 legal abortions are performed every year.

Reproductive health organizations estimate that the number of illegal abortions performed is between 10 to 100 times higher.

U.S. News & World Reports

Ex-Georgian President deported to Poland from Ukraine

Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia and now an opposition leader in Ukraine, was deported to Poland before flying to the Netherlands. Saakashvili was stripped of Ukrainian citizenship, but he returned illegally. Since then, he has repeatedly led protests against Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for failing to stem corruption.

Saakashvili was Georgia's president from 200413 and came to Ukraine, as an ally of President Poroshenko, after his presidency ended.

Pereshenko appointed him governor of the southern Odessa region but he resigned from that post in 2016.

RUSSIA Russia Today

Poland plans to end dependence on Russian energy In an attempt to cut its reliance on Russian natural gas, Poland plans to build a pipeline through the Baltic Sea as an alternative to Nord Stream. The project, called Baltic Pipe, was proposed by the ruling ‘Law and Justice’ (PiS) party, and will provide Poland and Denmark with gas from Norway. The final investment decision will be made by this year. If the joint decision is positive, and the environment and construction permits are granted, the pipeline is planned to become operational in October 2022.

AFRICA The Daily News Egypt

Poland fears loss of Ukrainian workers

Starting in June, Ukrainians will have 90-day visa-free travel to the EU, causing concern in Poland that its eastern neighbours will no longer come to Poland for work. Cheap Ukrainian labour has helped contain inflation and boost growth. After Poland’s EU accession in 2004, about one million Poles left to the UK, causing a big gap in the workforce. This gap at home has been filled by Ukrainians and Belarusians.

Now approximately 1-1.5 million Ukrainians work in Poland. “Polish GDP growth in 2017 was 4.6% and without foreign workers, such a high figure would not be possible,” claims Wojciech Konończuk, head of the department for Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova at the Center for Eastern Studies in Warsaw.

Daily Post Nigeria

Lewandowski will not play for Bayern next season

Poland's best striker Robert Lewandowski has rejected the Bundesliga club Bayern Munich new contract. Now he has opened talks with Real Madrid, while Chelsea and Manchester United are also interested in taking on Lewandowski. Despite being under contract until 2021, the football star has hired super-agent Pini Zahavi to negotiate a deal. Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes has called Robert Lewandowski "one of the best three strikers in the world.” Lewandowski has played for Bayern since 2014 and has scored 97 goals in 108 Bundesliga games.

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Tom Hanks loves Polish Fiat. When

photos: BB Oldtimer Garage, LOT Polish Airlines

Snapshot

Tom Hanks posted several photos of himself on social media standing next to street-parked Fiat 126p cars in Budapest, never in a million years did the famous actor think a fan would present him with a Polish ‘Maluch’ for his birthday.

Monika Jaskólska, a resident of BielskoBiała, the town where these cars were made in 1971 until 2000, raised money to restore a 1974 model.

A year after starting the "Bielsko-Biała for Tom Hanks" initiative, Jaskólska personally handed him the keys in LA.

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More than an athlete. Off the

photos: Michal Dyjuk (Forum), Adam Nurkiewicz (MediaSport / Forum), Eric Gaillard (Reuters), Adam Zamoyski

slopes, the 30-year old Olympian is also a business owner.

In 2015 he founded the clothing brand Kamiland. He and his wife also founded KS Eve-nement Zakopane with the aim of training young ski jumpers.

Poland wins gold in Winter Olympics 2018 Ski jumper Kamil Stoch won the first

Ways around the ban

British historian

and author, Adam Zamoyski, shares his views about Poland since he first set foot in the country during communism. His ancestor Jan Zamoyski, was the founder of Zamość, a model Renaissance city in south-eastern Poland. see page 30

First original series in Polish on Netflix

Poland’s shopping ban, effective since 1 March, affects all retail businesses Netflix, one of the world’s leading except online stores, fuel stations, air- internet television platform, started ports, bakeries, pharmacies and flower filming its first originals series in the shops. To avoid staggering growth and Polish language. Directed by Oscarhitting corporate profits, many compa- nominee Agnieszka Holland and her nies are finding loopholes in the new daughter Kasia Adamik, and written legislation which was proposed by the by Joshua Long, the series will conruling Law and Justice (PiS) party last tain eight episodes filmed in various year. According to the law, shopping is cities and regions of Poland. Filming banned two Sundays a month in 2018 started in February in the southern city and next year, the ban will be effec- of Wrocław. The show will follow the tive three Sundays a month, leading to grand tradition of a Cold War spy thriller. a complete ban in 2020 with only seven It takes place in 2002, 20 years after exceptions. Several retailers depend a 1982 terror attack that undermined on weekend shopping for a large part any Polish hopes of independence from of their sales which is why some of them Soviet Russia. The series follows an have devised a plan around the ban idealistic law student and a disgraced by extending opening hours on other secret services officer who together days and improving online stores. The discover a government conspiracy law prohibits trading on Sundays, but aimed at bolstering the authoritarian does not stop stores from being open regime. Agnieszka Holland previously as showrooms. Customers can browse collaborated with Netflix on a few epithrough clothing racks and purchase sodes of the series House of Cards. items on their smartphones right in “We are really happy that we’ll be able the store. Lawyers say that as long as to combine the wonderful experience employees do not work as cashiers and of the Netflix team, our great American transactions are made online, there is producers and writer, with Polish talent no violation. The ban will affect all retail and a Polish sensibility,” said Holland in businesses except online stores, fuel an interview. stations, airports, bakeries, pharmacies and flower shops.

medal for Poland at the men's large hill individual event at Pyeongchang, South Korea, Winter Olympics 2018.

Stoch soared 135.0 metres and took the lead in the first round, and then topped it with 136.5 metres in the second and final round, notching up a total of 285.7 points. That was enough to defeat German Andreas Wellinger and become Poland’s most successful Winter Olympic athlete. Stoch told reporters he rated his performance higher than in Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 when he won gold in the normal and large hill. “Sochi was amazing too, but this was outstanding,” he said.

"I truly did my best ski jumping and these were the best jumps I could do." On top of that, he won his second straight Four Hills tournament in Bischofshofen, Austria in January and became only the second ski jumper in the long history of the sport to win all four stages of the prestigious event. Now Kamil Stoch is a winner of three Olympic gold medals and the fourth ski jumper in the world to win two Olympic gold medals in the large hill.

by Santa Kraukle

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Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland

Bartosz Cichocki, met with Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry Yuval Rotem in Israel to discuss the law which caused a storm between the two nations.

photos: Jacek Lagowski (Forum), Adam Chelstowski (Forum), Andrzej Zakrzewski, MPiT

in focus

Poland seeks ‘common ground’ with Israel Polish diplomats traveled

Strike over

Record highs

Junior doctors in Poland signed an The Warsaw Stock Exchange

By phasing out

special economic zones, the Ministry of Enterprise & Technology plans to remove geographical limits and encourage investors to create businesses in regions with high unemployment. Undersecretary of State Tadeusz Kościński provides insights on the economic initiative. see page 50

agreement with the Ministry of Health, (GPW) is one of the fastest growing ending a nearly five month-long pro- exchanges in the CEE, according to test which included a hunger strike. Forbes, and with an increase of trade Claiming to be overworked and under- in equities over the past year, it’s in paid, they demanded a 6% raise in the the lead, ahead of the Bucharest and budget for healthcare and a pay raise. Vienna stock exchanges. The GPW The protest caused a shortage of staff Group published its 2017 earnings in hospitals and healthcare centres which revealed a record-high revenue of nationwide as thousands of doctors 352m zł, up by 13.2% year-on-year, and stopped working overtime. After the a historically high net profit at 156.1m zł. government reshuffle, the new Minister EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, of Health, Łukasz Szumowski, negoti- depreciation and amortization) reached ated with the doctors. In a compromise, 212.2m zł and operating expenses went the Ministry agreed to the following: up by 10.4% due to alignment with increase the salary of specialist doctors, MiFID2/MiFIR (measures adopted by increase the salary for resident doctors the European Commission to increase in exchange for a commitment to work transparency and protect investors). in Poland after the end of specialisation Despite the increase, the cost/income for a period of two years, reduce hospi- ratio was one of the lowest figures in tal bureaucracy and introduce medical the last few years at 47.1%. The value secretaries. Minister Szumowski said: of electronic order book trade (EOB) “Improving the healthcare system is in shares on GPW increased by 27.8%, a priority for me as well as for the whole the second-best result among all government. Thanks to the fact that European exchanges. Marek Dietl, I presented a package of specific solu- President of the Management Board tions, it was possible to constructively of the Warsaw Stock Exchange, said, talk and develop an agreement.”

“After a very good last year for the entire capital market, 2018 will be a time of development of a capital market strategy. It seems that the growth rate of the Polish economy will remain strong in the coming year.”

to Israel on 1 March to alleviate the tension between the two countries caused by Poland’s controversial new law. The diplomats met their Israeli counterparts for more than three hours of closed-door talks regarding the anti-defamation law, recently amended, which made international headlines, especially in Israel. Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Bartosz Cichocki led the team and said his delegation was "committed to join our efforts to promote truth about the Holocaust and the Polish-Jewish centuries-old relationship.” After an “indepth and open” dialogue, as described

by Israeli officials, the Director General of the Ministry, Yuval Rotem, said: “We must make sure that historical truths are preserved, that there be no restrictions on the freedom of research and speech, and that the wide threat of criminalisation in this regard is addressed and resolved.” The law states that: “Whoever publicly and contrary to facts claims the Polish Nation or the Polish State to be liable or co-liable for Nazi crimes committed by the Third German Reich, or for other criminal offences which constitute crimes against peace, humanity or war crimes, or in another manner grossly diminishes the liability of actual perpetrators of these crimes, shall be subject to a fine or the penalty of imprisonment of up to three years.”

However, according to the amendment, a person "is not committing a crime if he or she commits such an act as part of artistic or scientific activities.”

by Monica Zielinski

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Shoot for the Moon. A nerdy kid

from Stalowa Wola became one of the most valued IT specialists in Poland.

In February, SpaceX fired its most powerful rocket — Falcon Heavy — for the first time. This rocket, designed to transport large objects into space, will potentially carry crewed missions to the Moon or Mars. Among the software engineers who contributed to the success of Falcon Heavy was a Pole — Tomasz Czajka, who was responsible for the flight steering software used during the mission. Czajka’s interest in IT began at an early age. In high school he won two gold medals and one silver in the International Olympiad in Informatics, and his knack for programming turned into more than just an after-school activity. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics at the University of Warsaw and a winner of numerous international competitions in programming. Czajka also received the Scholarship of the Polish Minister of Education for exceptional achievements in the field of science. He continued his studies at American Purdue University in Indiana, and earned a master’s degree in computer science.

Previously, he worked as a software engineer at Google's headquarters, before moving to SpaceX in 2014.

SpaceX is a private aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company headquartered in California, founded in 2002 by millionaire Elon Musk. For Czajka's outstanding achievements, the Polish IT Society named him the “best ambassador of Polish computer science in the world.”

American power.

With the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons, Falcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world.

photos: Thom Baur (Reuters), Facebook

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Pole helps Elon launch SpaceX mission

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26 face of change politics & economics

All eyes are on Poland's government with its leadership changes, new policies and international relationship issues.

With the government

on the defensive abroad and on a continued offensive at home, Poland Today talks to four experts from Polityka Insight: Wojciech Szacki, Senior Analyst for Political Affairs; Marek Świerczyński, Senior Analyst for Security Affairs; Adam Czerniak , Chief Economist, and Robert Tomaszewski, Business Analyst, to put the last few weeks in context, and to look ahead at what might come up.

Mateusz Morawiecki has

been Prime Minister since January 2018.

Previously, he served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development and Finance. Born in Wrocław, the Polish politician is also an economist and served as chairman of Bank Zachodni WBK until 2015.

How would you assess the first weeks of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s premiership?

– Wojciech Szacki: He’s responsible because he’s the face of the government and he supported the bill after it was adopted. He was also in favour of the President signing the bill. On the other hand it was written at the Ministry of Justice by (Minister of Justice) Zbigniew Ziobro and Patryk Jaki (Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice). They pressed PiS to adopt this law.

– Wojciech Szacki: It’s about two months now and I guess he’s doing The PiS government looks well pretty well - apart from his handling of set up for the next parliamentary the so-called ‘Holocaust denial law’ and elections – would you agree? his inept answer to the question by the – Wojciech Szacki: Right now it looks Israeli journalist. He’s accepted by most like PiS doesn’t have any challenger.

PIS voters as well as voters of other The left and centre are both in pieces. parties. He’s the second most popu- It’s hard to imagine that something lar politician after President Andrzej will come from the opposition side.

Duda and his ratings are better than On the other hand we have to wait for (former Prime Minister Beata) Szydło’s the sequence of elections, starting with ratings, which is a surprise as she was the local elections in which PiS will not very popular. He got rid of some of the do as well as they do in the national most unpopular ministers like Antoni polls – the party has always been Macierewicz, Jan Szyszko and Witold weaker in local elections.

Waszczykowski, and replaced them with more moderate politicians. That was You’re quite confident about that? of course Jarosław Kaczyński’s deci– Wojciech Szacki: PiS will not get 45% sion but most people see Morawiecki of the vote, let alone 50%. It will have as the face of the change. around 38% – 40% perhaps. It looks highly unlikely that PiS will win in any Why did Kaczyński decide of the big cities like Warsaw, Kraków, to dismiss some of his most Gdańsk, Łódź, Wrocław or Poznań.

loyal, hard core ministers?

photo: Francois Lenoir (Reuters)

But isn’t he the one ultimately responsible? The ‘Holocaust speech law’ issue has blown up massively. The world’s headlines seem to be blaming Poland…

– Wojciech Szacki: The ultimate aim is to achieve a full majority at the next parliamentary election in 2019. Getting rid of the most unpopular ministers might help and it didn’t cost Kaczyński much – he didn’t lose any support on the right of his party. PiS voters are still loyal, and they actually won over some voters. Platforma Obywatelska (PO), Nowoczesna and Kukiz (opposition parties) seem to be a bit weaker than before. The second goal of Morawiecki’s government is to fix relations with foreign governments. The results are mixed – it’s a bit better in terms of relations with the EU, perhaps with Germany, but of course it’s not the case with the U.S. and Israel. However, he’s not exactly the one to blame.

So you think Warsaw will stay with PO? Of course, there is a change in candidate.

– Wojciech Szacki: At present it looks like the PO candidate will win the election for Mayor of Warsaw, but we still have eight months to go.

‘It looks like PiS doesn't have any challenger. The left and centre are both in pieces’

What about President Andrzej Duda’s prospects and role? There wasa hope among opposition-minded people that he would challenge the authority of Jarosław Kaczyńśki.

– Wojciech Szacki: There were rumours that he was thinking of starting his own party, but those days are gone. He made peace with Jarosław Kacyński, especially after the dismissal of Antoni Macierewicz from the Ministry of Defence, and he also has more say in foreign affairs after the dismissal of (Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold) Waszczykowski. So he’s more or less happy with the reshuffle of the government. The conflicts he had with PiS politicians have faded away.

– Marek Świerczyński: We’ll see what happens with Ziobro, but it’s true that President Duda’s got his prize, which was Macierewicz’s head, and now he seems to be happy with the result. And Mariusz Błasczak (the new Minister of Defence) has eased the tensions. President Duda’s team and the ministry of defence teams have met and established a new task force.

One unresolved issue remains General Kraszewski and his clearances (ed. the general’s security clearance was previously removed - it has yet to be reinstated). We thought that would be resolved in January but it didn’t happen, so there might be something there that we previously didn’t know. But otherwise both camps are speaking benign languages about their differences and we’ll see nominations for the posts of generals soon – this is the competence of the President to appoint generals.

What about the recent arrests of prominent businesspeople? Is due legal process behind it, or are they politically motivated? How do you assess it?

– Marek Świerczyński: I’m not a specialist in this field, but I have the impression that PiS is just delivering on what they’ve promised for many years, which is that they will take on guys that have made money at the expense of the state and the people.

– Adam Czerniak: I’m not an expert on this either, but when I talk to different business people and investors I think that there is no more politization of the judicial system than before, but the emphasis has changed. Before, more emphasis was put on prosecuting anti-semite or nationalistic actions, but right now more stress is put on prosecuting embezzlement or bribery and cases like that. The angle and approach has changed, and this scares business more.

What are the biggest economic challenges facing Poland now?

– Adam Czerniak: The biggest chal-

27

politics & economics

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki arrives

at a European Union leaders informal summit in Brussels, Belgium, 23 Feb. 2018.

28

politics & economics

The Family 500+ programme,

introduced in 2016, provides families with a monthly payment of 500 zł for every child after the first until the age of 18. The Polish government introduced the benefit programme to encourage fertility and reduce child poverty.

lenge is undoubtedly the labour shortage. The shortage will only get bigger and bigger from year to year.

What are the solutions to this?

– Adam Czerniak: There are no obvious solutions to this. It’s very difficult to have a solution that is nationwide, or macro-economic, or through policy change, because the solution has to come from the bottom. Different companies have different options. There are labour-intensive businesses that need to find a way to get access to more labour, for example through economic immigration. In that category the state can help through delivering a stable and long-term immigration policy, which is not in place in Poland right now due to the whole refugee discussion with the EU. The government is refraining from having a unified and strong position on immigration policy. And there are other businesses which are more capitalintensive, especially in the manufacturing sector. There it’s a case of having more robots and the mechanization process to replace those labour shortages with higher capital productivity.

So for a country like Poland, increased mechanization is a good thing, not a worrying trend?

– Adam Czerniak: I think of Poland as a kind of training ground for companies from western countries trying to deal with labour shortages in the years ahead. Poland can be a training ground for dealing with the problem of employee shortage, in which case it might be of benefit to Poland.

We should also see wage increases, possibly similar to those in Hungary and the Czech Republic.

You mention Poland being a training ground for multinational companies. Why is that?

– Adam Czerniak: Poland has one of the highest, if not the highest, share in the EU of those with tertiary education entering the labour market right now.

However, remember that this is also the kind of labour force that is most in demand. In IT you cannot find specialists in Poland for less money than in the west. The structure of graduate skills in Poland is not really compatible with the structure of what is needed in business.

We have plenty of humanists, sociologists, historians and philosophers, which are not really needed in the market. These people need to be trained by companies. That’s something that a lot of entrepreneurs in Poland complain about. Poland needs technicians, and there are not enough of them right now.

The government is trying to do something about this, right?

– Adam Czerniak: It is, but the poli-

Adam Czerniak:

Chief economist at Polityka Insight, where he heads the macroeconomic desk and conducts tailored research on wealth, consumers and the housing market. He is also an assistant professor at the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH).

Wojciech Szacki:

heads Polityka Insight‘s political desk.

He is responsible for party coverage and maintaining relations with PO and PiS. He also prepares PI‘s daily political briefing.

He is a Law graduate from the University of Warsaw.

Robert Tomaszewski: as

the business analyst at Polityka Insight, he monitors the energy sector. He is a graduate of the University of Warsaw, Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago and Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

Marek Świerczyński:

Senior Analyst for Security Affairs at Polityka Insight, where he's responsible for the security desk. He has covered defense and international security issues dealt throughout most of his 20-year career in journalism.

cies are changing very slowly. We have tem. This is like the one proposed by a debate right now over how best to last year’s Noble prize laurate Richard change education. There is a bill pro- Thaler, whereby you encourage people posed by Jarosław Gowin (the Minister to save for their pension in a system of Science and Higher Education) that that is co-financed by the employer. should tackle some of the problems that This is a good thing because the saving academia faces right now, but it’s too rate in Poland is very low, much lower little too late. To train someone takes than in other EU countries right now. four to five years and the need is now.

We need to encourage saving in order – Marek Świerczyński: You have for there to be financing for domestic to remember that the reputation of investment, and to build up our domesvocational education in Poland was tic capital. We are still dependent on all but destroyed over the last 25 foreign capital and we need to change years. Nobody wanted to go to that the structure to get away from this kind of school. Everybody wanted dependence. That’s why we need, from a degree. So in time the reputation a macro-economic perspective, different stimulus to increase the saving rate of degrees has also declined.

– Adam Czerniak: That’s why the in Poland. We also need a more reasonarea with the highest number of vacan- able pension plan in order to increase cies is the construction sector. The pensions. If there will be no policy same goes for different manufactur- change, then in about 20 years’ time ing sectors – they have a hard time the replacement rate will be at about 30%. That’s very low. finding specialists.

– Robert Tomaszewski: I would say that the energy policy is pretty successThis situation is not only limful. They are not fighting against the ited to Poland, though, is it?

– Adam Czerniak: Of course – it’s a trends in the market, by which I mean European trend. In Ireland, UK, Germany that if you look at the Polish energy – that’s why it’s so difficult to find people policy and try to find the common for construction sites and why there are denominator, it would be decarbonization. When the government started so many Ukrainians here. in 2015 they were doing everything to assure miners that coal would remain What is the government doing well?

– Adam Czerniak: From an economic the foundation of the Polish energy point of view, I believe the 500+ pro- sector, so there was a lot of fear that it gramme is its biggest achievement. would stay like this, but after two years It could be more efficient, but still it has we can see that the Polish energy policy lots of benefits like reducing income is pretty ambiguous. The government inequalities and a strong positive impact is communicating differently in Poland on domestic demand. I also think that than in Brussels. In Poland, they are still the housing plus programme is good. saying that they are doing everything Poland needs more housing for rent to save coal but in Brussels they are trybecause only 4% of houses are rented ing to convince the EU commission that in Poland right now, and almost all of Poland is on the way to decarbonize the them are rented by private households. energy sector – and it’s happening. The So there are few companies involved percentage of coal in our energy mix in renting at the moment, which is is decreasing. We are building the Balti a big deficiency as it means that the pipe to Norway. In the next ten years we Polish rental market is fragmented, will increase the use of gas. We have the concentrated in large cities and con- never-ending debate about the nuclear centrated on the luxury segment of power plant and I don’t believe it will the market. In smaller towns people be built, but they are trying to use the can’t find a decent place to live for nuclear programme to show that they a reasonable price. are thinking about decarbonization.

A third programme which is From this point of view there has been important, and something recently some success. They have made some announced, is a draft proposal for the reforms in the mining sector and there occupational pension scheme (PPK), are better financial results there. We i.e. the 3rd pillar of the pension sys- still don’t have a government energy

29

policy - it was supposed to have been announced by the end of last year - but still I think it’s quite successful.

ence movement during World War I, the tax system – that’s the biggest thing but they don’t mention that he was a on their mind. They’re afraid of higher leftist politician. They take what they taxes because they see that the social want from the biographies of famous policies do not find enough financing, politics & economics In terms of energy, the problem Poles and use it. They hijacked the and they are afraid that in the next two of air quality has been in the Polish home army tradition as well as – three years, if there is an economic news. How is Poland tackling it? the so-called ‘Cursed Soldiers’ after slowdown, the government will reach – Robert Tomaszewski: The govern- World War II. The liberal part of the into their pockets and increase taxament could do more and do it quicker, political scene doesn’t have an answer tion. They are also worried about red but the mining sector is still strong for that because they didn’t feel they tape and and the whole rhetoric that is and they have to sell coal which is of needed anything like that while they accompanying the process of increased bad quality. So it’s hard to improve the were in power. tax collection. For the larger enterprises, air quality without killing the mining they are more afraid about changes in the pension system, of lifting the minisector for now.

But does all this recasting of history resonate with the Polish people? mum wage threshold for pension conHow significant is the – Wojciech Szacki: Polish people are tributions which they will need to pay very proud of their history…

COP24 UN Climate Change for those with the highest incomes.

Conference in Katowice at the – Marek Świerczyński: They are igno- They are afraid of changes in the stock end of the year for Poland? rant of Polish history… exchange and what might happen if the – Robert Tomaszewski: It’s very sig– Wojciech Szacki: In a poll, 60% of government nationalizes a large part of nificant for Poland. It will be an occa- Poles could name historical events the pension funds offer. There are also sion for Morawiecki’s government to which are a source of pride for the concerns about FDI policy, of what will tell a tale about the transformation of Polish people, but only 10% could name be the approach of the government the energy sector. We still don’t know an event which was a cause of shame. to companies with foreign capital. if the government will take the oppor- So when we talk about the recent parThe Polish small and medium-sized tunity. We still remember the last COP liamentary act and relations with Israel The government is encouraging enterprise (SME) in Warsaw in 2013, where the then-gov- and the U.S., many Poles don’t know Polish companies to go abroad. sector accounts for ernment chose to show the strong ties what it’s all about because they think That’s a good thing, isn’t it?

36% of total revenues we have with coal. I don’t think they’ll do we were saints during World War II. – Adam Czerniak: Of course it is, and – about one-fifth the same this time, but rather to show They constantly hear on public media former governments were also encour- less than for large companies, compared how coal can still be used but not in that Poland is the greatest nation ever, aging this. It’s just that the rhetoric has to most EU countries, such a dirty way. However we still don’t and that millions of Poles saved Jews, now changed. Everything has national in which the SME know who will be the president of COP. and that there were only a couple of overtones: “Poland is great, Polish com- sector is larger. Only Poles who cooperated with the Nazis. panies need to go abroad”. But if you 4.8% of Polish firms are classified as How is the government approach– Adam Czerniak: In the field of look at SME’s, those who were able SMEs – the fifth loweconomics you don’t see too much to go abroad, they did already. And est figure in the EU. ing the 100-year anniversary of Poland re-emerging as an indeemphasis on the anniversary, however if you look at big national companies (Polityka Insight) pendent country in 1918? the government might come up with they also went abroad – or tried to go – Wojciech Szacki: History is getting something concerning state- owned abroad – during the time of the former more and more important, and PiS is enterprises. There is a lot of emphasis governments, so I do not see any subthe only party which has a kind of his- on the importance for Poland of big stantial change in economic policy, only torical agenda. You don’t see this on state-owned companies, and also pri- in the rhetoric. the PO side or the left. Some people vately owned companies with domestic tried, for example (former President) capital. It’s roughly the same rhetoric as There seems to be potential for Polish Bronisław Komorowski had this march you had in the 1920s in Poland. So you companies on the international scene. on the 11th November which attracted might see some metaphors on the eve – Adam Czerniak: The potential is hundreds of people whereas at the of the anniversary. huge. We are in the EU, we are in the same time there were tens of thousands – Marek Świerczyński: The anni- global value chains, so Polish compaof people on the nationalists’ march on versary in November comes after the nies have always engaged in the global the same day. The opposition hasn’t local elections in October so we may market since we entered the EU in 2004, managed to build their own historical well see a deterioration in the political especially in the automotive industry. agenda. They’ve let PiS hijack all the climate coinciding with the anniversary. Plenty of Polish companies deliver parts important dates in Polish history, as well I wouldn’t be very optimistic. to big automotive producers present in Poland like Volkswagen, Fiat and Opel, as the most famous Polish politicians from the pre-war time in Józef Piłsudski In terms of business, what is as well as those that are not present and Roman Dmowski. Both were quite on the minds of business people? here. They already have an established different people to how PiS is trying to – Adam Czerniak: There’s a differ- market position. That’s true for other portray them. Dmowski was a far-right ence between large companies and sectors of the economy like chemical nationalist who loved Russia. He didn’t SME’s. SME’s care about changes in production, aluminium production and like the catholic church – so he doesn’t IT services. SME’s that have the capacity fit into a PiS idol, but still he has been to produce and deliver to foreign maradopted by them. kets already do it. Fulfilling the demand from the Polish market was a process How are PiS portraying him? that happened from 1989 to 2004, then – Wojciech Szacki: They present him from 2005 to the financial crisis you as the one who fought for Polish indehad large exports to the EU, then after the crash these companies saw potenpendence as a diplomat in Paris. This is true, but it’s only one aspect of who tial in delivering their products outside he was. They do the same with Józef of the EU because emerging markets Piłsudski because what is emphasised were growing much faster than the EU. is that he was the hero of the independinterview by Richard Stephens

‘Just the rhetoric has now changed.

Everything has national overtones’

30 Echoes of the past POLITICS

British historian and author, Adam Zamoyski, provides insights into his life as a descendant of the Polish noble Zamoyski family and sheds a light on Poland’s history, politics and society.

Jelita is one of the

photos: Adam Zamoyski's archives, WIkipedia

oldest Polish coats of arms. Notable bearers of the Jelita coat of arms included Jan Zamoyski of the House of Zamoyski.

He was one of the most skilled diplomats, politicians and statesmen of the 16th century. The Polish nobleman founded Zamość, now a city in Poland, and served as a royal secretary, chancellor and advisor to King Sigismund II Augustus.

Although Adam Zamoyski

was born in New York, New Year’s morning late in the 70s I caused an unfortunate he was only there fleetingly, arriving in London two weeks accident with a militia van. The colonel arrived, very grumpy, later, and England’s capital has been his home ever since. but when he heard I was a Zamoyski, he was all smiles and His parents, Count Stefan Zamoyski and Princess Elżbieta we had a chat about Poland's history. His parting words to Czartoryska, had left Poland in 1939. His father played an me were: “Well, Pan Adam, be sure to marry a nice Polish active role during World War II, fighting on several fronts girl.” In the 80s, visits to Poland were more tricky. “Inevitably and serving as aide-de-camp to Polish Prime Minister-in-exile I got involved with people in active opposition, and I used Władysław Sikorski, and he felt the betrayal of the post-war to carry documents between Poland and England, which settlement keenly, says Zamoyski. “But he always stuck up made border crossings tense.” for Churchill because he realised that he had been outmaWhat maddened him was the attitude of his peers back noeuvered by Stalin and Roosevelt, and was powerless to in England. “Throughout the 60s and 70s, it was convensupport the Poles, not least because of the massive anti-Pol- tional in intellectual, academic and artistic circles to be leftish propaganda in the British press, fed by ‘our glorious ally’ wing, vote Labour and entertain a rosy image of the Soviet the Soviet Union, which swayed public opinion against them. Union, which inevitably entailed a negative view of Poland It’s absurd," Zamoyski reflects, "that there should be a statue as a caricature of Catholic bigotry. There was no sympathy in Warsaw of De Gaulle, who was the first leader to send for the fate of Poland, which was commonly labelled a "fasa delegation to the Soviet puppet regime in Lublin, and not cist" state. I found such attitudes immensely irritating, and of Churchill, who had done his best for Poland and remained when I challenged them I would be referred to as ‘The Polish sympathetic to the Poles in exile. Yet, throughout the period White Guard’. In society at large, though, Poles were popular of communist rule the Polish official line was to portray – there was a lot of residual affection from shared wartime Churchill rather than Roosevelt as the one who betrayed experiences and the crucial role played by Polish airmen in 1940. But there was almost a Pavlovian reluctance by ediPoland in 1945, and like all bad history, this view, persists."

It was when Adam was a student at Oxford University that tors to commission any material on Poland and there could be no question of me placing a history he visited Poland for the first time, during the summer vacation in 1967. “I had of the country with a publisher; the best always felt Polish. At school and univerI could do was to publish biographies of Chopin and Paderewski. This did not sity I was known as ‘The Pole’, and I felt I had to see the country for myself," he begin to change until the election of says. "The journey by train was terrifyJohn Paul II and the advent of Solidarity." ing, travelling through Berlin and the Central power Iron Curtain. The East German border guards looked like Nazis out of a bad The Zamoyski family historic seat is Zamość, a model Renaissance city war film with their automatic weapin south-eastern Poland founded by ons, huge peaked caps and snarling Alsatian dogs.”

Adam’s ancestor Jan Zamoyski, the preeminent statesman of the late 1500s, Behind the Wall the period when Poland’s fortunes were high and the Polish-Lithuanian The contrast could not have been Commonwealth was established. Jan greater when he reached Poland.

“It was extraordinary. I met lots of cousZamoyski was a proponent of constituins, friends of my parents and their tional monarchy with republican instituchildren – it was as though I had found tions. “Historically, the Poles have been a new family, living in almost wartime naturally suspicious of central power,” conditions. Their lives were bedevsays Zamoyski. “There has always been illed by restrictions and hardship of a centrifugal tendency and strong every sort, yet they thought nothing regional attachments - which you can of them and were extremely welcomstill feel today. Poles have an instinct ing.” After this first visit, Zamoyski went for subversion against any power that every year for about a month each time. seeks to encroach. This hindered the “There was no difficulty in getting a visa; Adam zamoyski creation of strong institutions, and as the only bore was that you had to pay a result the Polish parliamentary sysAdam Zamoyski is a British histofive dollars for every day of your stay rian of Polish origin. He is a best-selling tem, which was a very fine achieveand receive in return worthless 'cou- author of acclaimed works on key figures and ment, never solidified and succumbed pons' to spend in Poland. What struck aspects of European history which have been to manipulation on technicalities. This translated into Russian, Chinese and Japanese me about Poles at that time was that was exacerbated by the interference as well as most European languages. Zamoyski they really knew how to have fun, a hall- has also contributed to all the major British paof foreign powers which found a weak Poland convenient. The Partitions and mark of societies living within restricted pers and periodicals, as well as lecturing widely means, and I fell in with a merry artistic in England, Europe and the United States. captivity developed the Poles' conand literary crowd. At the same time, as trarian tendency, since any act of suba historian I was fascinated by the conversion could be dressed up as an ditions.” Zamoyski travelled widely using cheap local buses expression of patriotism. This has made it incredibly diffior hitch-hiking. “I was thus able to see Soviet totalitarianism cult to build respect for state institutions and the rule of law in action, and I couldn’t believe how well George Orwell had – and one can see the consequences today.” nailed the details in 1984. People talked to me freely, as they This year Poland celebrates the 100th anniversary of the could see by my clothes that I was from ‘abroad’. Later I would recovery of independence in 1918, and Zamoyski sees come by car, which gave me the freedom to travel wherever I echoes in today's politics of the struggle between opposwanted, and to bring stacks of prized luxuries such as coffee ing visions for Poland that played out then. “In 1918 there and razor-blades. Whenever I came across police or official- were, roughly speaking, two visions: one was a kind of dom, they were human and easy – of course my experience updated version of the old Polish Commonwealth – multiwas not typical as I didn’t live there. They always recognised ethnic, multi-cultural and inclusive; the other of a tighter, my name and would ask: “Are you from that family?” On one more ethnically-based, stronger state. Both had their

‘What struck me about Poles at that time was that they really knew how to have fun, a hallmark of societies living within restricted means’

31

POLITICS

Adam Zamoyski’s books: – Chopin. A Biography – Paderewski – The Polish Way – Last King of Poland – The Forgotten Few. The Polish Air Force in World War 2 – Holy Madness.

Romantics, Patriots and Revolutionaries 1776-1871 – 1812: Napoleon’s fatal march on Moscow – Rites of Peace.

The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna – Poland. A History – Chopin, Prince of the Romantics – Warsaw 1920 – Phantom Terror.

The Threat of Revolution and the Repression of Freedom 1789-1848

32 POLITICS

merits. The first made sense, as Poland contained huge dark days, and people retreated into themselves and found minorities (German, Jewish, Lithuanian, Belarusian and solace above all in faith – mainly in Catholicism. Inevitably, Ukrainian), but proponents of the second argued that Poland a spiritual and religious element crept into the longings for independence and the expectations of how the new posthad gone down the plughole precisely because of too much freedom and multiculturalism, and what was needed was 1989 Poland should look. Just as inevitably, many were disapfirm central government and uniformity. In essence, the pointed. The more so as, ironically, these subliminal feelings same argument is going on today. One strand of political were subtly reinforced by 45 years of communist rule; comopinion is relaxed about shared sovereignty within the EU munism was also about the great new dawn. These ironies are detectable in the fact that people are currently talking and has an open outlook towards the outside world. The other, more defensive, is for a more authoritarian, ethnically about the far-right government in Poland when there is and ideologically homogeneous state.” absolutely nothing right wing about it. The term has anyway “The western liberal capitalist model of democracy is in cri- become meaningless: since the 1950s people have got into sis everywhere, with concurrent voter deficit and a revolt by the habit of labelling nice things as left wing and anything those who feel they have been excluded or just left behind" nasty as right wing, having completely forgotten about what Zamoyski continues. "Disenchantment with the financial, these terms were supposed to designate. Ironically, patriotsocial and political system has spawned contradictory ism was one of the principal catch-words of the faction which desires – for a retreat into a supposedly happier past on the sat on the left side in the French Convention (of 1792, when one hand, and for a grand new vision on the other. This is to the monarchy was abolished), which is when and where the some extent the consequence of the generally low calibre term originated. In Poland there are no proper political parof the political class everywhere, both in terms of educa- ties defined by a set of principles: there is no truly capitalist tion and personal qualities, itself largely the product of lazy, party and there is no truly socialist party. Any attempt to silly journalism and media - particularly social media - which create an avowedly socialist movement is bedevilled by assohave made the job intolerable for most halfway normal peo- ciation with the discredited Soviet communist regime. Any ple. Poland is no exception; the same attempt to establish a capitalist system is vitiated by a bizarre gut reactions which produced votes conflation of a kind of pseudo-Christian virtue of poverty for Trump, Brexit, Le Pen or Berlusconi with the Marxist mantras of the communist era: many peobrought PiS to power. What makes ple in this country - and pretty much the entire political class the case of Poland different, and more - are uncomfortable with personal wealth and indeed alarming, is the context. In an estab- even with the notion of property.

There are historical precedents for this; during the Polish lished body politic such Britain or America, a new government may have Commonwealth (1569 - 1795) the poorer sections of the radically different programmes from its political nation resented the vast landholdings of the magpredecessor, but doesn’t on the whole nates and often called for a levelling, while fiercely defending attempt to alter the existing regime. their own, in an attitude described as: “What’s mine is mine, But when a nation recovers independ- and what’s yours is ours.” It derived in part from envy, but ence, as happened here in 1918 and, to also from a sense of joint ownership of the country which persists today in the desire to arrange things according to an extent, in 1989, it creates new state structures, and each new government one's own 'grand vision'. In that sense, the Commonwealth believes it has a right to re-shape them. was inspired by a fundamentally 'socialist' ideal, and it is not One of the reasons those now in power difficult to detect traces of it in Polish politics today. In sum, are making such a thing about com- to represent what is going on as a right-wing crypto-fasmemorating 1918 is a desire to reduce cist takeover, as the world media are so fond of doing, the importance of 1989 - by claiming is misleading to say the least; there is plenty of xenophothat it changed nothing - and to sug- bia about and populist slogans are enthusiastically bangest that it is only now, a hundred years died, but it's certainly not right-wing and lacks the ideology, after 1918, that they are heroically win- let alone the discipline, of fascism. ning real independence for Poland. The present government has sought not Today’s leadership so much to implement a different programme, economic So how would he describe the current Polish government? or social, but to establish a new order and bring in a new “That is not an easy thing to do, since, as I said earlier, Polish constitution, essentially to refashion the state. So, there’s politics does not conform to ideological models. All the a fundamental difference between other so-called populist parties formed since 1989 have sprung from groups of likemovements around the world and what is happening minded people without a specific programme, more a vague in Poland, despite the common link of the mass of the disaf- notion of how they would like things to be and, like all political fected who voted for the present government." parties everywhere, strongly propped up by political convenience. To classify the present government by its policies Dark modern history is impossible, since it lacks any political coherence. It is not When trying to understand Poland there are a couple of defined by the Prime Minister or by the cabinet, which does distinctive elements people need to keep in mind, claims not operate as a team with collective responsibility; individual Zamoyski. “Over the last two centuries, the people inhabiting ministers have a tendency to act independently. Then there is these lands were subjected to, at best, political passivity and the eternal 'kolesiostwo' – promotion of buddies regardless of a sense of subjugation, and at worst to atrocities - atrocities political acumen or competence. The bane of all new systems which most parts of the world have never experienced. The and poorer countries is that, as there isn’t a well-to-do pool worst periods, the Nazi and Soviet occupations, methodically of people who can afford to dedicate themselves to public dismantled every facet of the state, every single institution, service, the political class has to provide for itself, which of right down to schools, theatres and libraries, and even non- course involves nepotism and corruption. The driving urge governmental organisations such as charities. They decapi- seems to seize as much power as possible and to hang on to tated society by eliminating its elites and abolished the very it. The man who really runs the government, the party chairnotion of citizenship. During the six years of war - and effec- man Jarosław Kaczyński, seems more interested in that than tively right up to 1989 - the concept of human rights, let anything else. If there is a vision behind the present governalone property rights, was entirely academic. These were ment, it is a confused amalgam of Soviet nostalgia, blinkered

photos: Adam Zamoyski's archives, Waldek Sosnowski (Forum)

‘The western liberal capitalist model of democracy is in crisis everywhere, with concurrent voter deficit and a revolt by those who feel they have been excluded or just left behind’

Adam Zamoyski in

the late 1970s outside his father's former country house, which had become a retirement home. The slogan reads: 'Socialist Poland is our Common Home.'

devotional Catholicism, and a boy-scout patriotism ignorant of Poland's history, all wrapped up in a tangle of insecurities and complexes which recoil from the unknown and particularly from the bogey of the alien.”

Shift in society Isn’t being anti-immigration a right-wing trait? “It is often seen as a right-wing trait, but I don’t see why. America, while being the centre of capitalism, has traditionally encouraged immigration. I think the Polish government has been guided not by ideology but by pragmatism: large sections of Polish society feel defensive and the figure of the immigrant and of the outside world as a whole represents a lowering threat.

Under communism people lived in a bubble of immutable certainties and full - if largely unproductive and unremunerative - employment. Everyone knew where they stood. When times were hard, they were hard for all - nobody could see the nomenklatura gorging. A lot of societies have recoiled when faced with choice and openness, and in Poland these challenge the conflation of communism and Catholicism I mentioned before. The Soviet state was fantastically pettybourgeois and conservative, chastising 'hooliganism' and plastering the whole country with slogans on the theme of 'socialist morality'. Suddenly, that morality was declared to be humbug and people were told to accept abortion, gay sex and every other kind of 'abomination' they had been told for centuries to abhor, all of which are seen as radiating from a corrupt abroad. Remember what attitudes to gays or black men were like in England in the 60s and 70s.”

In his book Poland. A History Zamoyski depicts the period following 1989 as chaotic. Reading this, one is amazed that the whole country didn’t collapse. Does he think it’s a miracle that Poland is where it is now? “The fall of communist rule in 1989 was only gradual, and there followed a period of coexistence which did indeed appear chaotic: at one point there were over 100 political parties taking part in elections. Yet, gradually, the situation did stabilise, and eventually Poland joined NATO and then the EU, which anchored it. Despite the political turmoil, the usual institutions of the modern state had been successfully put in place, and the organs of local government functioned remarkably well.

Civil society, which foreign occupation and communist rule sought to destroy, reasserted itself. The Catholic Church, the only institution that had survived throughout the communist period and helped to bring it down, remained central to the nation's life. This did help prevent a slide into moral anarchy.

While someone brought up in other societies might find the open displays of patriotic feeling and religious observance a little jarring, it is being shamelessly manipulated for political ends, the underlying sentiments are constructive; if people are not prepared to do things for their country it isn’t going to get very far, and a shared set of moral compass-points are socially vital in times of crisis. Things are not always what they seem, and there is much more to Poland than meets the eye; one shouldn’t always judge a country by its government or aspects of its folklore. The reality is always much more complex and difficult to convey - try to explain the UK to an American who’s never been there, let alone to a Chinese.

interview by Richard Stephens

City of Zamość Zamość was founded in the 16th century by the chancellor Jan Zamoyski. Located on the trade route linking western and northern Europe with the Black Sea, the Renaissance town was built by the architect Bernardo Morando, a native of Padua, Italy. A large number of buildings that combine Italian and central European architectural traditions have been preserved.

The historical centre of Zamość was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992.

Adam Zamoyski's father, captain Stefan Zamoyski with Winston Churchill at the Sikorski Institute in London after the war.

Captain Stefan Zamoyski, adj to

General Sikorski, greeting King George VI and Queen Elizabeth as they arrive in Scotland to visit Polish troops forming there in early 1941.

34

politics & economics

Poland Today Predictions for 2018 Poland Today shares its forecasts for the new year, including government policy, Polish Oscar prospects, World Cup chances as well as some long-shots.

Will the government agree to take in any refugees from conflict areas in the Middle East?

Which Polish start-up will be on everyone’s lips in 2018?

Philip Boyes, who

is half Polish and half British, has written speeches, sometimes on the back of restaurant napkins, for presidents, prime ministers and congressmen.

A former Reuters journalist, his work has been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times.

Philip is a graduate of the London School of Economics and King‘s College London.

With Poland’s biggest airports predicted to be at capacity this summer, how will Polish tourists be affected?

Prepare for summer hell. In 2018, Warsaw Chopin Airport, Modlin and Kraków Airport will be operating at maximum capacity. Out of the three, only Kraków has expansion plans in place. So factor in delays and logistical mishaps when travelling this year.

Will the EU push ahead with Article 7, leading to sanctions being imposed on Poland?

Yes, but don’t expect sanctions. EU member states will drag out the early stages of the Article 7 process against Poland in the first half of this year, recognizing their leverage is ultimately limited by the need for unanimity (Hungary has promised to veto any punitive measures against Poland). French President Emmanuel Macron will spearhead efforts to regain influence over Warsaw by attaching conditionality to EU funds in the next budget cycle, but any reduction in flows will only deepen the EastWest divide. Therefore although sanctions against Poland are very unlikely, the PiS government will become increasingly marginalised in Europe.

Will Poland win the World Cup?

No. But they stand a strong chance of reaching the quarter-final assuming that they beat Japan and draw against Colombia and Senegal.

They would then stand a good chance of playing Belgium or England in the knockout stage. If they manage to squeeze through then they could face Brazil, against whom their World Cup adventure will likely end. The good news is that Poland’s star striker Robert Lewandowski has a good chance of becoming the competition’s top scorer, as long as his teambreaks out of the group stage.

Will plans be put into place to knock down Warsaw’s Palace of Culture?

Yes. But don’t take them too seriously, just yet.

2018 marks the centenary of Poland regaining its independence, so we can expect a lot of pomp and circumstance throughout the year.

The announcement of plans to knock down the Palace of Culture, a “gift from Stalin,” could very well be on the cards. After all, the current government has been known for its strong symbolism and grand gestures.

photos: Michal Dyjuk (Forum), Mateusz Wlodarczyk (Forum), Zbigniew Osiowy (Forum), Andrzej Szapiro, Elżbieta Nawrocka, Adam Zależny

Codewise – an exciting, self-financed start-up specialising in advertising technology. Last year, Codewise was ranked second overall in the FT 1000 list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies. Robert Gryn, the company’s flamboyant CEO, has amassed a net worth of $180m and is the youngest self-made millionaire on Poland’s Forbes Rich List.

Expect Codewise to reach new heights internationally in 2018 and beyond.

No. But it is likely to substantially boost financial assistance and humanitarian aid to the Middle East, including partnerships with aid organisations working in refugees camps in Turkey and Lebanon. The government line will continue to be that it cannot accept refugees from the Middle East because the country is already burdened by the mass inflow of Ukrainians.

How will the Sunday-shopping ban affect society and the economy?

Will the new Polish PM be named “Person of the Year” at the Krynica Economic Forum?

Yes. 2018 will be an important year for Mateusz Morawiecki. He'll need to shore up support within PiS and among the Polish electorate.

This will involve sustaining a balance between appeasing the party faithful and not losing touch with the political centre. The key will lie in keeping the Polish economy on track and implementing proposals addressed at the middle class. If he succeeds then there is a very good chance that PiS will maintain its strong lead in the polls and Morawiecki will be crowned.

Will there be a lot of new mayors in Poland after the municipal elections?

According to a TNS Polska poll carried out last year, 74% of Poles do their shopping on Sundays while 54% visit stores on Sundays at least once a month. People living in large cities will be most affected by the new restrictions as the majority use shopping malls for a variety of purposes – from getting their hair cut and eating out to dropping off their dry cleaning. So expect bigger crowds on Fridays and Saturdays once the new restrictions take force. In terms of the economy, large chains and shopping centres will feel the pinch and could start gradually laying off employees, potentially pushing up the unemployment rate.

Will UK-based Poles start returning en masse to Poland?

With unemployment in Poland at a record low and rising wages fuelling consumption, Poland’s economy is currently looking robust, however the economy is likely to slow down in 2018 due to lower economic activity in Europe and labour shortages on the domestic market.

World Bank economists predict 3.2% growth in 2018, down from 4.6% in 2017. As always, don’t discount the unpredictable. Risks related to the uncertain outcome of the Brexit negotiations, geopolitical tensions and a shift towards more protectionist policies could have a destabilising effect on Poland’s economy.

Uncertainty and insecurity caused by the Brexit vote, combined with the attractive pull of a thriving Polish economy, will lure more Poles to return to their homeland.

But don’t expect a mass exodus from the United Kingdom just yet. Poles are now the country’s largest foreign-born community.

And a new generation is blooming: last year Polish-born mothers gave birth to over 22,000 babies in England and Wales, more than any other foreign group. Many Polish families still see their future in the UK.

Will the political leadership introduce new measures to combat environmental problems such as air quality?

Most definitely. The big hope is “Loving Vincent,” an animated biographical drama film about the life of painter Vincent van Gogh and the circumstances of his death, which is in the running for an Oscar. The full-length feature film took four years to complete, with a team of 125 painters hand-painting 65,000 frames on more than 1,000 canvases. If that doesn’t merit an Oscar then we’re not sure what does.

politics & economics

PiS will sweep most of eastern Poland and swathes of central Poland. Expect new mayors in Wrocław, Gdańsk, Poznań, Kraków and Warsaw. If PiS candidates took power in some big cities, it would be a sign that the metropolitan electorate has ceased to be inaccessible to the party. The results of the autumn vote will be an indicator of whether a PO-Nowoczesna coalition could pose a serious challenge to PiS in European Parliament, Sejm and Senate elections in 2019.

Will Poland’s GDP growth continue?

Does Poland have a shot at winning big awards at international film festivals this year?

35

Yes. But don’t hold your breath (or actually do, when outdoors). Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has made it a point to focus on the country's pollution during his time in office – he has pledged to significantly improve the air quality in Polish cities within five years.

But it will take time for the changes to be felt.

In the meantime, especially in the lead up to United Nations Climate Change Conference in the mining city of Katowice this December, expect the government and regional authorities to get creative and use smog-combatting UAV technology. In Katowice, officials have begun using a drone equipped with sensors that can map discrepancies in air quality to detect any prohibited pollutants being emitted into the air.

What will be the next 'hot' city in Poland for young people?

Wrocław. Still often overlooked by foreigners visiting Poland, new international train links will lure first-time visitors to Poland’s fourth largest city. Celebrated for its cafe culture, alternative theatres and a vibrant nightlife scene, the charming city is filled with Austrian, German and even Prussian influences, a legacy of its chequered past.

Net migration to

the UK plummeted in the year since the vote for Brexit as EU citizens leave but it is too early to say whether this represents a long-term trend. The number of people immigrating for a definite job has remained stable.

photo: Constantinos Z

36 LEADER

37 LEADER

Education in Poland Poland has a strong educational heritage. This serves it well in international rankings, but when it comes to innovation, flexible thinking and problem solving – that’s where the heritage can get in the way. The educational establishment has been slow to shed its hierarchical leaning, something it must do if it is to produce the next generation of business leaders to compete on the international stage. pages 38-43

38 Leader

A Matter Of National Survival Education in Poland is ingrained into the very fabric of the national character. This is not surprising when, for large parts of the country’s history, teachers and students could be arrested – even executed – for following a Polish-centred curriculum.

Education has had

Since all prior education in the

Education in Poland

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was taught in Latin, there was nearly a complete lack of books in the Polish language so the Society of Elementary Books was established to create materials for pupils such as those pictured for physics, botany, arithmetic and grammar.

a long and distinguished history in Poland. The Jagiellonian University, set up by King Casimir The Great in Kraków in 1364, is one of the 20 oldest universities in Europe. In the 15th century it attracted students from all across Europe, and in the 16th century around 10% of students at the university were from the peasantry – something highly unusual at the time. The first ministry of education in the world was established in Poland by King August Poniatowski in 1773 and was guided in its infancy by such luminaries of Polish history as Hugo Kołłątaj, Ignacy Potocki and Adam Czartoryski.

Revival and ideology: Education in communist times

Survival: Education during the partitions Shortly after the partitions of Poland between 1772 and 1795, the authorities of Prussia and Austria started the attempted denationalisation of the Polish population. Classes given in Polish were shut down and the presence of the Polish language was at first limited, then marginalised. At the beginning of the 19th century people living in the territories occupied by Russia could exercise relatively more freedoms than those living under Prussian or Austrian rule. For example, in 1816 the University of Warsaw was established and educated students until 1831, when the November Uprising – also known as the Polish-Russian War – was lost by the insurgents. After the uprising, the denationalisation process under Russian rule was significantly intensified. Over the following decades the intensity of that process fluctuated, but what stayed constant were Polish efforts to continue the underground education, independent and hidden from the occupying powers. This secret education was cultivated on all levels, from primary schools to peer-to-peer education initiatives among youth, to lectures at the famous Flying University (1887-1905).

Destruction: Education during World War II After a short period of interwar peace, the Polish education system on all levels was immediately shut down by the Nazis when they conquered the country. Initially, teachers and professors were arrested or forcefully displaced.

The only type of education possible was either vocational training or basic education, with significantly-reduced content. Soon academics were fiercely persecuted and often executed. Staff members of Jagiellonian University and the Mining Academy, for example, were arrested and transferred to concentration camps. Several members of the Jagiellonian University faculty were shot at Katyn. However, as in the times of the partitions, Poles very quickly established an underground system of education. In the very first year of the Nazi occupation, the first classes of an alternative Polish education started. By 1942, about 1.5 million pupils were taking part in secret primary education. But despite the heroic efforts of teachers, students and ordinary citizens, the devastation to education caused by the war could not be doubted. Thousands of teachers and academics had been murdered and thousands of school facilities lay destroyed.

commission of national education The Commission of National Education

was established in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by the Sejm and King Stanisław August Poniatowski in 1773. It is considered as one of the first educational ministries in Europe because of its vast authority and autonomy after the dissolution of the Jesuit order.

The Commission was responsible for creating a system to educate a new generation of Poles.

Directly after the horror of the World War II came to an end, Polish schools were gradually rebuilt and organised.

The process of re-establishing the Polish educational system took place under particularly harsh and demanding conditions, with material shortages and a lack of educated teachers.

The guidelines set during the National Educational Convention in the city of Łódź in 1945 helps to understand the ideological background of the Polish educational system in the early postwar period. Representatives of teachers, school administrative workers and politicians agreed on the priority of setting up a universal, free-of-charge, public and unified schooling system.

Education was supposed to serve the need to integrate and unify a country torn apart by the war. The content of schooling was based on the pre-war curriculum. The concordat, an agreement between state authorities and Vatican, was not signed, but initially, classes devoted to religion were present and even obligatory.

From the 50s, the ideological guidelines of the educational system gradually evolved into a strictly-followed “Marxist-Leninist philosophy.” Relations with the Soviet Union became even closer and in 1949 learning Russian became obligatory on the national level.

Basic values that were the point of reference for teachers and instructors involved the belief in the superiority of socialist internationalism. Sustaining the strategic alliance between the Polish People’s Republic and the Soviet Union was both a means and a goal of the politics in general, and the educational system in particular.

counting during so-called “integrated” classes given by one teacher. In the second five-year stage, classes are categorized by the subject taught e.g. Polish language, history, maths, physical education, etc. At the end of their primary education, students will have to take a mandatory exam verifying their knowledge of the Polish language, mathematics, a foreign language, and one of the following subjects: biology, chemistry, geography or history. Unlike students between 1999 and 2017, they will not continue their education in ‘gimnazjum’ Tug of war: – lower secondary school. In 2019 the Contemporary education gimnazjum will effectively cease to exist The education system in Poland today and the path from primary school will is based on the law drafted in 2016 that lead straight to ‘liceum’ (high school, became effective in 2017. The most extended to four years), ‘technikum’ recent reform recreates the educational (technical secondary school, extended structure of primary and secondary to five years), or ‘szkola zawodowa’ education from the previous compre- (vocational school, three years, the hensive reform approved in 1999. The same as before the reform).

Polish education system is divided into three stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Participation in the system is compulsory between the ages of seven and 18 years old. Both state and private kindergartens and preschools provide education for parents wishing to send their children before the age of seven, but they are not obligatory.

The age of starting compulsory education has changed over recent years and is a subject of public debate. In 2009, the ruling Civic Platform party (Platforma Obywatelska, PO) introduced a law obliging children at the age of six to take part in compulsory education. Both introduction and implementation of this law were regularly criticized by opposition parties and parents’ associations, who demanded a national referendum on the issue.

After the change of the government in 2015, the new Law and Justice government (Prawo i Sprawiedliwość, PiS) introduced a comprehensive education reform which restored the start of com- "Millennium" pulsory education to the age of seven. school in Węgierska Górka (1973). Polish Parents still can send their children People’s Republic to primary school at the age of six, but built one thousand it is no longer obligatory. schools to commemoAccording to the new law, the first rate the Jubilee of the Millennium of the compulsory stage – primary school – Polish State. lasts eight years and is divided into two cycles. They differ significantly: in the first three-year cycle, students learn the basic skills of reading, writing and

‘Critics alleged that bringing back the educational structure from before 1999... would only bring more chaos to the education system’

The elimination of the gimnazjum is perceived as the most significant part of the 2017 reform. During the debate in parliament, critics alleged that bringing back the educational structure from before 1999 is based solely on a sentimental longing for an idealised past and would only bring more chaos to the education system. Anna Zalewska, the Minister of Education, defended the changes by stating that the reform reflects the needs and demands of parents and answer to the nature of the changing world. The Polish Teachers' Union (Związek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego, ZNP) is critical of the reform, claiming that the change will bring vast teaching job losses. Minister Zalewska maintains that the Union’s forecast is false and that teachers will not lose their jobs.

39 leader

Jadwiga Sokirkówna

teaches secret language lessons in Łopiennik Górny despite the restrictions during the German occupation in 1941.

by Dawid Krawczyk & Richard Stephens

photos: Wikipedia

Underground schooling and education were present over the whole period of the Polish People’s Republic.

However, the censorship of ideas was incomparably more subtle than it was during the partition period. Alternative ways of education proliferated mainly at the late high school and university education levels due to the narrowness of the official selection of books and authors that was strictly agreed within the ideological framework approved by the state authorities.

40 Not bad, but leader

could do better

At a time when passions are raging in Poland between the government and its opponents concerning the future of education in the country, the latest annual education report from the EU provides a welcome context to the arguments.

Education in Poland is

Education in Poland

relatively strong, according to 4.9% across the EU. In terms of total government expendithe ‘Education and Training Monitor 2017.' the European ture, in Poland it was 12.6%, against an average of 10.3% in Commission’s annual report on education across the the EU. Due to robust GDP growth, the absolute spending European Union. “Poland is one of the best EU performers on education has risen. on early school leavers, tertiary attainment, and the general level of basic skills of young people is high relative to other We need to talk about… demographics EU countries,” it states. Poland’s rate of early school leaving One of the major long-term problems facing education in (ESL) is very low: in 2016 it was 5.2%, less than half the EU Poland, arguably its biggest challenge, is the nation’s bugaverage of 10.8%. There are significant regional and gender bear: demographic decline. In this, education is no different differences, however: somewhat counter-intuitively, the high- to business or even society at large. All are - and will increasest levels of ESL are in western Poland, at more than 7%. The ingly be - affected. “Demographic decline is a key challenge levels for boys, at 6.4%, are significantly higher than those as the numbers in the school system are projected to sharply for girls, at 3.9%. The proportion of 15-24-year-olds not in decrease.” The numbers in education, the report goes on to Richard Stephens founded Poland Today education, employment or training was 10.5% in 2016, just say, are declining, reflecting the low birth rate since the early in 2012 to help bring below the EU average of 11.5%. “The ambitious national target 1990s. “In 2013-2015 the numbers enrolled at all levels of Poland to the world of reducing ESL to 4.5% will be difficult to meet,” says the education diminished by 4.3%, enrolment in higher education and the world to Poland. Before this report, noting that between 2013 – 2015 ESL declined by only dropped by as much as 12.5%. Between 2007 and 2012 the he was editor of Eunumber of pupils in primary education fell by 9.1% and the 0.1% annually. The Polish government, it says, is attempting robuild CEE magazine number of schools by 5.8%. In lower secondary education, to further reduce the dropout rate by reforming vocational in his first stint with the drop was an astonishing 20.3%, according to GUS, the education and training (VET). the company, and then office of national statistics. There is an unintentional benefit, returned to conceive Participation in early childhood education and care and establish The (ECEC) increased rapidly by 5.3% between 2013-2015 however: the teacher to pupil ratio dropped from 16.4 in 2013 Eurobuild Awards, to 90.1%. This, however, is is still below the EU average of to 15.1 in 2015, meaning that class sizes are gradually getting organising the first 94.8%.

Participation by 3- and 4-year-olds shows the sharp- smaller. two editions. He has a degree in Theology est increase, mainly because the proviThe EC report acknowledges the & Religious Studies government-instituted changes taksion of pre-school education for every from Bristol Univerinterested family became compulsory pisa assessment ing place in Poland’s education syssity in the UK. for local authorities. “Poland is gradutem, recognising the dissatisfaction The Programme for International Student ally catching up with the levels of other Assessment (PISA) is an international survey felt by many in the country, but does countries in the region, but for younger which evaluates the educational systems not overtly comment on them. “The children there is still room for improve- around the world. Every three years, 15-yearchanges announced in the structure of old students are tested on their knowledge ment,” notes the report. “Despite prothe school system are causing uncerand skills in science, mathematics, reading, gress, there are persistent regional collaborative problem solving and financial littainty,” the report states, before sumdifferences and significant unmet eracy. In 2015, over half a million students in 72 marising the key changes and their demand for ECEC in urban areas,” countries took the assessment test created by timeline: “The December 2016 Law the Organisation for Economic Co-operation it continues. The shortage of places on School Education sets out a major and Development (OECD). reform of lower and upper secondary is particularly keen in larger cities. education to be implemented between Polish students’ performance in OECD’s PISA tests (2015 edition): Low levels of low achievers 1 September 2017 and the school year Despite recent declines, Poland is still 2022/2023. Lower secondary schools – reading: 506 pts (OECD average: 493 pts) among the best-performing EU coun- – mathematics: 504 pts (OECD average: 490 pts) (gimnazja) will be gradually phased tries. The declines are relative, as there – science: 501 pts (OECD average: 493 pts) out. In the school year 2018/2019 these was strong improvement between schools will cease to operate (when their last students graduate). The 2006 and 2012 in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment reform merges primary and lower sec(PISA). In context, the country still ondary levels; students will stay in priscored better than both the EU and mary education for 8 years instead of 6.

OECD averages in all areas, according The Teachers Union argues that phasto the European Commission in 2016. “The proportion of low ing out lower secondary schools could lead to potential job achievers, at 16% in science, 14% in reading and 17% in maths, losses among teachers and thus have a negative impact on is significantly below the EU average in all fields and very students' learning outcomes, but authorities point to planned close to the EU Education and Training benchmark of 15%.” increases in teacher numbers.” The report continues: The Significantly, the OECD has warned that the recent reform of reform will affect all schools, teachers and local governlower secondary education – referencing the abolishment of ments, which are responsible for the school network. The ‘gimnazjum’ (lower-high schools) – should be “carefully evalu- cost of the reform over 2017-2018 is estimated at 931m zł, ated to ensure it does not cause deterioration to basic skills.” which will include a sizeable amount to be met partly by local Government: take note. Public spending on education has authorities. An additional challenge relates to the adjustment remained stable and just above the EU average over the last of the school network at district (gmina) and county (powdecade, says the report. In 2015 it was 5.2% of GDP, against iat) levels as the district level network of primary and lower

Average class size

in primary education in Poland: 19 OECD average: 21

41

Primary education enrolment:

By 2017 there were 2.3 million primary school students in Poland.

leader

Ratio of students to teachers: 11 OECD average: 15 (as of 2016)

Average class size in secondary education in Poland: 22 OECD average: 23

Ratio of students to teachers: 10 OECD average: 13 (as of 2016)

Tertiary institutions: By September

2017 there were 521 institutions of tertiary education in Poland.

The highest rated among them are the Univeristy of Warsaw and the Jagiellonian University in Cracow.

Secondary education enrolment: By

Secondary education attainment:

2017 there were 2.2 million secondary school students in Poland.

91% of adults aged 25-64 attained at least upper secondary education. OECD average: 78%. (as of 2016)

Tertiary education enrolment: By 2016

Tertiary education attainment: 21.6%

there were 1.34 mn students enrolled in tertiary education and 0.36 mn new graduates in Poland.

of Poles aged 25-64 attained a Master's tertiary education degree. OECD average: 11.9%. (as of 2016)

secondary school will be replaced by primary schools only, while counties will be responsible for the extended period of learning in the new secondary schools. Because of its potentially disruptive effects the reform is opposed by the Polish Teachers’ Union (Związek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego — ZNP) and by parents’ organisations, among others. In April 2017 a petition signed by 910,000 citizens was presented, calling for a national referendum on the reform. This call was rejected by the government because the reform had already been implemented.”

Expenditures: In 2016, total expenditure (public and private) on educational institutions from primary to tertiary grade was equal to 4.7% of Poland's GDP or $22bn (in current dollars). 88.8% of this sum was public expenditure.

Adults learn from the children In terms of attainment, tertiary education in Poland is the star.

Poland, states the report, has one of the EU’s highest rates of tertiary education completion. In 2016 its rate was 44.6%, strikingly higher than the EU average of 39.1%. The country is also considering new entry paths to universities through greater openness to lifelong and adult learners – the so called ‘university of the third age.’ Yet in this, the older generations are proving to be much more reluctant than their younger counterparts. “Adults show low interest in developing their competencies or acquiring new qualifications.” Poland faces a long-term challenge in establishing a lifelong learning culture among its population. Adult participation in learning in 2016, at 3.7%, is well down on the EU average of 10.8%.

With the country staring a demographic time bomb in the face, the authorities would do well to come up with a strategy for engaging adults. Yet without a coherent adult learning policy and clear leadership, the commission warns that efforts may prove ineffective.

In terms of graduate employment, however, the country is faring well.

“Poland has seen a steady increase in graduate employment. The employability rate of recent graduates is high, at 87% against the EU average of 82.8%. The issue of steering more students towards the fields of study most required by the Polish economy has emerged. The proportion of Polish students studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and ICT, is very close to the EU average but lags behind leaders such as Sweden or Finland.

The same applies to learning mobility, especially at master’s level. Poland's 2017 national reform programme outlines plans to reform the higher education system, one aim being to improve its relevance to labour market needs.”

The report clearly shows that Poland has nothing to be ashamed of regarding its educational levels. However, if the EU had a measure for the ambition of its member states, Poland would be right up there at the top. The country will not be satisfied until it is near the summit of the education charts. Will the government’s reforms move them in that direction? Time will tell. by Richard Stephens

‘The reform will affect schools, teachers and local governments. The cost of the reform over 2017-2018 is estimated at 931m zł, including a sizeable amount to be met partly by local authorities’

42 leader

School teachers in Poland are among the lowest paid educators compared to other 35 OECD countries according to a 2016 report. At the elementary school level, the peak salary for a Polish teacher is $26k while teachers in Germany can make up to $75k. The top of the pay scale stays the same at $26k for high school teachers in Poland while in Luxembourg, one of the richest countries in the world, an experienced teacher can earn $137k.

Back to the future A major restructuring of the education system in Poland is underway. The government claims it is carrying out much-needed reforms. Opponents say the changes are disruptive and unnecessary.

Politicians,

teachers and parents for the most part agreed that changes to the education system in Poland were (and still are) necessary in order to meet the challenges of a fast-changing world.

But that is as far as the agreement went.

On what the reforms should be, there were major differences of opinion.

Anna Zalewska, the Minister of National Education, says that the new legislation, passed by the government last year and currently being implemented, will better prepare students for studying and working, and is fairer. “The aim of the current reform is to guarantee the same level of education for everyone, regardless of whether the school is located in a small town or a big city” she said. Opponents allege that thousands of teachers will lose their jobs – the government denies this – and that the real reason for the changes are to produce citizens of a nationalist leaning, one of the changes being an emphasis on the history of Poland – a history prescribed by the government.

Education in Poland

Too quick a fix Many say that – leaving aside ideological questions - the changes are simply too big and too fast. “The scope of the government’s reforms is huge and tries to resolve too many issues at the same time,” believes Klaudia WolniewiczSlomka, an economist at CASE – the Centre for Social and Economic Research. “The Government has two main aims for education in Poland: 1, a modern school, 2, rooted in a Polish tradition. According to the Ministry of National Education, these goals can be achieved by a return to the system of education that we already had, before 1999.” But well-prepared legislative changes need time, she points out. For last year’s legislations the whole process was very short. “The draft of new regulations was sent to Parliament on 2nd June 2016 and the new act was signed by the President on 6th July. We cannot carry out experiments on children by changing school structures again and again. We should also not forget about the consequences of this kind of reform on the local level.

It’s one thing to create a new law on the national level, but sometimes it’s not so easy for local authorities to implement all these changes.”

For the most part, teachers themselves appear to be unhappy about the changes. Poland’s largest teachers’ union alleges that thousands of teachers will lose their jobs. The government denies this. Wojciech, vice director of a junior high school (gimnazjum) in a small town in Mazowieckie voivodeship, is dismissive: “The whole reform was hastily produced, with hardly any professional or social consultation. The new school curriculum was not carefully planned – in all subjects.” For both Wojciech and Jan Sobiech, a high school (liceum) teacher, the government should have concentrated on basic long-term issues such as teachers’ pay. “Teachers don’t have the motivation to improve their lessons.

Wages are far below expectations and do not reflect the importance and significance of teachers.”

Continuing the debate For those of a business mind, the teaching of languages and IT are of the biggest concern. “For many Polish companies, the education system works well enough. But when it comes to the international business environment, where languages are a must and there’s a pressing need for IT specialists, then there are gaps,” says Wiktor Doktor, CEO of ProProgressio, a foundation supporting the growth of entrepreneurialism in Poland. “Languages and IT should be taught on a bigger scale – on a far bigger scale.”

Education is like politics or religion – the varieties and shades of opinion are countless and passionately-held. Time will tell if the government’s reforms are successful or misguided. In the meantime the next generation of students will simply get on with their education. What is important is that Polish society continues the debate.

by Richard Stephens

‘Teachers don't have the motivation to improve their lessons’

The Constitution for Science Poland Today sat down with Undersecretary of State Piotr Dardziński at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to shed a light on the new higher education reform.

What are the main objectives of the new Constitution for Science initiated by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education?

The strategy points for Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin include improving scientific excellence, implementing organizational changes in higher education and opening up to the community. Today, universities are definitely too hermetic, poorly organized and, in a sense, are wasting the potential of Polish scientists.

How was the so-called Law 2.0 created?

We announced a competition for the academic community and we selected three teams that prepared three different proposals for the reform and based on these suggestions, we prepared the bill. We have been working on this reform for two years – 7,000 people took part in public consultations and we held 11 congresses to discuss individual aspects of the bill. We also invited the European Commission which stated that our plans are exemplary for reforming higher education. At many universities, teams have already been created to think about how to create a de facto new university, how to transform this university. Because it will be very difficult for many universities, especially for large ones.

What are Poland’s strengths in higher education?

We have a lot of scientists in relation to citizens, but we should definitely have more doctoral students - this is our weakness.

What is the biggest problem?

Our system is uncompetitive. The new reform will strengthen the real autonomy of the university, including financial autonomy, because it enables flexible management of financial resources. It also enables the universitys' authorities to shape the organizational structure of the university more freely. We only provide a structure for the universities’ basic organs.

Some say Polish graduates are not ready to enter the workforce…

This problem does exist – students are maladjusted to the conditions of

‘We should radically change teaching methods and implement diversity’ the labour market. Students should be educated based on the needs of employers. Some students will pursue academic careers, but a vast majority of students graduate and go to work.

To help students choose the right track, we have an instrument that traces economic outcomes of graduates. Any high school graduate can choose a course and university and the system will indicate what the professional path will be.

The student can tell how quickly graduates found a job after earning a degree and ascertain their average salaries.

You mentioned that universities are hermetic. What are the plans to open them?

In terms of opening universities, we have several priorities. First, we would like universities to cooperate with businesses, with the economy and the labour market. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has been a leader in creating a reality that facilitates cooperation between entrepreneurs and scientists. Any entrepreneur who is able to establish cooperation with scientists will pay lower taxes and at the same time build their competences in the field of technology. The second initiative is doctorate implementation. In this model, a doctoral dissertation is prepared at an enterprise, not a university. This year, we recruited 374 such doctoral students.

In addition, we focus on practical studies that can be implemented in two ways. One way are studies that are combined with six month internships, and the other is a dual-study programme where during the academic year the student spends, for example, half the week with the employer and half at the university. We also have programmes opening universities for children, youth and seniors.

Some say the method of conducting classes at universities is instructor-centered. Do you agree and how will it be changed?

We should radically change teaching methods, but we should implement diversity. Therefore, we introduced three academic career paths: a teaching one, a research one, as well as research and teaching one. According to this plan, doctors with achievements can become university professors.

However, we believe that didactics is as important as learning, so those who are great lecturers will also be able to become university professors even without habilitation (a post-doctoral degree) or published works. Secondly, we want didactics to start changing, so we developed a programme in which we work with several leading universities in the world that have agreed to train dozens of our teaching staff. Moreover, we want to recruit laureates of national and international science olympiads to come to universities and work in small groups. This does not mean, of course, that they will never take part in any lecture, only tutors will place them individually on the path of research-based learning. We plan to grant these students scholarships for one year so they can become young scientists. With this plan, we would like to achieve two goals: show how tutorial groups work and stop the best graduates from studying abroad.

In global rankings, Polish universities are ranked low. Is it important for the Ministry that Polish universities are higher?

Rankings are not the most important, but they do matter. We are reforming the system of higher education because it is simply dysfunctional, not to advance in the rankings. However, we are convinced that the ranking will improve after the changes take effect and, in turn, this will motivate people to stay in Poland. We want to focus on quality, which is why the amount of funding a university receives will no longer be determined based on its number of instructors and students, but rather the quality of their work and achievements.

When will the reform take effect?

We hope the bill will be passed in April or May 2018. We plan to enforce the changes starting in the 2018/2019 academic year and the last regulations would take effect in 2026. Now, everything will be in the hands of the academic community. We believe that freedom has great value, so now their activity and the implementation of these instruments will depend on it.

interview by Monica Zielinski

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Piotr Dardziński

completed his doctoral studies at the Jagiellonian University, Institute of Political Science and International Relations, Department of History of Political and Legal Doctrines. He worked as an academic teacher at the university and then was a lecturer at the Józef Tischner European University in Krakow. Previously, he served as head of the Political Cabinet of the Minister of Justice, Jarosław Gowin before being appointed the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education in 2015.

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Filling Poland's labour gap Since Poland joined the European Union in 2004, some two million Poles have moved west for work. In recent years, though, the country has become a destination for workers from further east, above all from Ukraine.

Today, Ukrainians are a visible pres-

Annabelle Chapman is a Warsaw-

based journalist. Her articles from Poland and Ukraine have been featured in The Eco­nomist, Foreign Policy, Newsweek and Foreign Affairs, among others. In Warsaw, she is also a English-language editor at Polityka Insight, a think-tank.

She has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics and a master's in Russian and East European Studies, both from Oxford University.

ence on the Polish labour market, from seasonal agricultural labourers to specialists. In 2017, Polish employers filed 1.8 million requests to hire people from outside the EU, of whom 1.7 million were Ukrainians – one-third more than the previous year. As Europe grapples with migration, Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) party has sought to recast the Ukrainians as refugees. Speaking in the European Parliament in 2016, thenPrime Minister Beata Szydło spoke of “one million refugees from Ukraine.”

Despite protests by Ukrainian officials, members of PiS have continued to use the phrase to justify Warsaw’s refusal to take in refugees from the Middle East as part of the EU’s relocation programme. “We already contribute a lot to easing tensions on the eastern flank of the European Union,” Mateusz Morawiecki, who replaced Szydło as prime minister in December, told CNN during the World Economic Forum in Davos, defending his government’s stance on refugees. “There is a huge population coming from the Donbass area to Poland. These are homeless people, these are people whom we treat as refugees,” he added.

Yet a quick check on the Polish Office for Foreigners’ website shows that Poland granted just 56 Ukrainians refugee status in 2017. In the years before, even at the height of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, the numbers were much lower. Instead, Ukrainians are powering the Polish labour market. Like other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, Poland already faces a labour shortage. According to one forecast, assuming a similar pace of economic development and demographic trends, Poland will be short of five million workers by 2050. Unemployment has crept down in recent years, falling

‘One in ten people living in Wrocław is now Ukrainian. 48% of Ukrainians plan to stay in Poland for good’

to its lowest since the end of commu- Central and Eastern Europe at OTTO. nism in 1989. In December 2017, it was The company has three recruitment 6.5% overall, 3.7% in the western region offices in Ukraine – in the cities of Lviv, of Wielkopolska and an even lower 1.4% Ternopil and Vinnytsia – which recruit in its capital, Poznań. Polish compa- over 100 workers, ranging from pronies are hungry for workers. As many duction workers to senior specialists, to as 19% intend to seek out employees work in Poland a week, according to the from Ukraine in the near future, accord- company. OTTO organises their transing to a report by Personnel Service at port, helps find accommodation, deals big companies, it is a staggering 42%. with formalities and provides UkrainianDemand is highest in the production speaking coordinators. As advantages, sector, extending to services and retail. it cites access to specialists who are difficult to find on the local market, motiA younger complexion vated workers, and Ukrainians’ linguistic Meanwhile, migration from Ukraine to and cultural proximity to Poles.

Poland has been changing. For years, women and men from western Ukraine Rising wages, have been coming to Poland to work, more money home often for seasonal jobs in agriculture, Regardless of their level of education, which meant returning home between Ukrainians primarily move to Poland gigs. A report on Ukrainians working for the higher wages. With Ukraine’s in Poland published by the National economy struggling, well-paid jobs Bank of Poland (NBP) in 2016 indi- are scarce, especially in rural areas. cates that this is changing. The con- Meanwhile, wages in Poland have been flict in eastern Ukraine has triggered rising – including among Ukrainians. a new wave of migration, it argues. For According to a report by Upper Job, over 40% of the Ukrainians surveyed another recruitment intermediary, in 2015, it was their first time working in a Ukrainian manual worker could expect Poland. Of these “new” migrants, almost to earn 12 zł an hour in Poland in mid60% were men – who had previously 2017, one-third more than two months accounted for a minority of Ukrainians earlier, and three times as much as in working in Poland. The new arrivals Ukraine. Wage expectations rose by at are younger, too, with an average age least one-fifth among plasterers, brickof 33, a decade less than among the layers, drivers, kitchen aids and hosmore experienced migrants. The NBP pitality workers from Ukraine, too. As also noted a marked shift in where Ukrainians’ wages in Poland have risen, people were moving from: whereas, so has the amount of money sent home. before 2013, just 6% of Ukrainians In the third quarter of 2017, transfers to working in Poland hailed from eastern Ukraine amounted to 3.2bn zł, accordand southern Ukraine, that proportion ing to the National Bank of Poland. This does not include money moved abroad had risen to 28% after 2014.

The share of highly-educated through informal channels.

Ukrainians in Poland has been rising, At the same time, Ukrainians have too. Some Ukrainians move to Poland been spending more in Poland, too, to study; of the 72,000 foreign stu- becoming a growing group of consumdents at Polish universities, over half are ers. According to the Central Statistics Ukrainians. Of the Ukrainians already Office, they spent 2bn zł on goods and working in Poland, almost half (44%) services in Poland in the first three have university degrees, according to quarters of 2017. With this number set a report by OTTO Work Force, which to rise, companies have been competrecruits workers from Ukraine. Fewer ing for Ukrainian customers. Mobile than one-third work jobs that reflect operators offer special deals for calls their level of education, but the pro- to Ukraine. Play, a mobile operator, has portion has risen significantly. “The a helpline in Ukrainian. Banks are paynumber of people employed accord- ing attention, too. In November 2017, ing to their education indicates that Credit Agricole launched a new deal employers are using Ukrainian migrants’ for Ukrainians, advertising attractive potential increasingly effectively,” said prices for bank transfers to Ukraine.

Tomasz Dudek, Operating Director for The paperwork to open an account can

photos: Lukasz Dejnarowicz (Forum), Maciej Jarzebinski (Forum)

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Welcome to the EU.

Ukrainian citizens arrived at Lech Wałęsa Airport in Gdańsk as part of the first official visa-free flight on the Gdańsk-Kiev route. Thanks to the new visa-free regime, Ukrainians can enter the EU without visas and move freely within the Schengen area.

be completed in Ukrainian, alongside Polish, English and French. “[Our] offer in foreign languages is a natural reply to the growing number of foreigners in Poland. They are our potential clients,” said Marcin Data, director for savings products and daily banking at Credit Agricole, adding that the bank’s current campaign focuses on Ukrainians.

Raiffaisen Polbank, which claims to have over 42,000 Ukrainian clients, enables new ones to make one free bank transfer to Ukraine every month. Meanwhile, PKO Bank Polski is preparing to launch its popular IKO banking app in two new languages, Ukrainian and Russian.

Roadblocks Yet legal barriers remain. Employers are grappling with new Polish regulations on hiring foreigners from outside the EU introduced at the start of 2018. Experts warn that the more bureaucratic procedure could scare off employers, such as farmers hoping to hire a few people to pick fruit. Recognition of Ukrainian qualifications is another problem. In theory, Poland is short of nurses, as many prepare to retire or have moved abroad, seeking better wages. According to a report by the Institute for Public Affairs (ISP) in Warsaw, the main obstacle preventing Ukrainian nurses from working in Poland is having their qualifications recognised. Potential preschool teachers from Ukraine face similar barriers.

Despite demand for simpler procedures, the number of Ukrainians working in Poland is expected to continue increasing, with social and economic implications for both countries. Already, according to one study, one in ten people living in Wrocław is now Ukrainian.

According to the report by OTTO Work Force, 48% of Ukrainians plan to stay in Poland for good, 38 percentage points more than at the end of 2015. Those who eventually return to Ukraine will bring with them new skills, contacts and experience of working in an EU country, valuable assets supporting Ukraine’s economic growth and westward course.

Meanwhile, if more young Ukrainians start to settle down in Poland and start families, the repercussions will extend beyond the labour market. Polish policy-makers at the national, regional and city level would do well to think ahead.

by Annabelle Chapman

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First residence permits for non-eu citizens issued in 2016:

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United Kingdom: 866,000 Poland: 586,000 Germany: 505,000 France: 235,000 First residence permits per 1000 pop. of issuing Italy: 222,500 country (2016): Spain: 211,500 Ukrainians: 87.5%

(source: Eurostat)

Poland: 15.4 United Kingdom: 13.2 Germany: 6.1 Spain: 4.6 Italy: 3.7 France: 3.5

Others: 12.5%

Monthly gross average wage (by end of 2017):

– Poland: €1,102 – Ukraine: €262

(sources: Central Statistical Office of Poland, Ukrainian Ministry of Finances)

(source: Eurostat)

Inter-Enterprise

Trade Union of Ukrainian Workers was established in Poland to protect the rights and interests of employees. One of the founders of the union was Vitalii Lokaienko (pictured below).

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Legacy to our grandchildren Ahead of December’s COP24 UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, and with air pollution a major challenge facing the country, Poland Today takes a brief look at the issues facing the energy sector and initiatives aiming to turn the tide.

Global climate change

Monica Zielinski is Poland Today’s online editor and social media manager. She is a Polish-American with a journalism degree from Southern Connecticut State University in the US. She moved to Warsaw in 2016 to reconnect with her Polish roots and is currently earning a master’s in English Studies at the University of Warsaw.

and envi- gency grates in boilers which are usu- inspire the city to breathe much cleaner ronmental issues are a growing concern ally used to incinerate municipal waste. air. Cioch confirmed that coal heaters worldwide. Despite efforts to improve In addition, under the Environmental are the main source of winter polluconditions and prevent irreversible Protection Law Act, local authori- tion in major cities, as much as in small damage of the planet, the road to ties will be allowed to inspect private towns. He adds that the problem is parrecovery is long. In Poland, pollutants, homes and issue fines for burning ticularly acute in smaller municipalities, deforestation and lack of clean energy unauthorized materials. where lack of awareness remains a very pose a threat to its ecosystem. However, Kraków, a city that has struggled important challenge. While some of the the country may be turning over a new for years with its air-quality reputation, big cities have become very active and leaf and taking a stand to create a sus- has now created an ambitious clean- transparent about the problem in the tainable environment. Prime Minister air programme and is implementing last few years, many of the small towns, Mateusz Morawiecki declared that an ever growing number of anti-smog facing comparatively higher pollution tackling environmental issues will be initiatives, including subsidised whole- levels in winter, are not even aware one of his government’s priorities. “Air, sale replacements of coal-fired heat- of the gravity of the problem. In the water and land belong not only to us, ers to environmentally-friendly ones, past, when electricity and gas prices but they also belong to future genera- up to 6000 households a year. Some went up, sulphur-rich, low-grade coal tions, and the state in which we leave say regulation is not enough — educa- became a cheaper alternative. “This is these resources to our grandchildren tion and awareness is equally important. why people think that it’s a good idea will determine our legacy,” Morawiecki This is why, with the support of Kraków to use it, often unaware of the damage told parliament in December.

City Hall, the Kraków O2 initiative was it causes,” he said. “Often, they don’t developed. The community Facebook really seem to care what comes out Air alert in effect page contains daily updates, facts, fig- of their chimneys.” This is where the According to the World Health ures, research and information about awareness part kicks in. Some people Organization, in the European Region the air quality in Kraków, available both develop a “father to son syndrome," alone, exposure to particulate matter in Polish and English. By posting and throwing rubbish into their heaters (PM) decreases the life expectancy of sharing content across multiple plat- because that’s what their fathers did every person by an average of almost forms, Kraków O2 invites foreigners as a carelessly convenient routine, said 1 year. A 2016 WHO report revealed living and working in Kraków to take Cioch. A lot of people still indulge this that out of the 50 European cities most part in the discussion. It also actively routine, without giving it much thought. affected by smog, 33 are in Poland. engages both national and local media, To make them really understand the The organisation estimates that around as well as multinational firms based in implications, they need a fresh, con50,000 Poles die every year due Kraków, to collectively help raise envi- vincing perspective on their actions, to illness caused by air pollution. ronmental awareness. Strategic com- one that appeals to both emotions and The Ministry of Environment, respon- munication expert, Łukasz Cioch, said reason. By creating informative videos sible for environmental elements of the the goal of Kraków O2 is as simple as to and sharing information from air qualenergy sector, including carbon dioxity maps and control stations, including live footage of smoke from little chimide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, said measures are neys covering half the town, inhabitants being implemented. In the statement, may think twice before burning anythe ministry said: “In the long-term perthing more than standard coal. spective, we will focus on reducing the Adding to the mix so-called ‘low emissions’ phenomenon – emissions from very small, local boiler Poland is a coal country. Production of primary energy is mainly based on fosplants, dispersed individual combustion sources and means of transportation.” sil fuels and coal covers 50% of the fuel share, with oil at 26% and gas a share The Ministry also claims it will allocate approximately 10bn zł by 2020 to supof 15%, according to the International port efforts to combat the smog probEnergy Agency. Jarosław Wajer, Partner lem and promote clean air initiatives. at EY Poland said, “Lignite is the cheapThe plan of attack is to regulate and est fuel in Poland, but unfortunately it’s finance the thermal modernisation of not very environmentally friendly.” The biggest problem in Poland is the price buildings. The main problems are that residents of single-family houses use of electricity. Electricity is generated primarily (80%) by coal. Gas is twice low-grade coal, have poorly insulated structures or have poor quality furnaces. as expensive as coal and power plants Starting in July 2018, only boilers that cannot be economically sustainable meet the highest emission standards without support from subsidies or long can be purchased and the regulation term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) also restricts the installation of emersigned with a third party.

‘Kraków is implementing subsidised replacements of coal-fired heaters to environmentally-friendly ones for up to 6000 households a year’

Giant chimney.

photos: Lukasz Dejnarowicz (Forum), Maciej Jarzebinski (Forum)

Łaziska Power Station is a thermal power station in Łaziska Górne.

Owned by Tauron Group, it’s primary fuel is coal, but since 2006, the power plant has been co-burning biomass to reduce CO2 emissions.

Small steps.

Wind power is a minor source of electricity in Poland. In 2016, wind had a 7.14% share in electricity generation. However, new wind farms with a total capacity of 1.2 GW were built in Poland in 2016 – a 26.7% increase compared to the previous year.

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Green infrustructure. Developers in

Poland frequently ensure their projects are BREEAM certified. An acronym for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method was first published in 1990 and is the world’s longest established method of assessing, rating, and certifying the sustainability of buildings.

From what Wajer can see, he doesn’t by European Environment Agency expect the sector will have any major determined, “As a result of action taken problems this year, despite the fact that in the area of water management, nitromore and more investors are announc- gen and phosphorus discharges flowing they are no longer investing in ing through rivers in Poland to the Baltic coal, not just in Poland but worldwide. Sea have decreased. Nevertheless, the Additionally, big international French quality of surface water in some areas energy investors decided to sell assets is insufficient.” Water used for bathto state-controlled companies, which ing, specifically, cannot contain bactemeans that Polish government national- rial contaminations or microorganisms ized the market last year. Still, “2018 will in amounts that exceed accepted levels. be a positive year for the energy sector In a 2016 EEA report, 82% of all bathin Poland,” said Wajer. “The challenges ing waters achieved good or excellent will be renewables, distributed energy water quality classification determined and the push for electric cars.” by the EU. However, according to Regardless of the difficulties, renew- a 2016 report by the Chief Inspectorate able energy can be a viable option to of Environmental Protection, in an ecomeet the energy demands in a country logical and chemical assessment of 474 with insufficient oil and gas resources, lakes, 151 lakes were in good condiaccording to the analysis published by tion while 323 were in bad condition.

Deloitte Advisory. “Public sentiment is Pollution leads to loss of water’s natshifting away from conventional energy ural, recreational or economic values. sources towards renewable power. The OECD report states: “Insufficient At the same time support for subsidising renewables is generally growing,” according to the analysis. Can fossil fuels be replaced by renewable energy?

Over the years, alternative sources of energy have become competitive with conventional generation and the energy mix keeps changing. “As predicted by the International Energy Agency, solar energy could be the world’s largest source of electricity by 2050. The question that needs to be posed today is not whether renewables will replace conventional energy sources but when this will happen and how much time the evolution will require,” stated the report.

Another solution is to improve energy efficiency. Poland is one of the most material- and energy-consuming economies of the EU in terms of efficiency, according to the European Environment Agency. Construction and industry are responsible for consuming the most electricity, meaning they have the greatest potential to improve. With today’s concerns for thermal upgrading in residential buildings and instal- COP24 UN Climate lations of energy efficient technology Change Conference in commercial real estate, a reduction 2018 will be the fourth time that in energy demand in the economy will Poland has presided over a UN climate change change the energy industry’s business conference. The two previous Conferences of the Parties (COPs) that were held in Poland model. “The trend in growing investwere COP 14 in Poznań, in 2008, and COP ments in energy efficiency, strength- 19 in Warsaw, in 2013. Poland also presided ened by market uptake of energy over COP 5 in Bonn in 1999. The history of efficiency technologies, regulatory the UN Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) began in 1992 support, and rising electricity prices, when countries joined the international treaty will gradually remove subsidies for effi- to discuss what can be done to limit global ciency investments,” predicts Deloitte. temperature increases and how to cope with In a global context, China is now one climate change. Parties to the convention meet regularly to review progress in implementof the countries implementing the most ing obligations under the treaty and address extensive energy efficiency and renew- the climate change threat. Currently, there able energy development policies in the are 197 Parties to the UNFCCC. world.

‘2018 will be a positive year for the energy sector in Poland.

The challenges will be renewables, distributed energy and the push for electric cars’

Just keep swimming Water in Poland is mostly used in industry, and public supply accounts for nearly 18% of water withdrawal. A 2015 report

treatment of municipal and industrial sewage, saline water discharged from coal mines and pollution loads from diffuse agriculture are the main sources of water quality problems.”

To restore water quality in degraded water bodies with limited human intervention, Dr. Marcin Sitarek and a team of experts introduced a new method in Poland, based on technology developed in Japan, that is less costly and more effective than solutions used to date. While previously used techniques for cleaning water reservoirs were based on mechanical and chemical methods, processes that cause excessive interference in the environment, Sitarek’s solution restores the lost balance naturally. A company which specialises in environmental protection technologies, ACS Poland, has used this method to restore over 350 different water reservoirs throughout Poland so far, including those commissioned by the local governments Rehabilitation of water is achieved by introducing a microbiological liquid preparation into an aquatic environment at strategically chosen zones.

Przemysław Karwowski, from ACS Poland, said “We specialise in the removal of sediment and the biological reparation of aquatic ecosystems so that after the water is treated, the system can defend itself against external factors and changes.” The process may take longer, but it works in the long-run by addressing the root of the problem rather than applying a quick fix. Karwowski said heavy industry and agricultural fertilizers have a negative impact on the environment.

He assesses that in Poland, a good portion of water reservoirs require intervention and reclamation.

Poland has made significant progress over the last two decades, however, a number of environmental issues remain – particularly in terms of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Initiatives are being taken throughout the country to combat air pollution, promote energy efficiency and clean up reservoirs and lakes. In addition, the Polish National Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change by 2020 aims to “ensure sustainable development and the efficient functioning of the economy and society in a changing climate.” The objective is to implement measures in various areas including water management, health and transport. As the UN Climate Summit draws closer, Poland’s focus this year may be decarbonisation, using more natural gas, building a Baltic pipeline and import gas from Norway. With these efforts to make changes, inhabitants of Poland can only hope to see the smog clear for future generations.

by Monica Zielinski

Changing winds.

photos: Jarek Praszkiewicz (Forum), Michal Patron (Forum), ACS Poland

Polish engineers built vertical wind turbines that can harness the wind's energy from all sides.

The device is estimated to be as much as 50% more efficient than propeller-based systems, is very quiet, and has a lifespan calculated at 50 years.

Natural process.

ACS applied the method of reclamation using effective organisms to bring about drastic improvement in the quality of the aquatic environment in this body of water.

Pollution vacuum.

The Smog Free Tower located in Jordan Park in Krakow is the first external smog cleaner in the world.

The 7 meter high tower uses patented ionization technology to purify 30,000 m3 of air per hour.

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50 A level playing field business

In one of the most important economic initiatives for years, the government will make the country one big economic zone, ending the exclusivity of SEZs. Tadeusz Kościński, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Enterprise and Technology, talks to Poland Today.

In a nutshell, what are the changes to be made in the new Special Economic Zone law?

Tadeusz Kościński

is a keynote speaker at Poland Today’s panel ‘Transformation Nation: The Future of the Polish Economy’ at the MIPIM 2018 international real estate expo in Cannes.

Tadeusz Kościński As Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Enterprise and Technology, Kościński is responsible for the development and implementation of rules governing trade between EU states. He has been working in the banking sector throughout his professional career and is a graduate of the Goldsmith’s University of London.

The main change is that we’re moving away from geographical limits so the whole of Poland will be an economic zone, not just regional areas totalling 25,000 hectares. The second big change is that quantity will not be a major factor, i.e. how much the investor is going to invest in Poland and the number of jobs he’s going to create.

We’re moving towards quality: Is the investment going to represent hi-tech, future-proof technology? Is the supply chain going to be developed in Poland?

Are the employees going to be on fulltime contracts, and will the investor provide high-standard and aboveaverage salaries? The third change is about the management of the economic zones. To date they made their money by selling real estate to investors. We want to move away from that – their remit will be to support investors.

They will be the first line of contact, a one-stop shop, and they will have to develop a strategy for the area that they manage and work together with business, local government and higher education. One of the problems to date has been that in some parts of Poland there have been no special economic zones anywhere near, and in other places there have been two very close to each other. Going forward every powiat (county or district) in Poland will be apportioned to a special economic zone management board.

At face value, it seems that the existing SEZs will suffer if the whole of Poland becomes one big SEZ. Is that the case?

They won’t suffer – quite the opposite. At the moment they have 25,000 hectares under management, in the future they will have the whole of Poland under management. Of course we’re only talking about land available for investment.

But how will it be in their interest to process investors in another area to their own?

TK: Of course they will be getting fees, which will be strictly registered.

We don’t want them to go bankrupt but we don’t expect them to make

money on real estate, we want them to make money on helping investors.

One other thing I would like to mention is the support period. Current incentives in Special Economic Zones run out in 2026, which means that anyone wanting to go into a current SEZ now would take a couple of years to get a license and a year or two to build a factory and establish a market, which only gives a few years to get their money back on an investment. From now on every investment will have between 10 – 15 years of incentives.

Is there an end period for this?

There’s no end period and also there is no change for current investments in economic zones. If someone has already invested, we’re not giving anything and we’re not taking anything from them.

It’s been said that an objective of the new law is to encourage investors to go to eastern Poland. Is that correct?

There are two objectives. The first is that we have double digit unemployment in parts of eastern Poland, especially north-eastern Poland, so we need to attract investors there to create jobs – that’s the most important thing. So we’ll be reducing the amount that’s needed to be invested in these parts.

There are other areas of Poland where there is almost zero unemployment, so we’re not going to be encouraging foreign investors to go to these places. In these places it’s not simply a case of creating jobs, it’s about the quality of the jobs: is the business going to be hitech? Is it going to work with universities? Is it going to employ graduates?

In high unemployment areas we’ll continue to encourage investors simply to create jobs; in low unemployment areas, it’s more an emphasis on the quality of the jobs and investment.

According to government figures, average expenditure on R&D by companies in Poland does not exceed 1%. With the recent government and EU emphasis on investing in R&D, are companies starting to see the benefits of such investment or not?

Poland is starting to attract more hi-tech business into the country – a very good example is business shared services. Ten years ago Poland was

Orlen and Lotus, where we’re looking at merging them together. Although they’re still separate companies, they’ve got the brief (to merge), so they’re on the road to become bigger companies and potential international champions.

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business

Of course it’s good for a country to have international champions, but in a practical sense, how does it help Poland if companies merge and create larger companies?

current 14 Special economic zones Special Economic Zones (SEZ) are designated areas in which manufacturing or distribution activities can be conducted on preferential terms. Benefits from obtaining a permit to conducting activities in SEZs include income tax exemption, plot of land at competitive price and free assistance in dealing with formalities. The total area of all 14 SEZs is 25,000 hectares. seen as a very good place to set up call centres and back offices because of the low costs and wages, and the qualified workforce. However over the last few years we’ve moved right up the value chain and priced ourselves out of the market for call centres and back offices and we’re now the number one place in the CEE for business shared services such as managing global IT, global marketing, risk etc.

Poland is recognized for this. Also in industry we see more and more companies investing in Poland who then open their R&D centres on the back of that. We’re not quite at the stage where companies come to Poland just to do their research and development, but we do have innovation centres – Samsung is a good example in Rzeszów, where they’ve set up such a centre.

Also according to the government, only 6% of Polish companies are global champions. How do you define ‘global champions’, what would you like to see, and how can the government help?

Polish companies have to be bigger.

One example of what should happen is Bank Pekao BP and Pekao SA, which are big in Poland but tiny in Europe.

We want to see banks like that merge together so they will be bigger in Europe. Another good example is PKN

‘We have double digit unemployment in parts of Poland so we need to attract investors there to create jobs ’

Transition period

The current system will continue to operate until 2026, but only for permits issued prior to the new system coming into force. Until 2026 the two systems will operate in parallel.

A bigger company will reduce costs. That’s good for Poland because it reduces the costs for consumers in Poland. Secondly, bigger companies can fight foreign competition in Poland better. In Britain you have British banks, in France you have French banks, but in Poland you have banks from elsewhere.

Also if a country has strong companies, they can go abroad and compete there, which is good for the country.

In terms of helping Polish companies export, how are you looking to do that?

Of roughly two million companies in Poland – that number includes sole traders – only around 17,500 are exporters. And of these, around 75% are foreign owned. So really, only about 4,000 Polish companies export. Of Polish exports, around 80% go to the EU, and of that, about 26% go to Germany. So we’re very reliant on the economy of the EU, especially Germany. Our objective is first of all to educate Polish companies that it’s good for them to export. One problem is that following the hyper-unemployment at the beginning of the 1990s, a lot of companies were set up, and they tend to be family-run businesses. They tend not to be very ambitious. The owners are happy enough to be a local company and have a nice house, a nice car etc.

Going national quite often means allowing external capital in, which of course means losing some control. They don’t see the benefit. So we have to educate them about why they should bring in external capital to go national and international - because foreign competition in Poland is coming, and it’s best to fight your battles abroad rather than fighting on your local patch. The second message we need to get across is that if you export to developing markets like South America or Africa, where the economies are growing in double digits, you can get a good market share and compete better in the European markets.

How do you actually help companies export?

We originally set up diplomatic trade offices – 46 of them – attached to Polish embassies, most of which - 26 of them - are in Europe. Because they’re diplo-

Made in Poland.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, the top exports of Poland are: – Vehicle Parts ($11.2bn), – Cars ($7.59bn), – Seats ($5.46bn), – Computers ($4bn) – and Other Furniture ($3.98bn).

The top export destinations of Poland are Germany ($53bn), the United Kingdom ($13bn), the Czech Republic ($12.7bn), France ($10.8bn) and Italy ($9.4bn).

52 business

new role of sez will be critical Paweł Tynel, Partner, EY: The new law that is planned to be introduced is a fundamental change in the way the government of Poland would like to support investors.

Instead of having specific areas covered with SEZ status, the whole of Poland will have that special status. This means that in all locations it will be possible to obtain corporate income tax exemption. The goal is not to award CIT exemption to everyone, but it is a way to search for potential investors across the country.

Thanks to these changes, every local leader and entrepreneur will have the same attributes, meaning that they do not have to go through the lengthy process of inclusion of a specific piece of land into an SEZ. On the one hand, CIT exemption will be more accessible, but at the same time it will be more challenging to receive a decision on investment support. The criteria that the investor will have to fulfil will be far greater in locations with a low unemployment level. Instead of the uniform €100,000 threshold for investment expenditure, there will be different thresholds depending on the location and size of the investment.

Differences will be driven by the unemployment level, but simple creation of new jobs will not be the critical factor. What will be critical is capital expenditure linked to qualitative criteria focused on the quality of jobs, cooperation with scientific units, conducting R&D, level of exports, vocational training etc.

What is also important is that there will be different timescales in which investors will be awarded with CIT exemption, ranging from 10 to 15 years. Such a differentiation based on development levels will motivate companies to look for locations in less favourable locations.

The SEZs will be managing and monitoring far greater areas than they are now. Instead of having something like 1000 ha under supervision, they will be managing entire voivodeships or even larger regions. SEZs will be the hubs for those areas, and their role in developing their areas of responsibility will be critical. Their 20 years of experience should certainly be helpful in fulfilling that role.

system re-boot Pawel Zelich, Associated Partner, Attorney at Law, Noerr Biedecki sp.k.

(Member of Noerr Group): The new legislative proposals are a welcome substitute for an increasingly outdated investment support regime. Access to tax incentives anywhere in Poland, and not only in one of the special economic zones, should allow a number of new locations attract valuable investments and provide investors with a more competitive offer to locate their business in Poland and not in other countries in the region.

‘We can't just be an assembly line for foreign companies.

We need the hi-tech jobs, the R&D jobs’

matic offices, the cost of maintaining them is very high – the whole family usually comes – and they can’t offer feebased services. All of those are being liquidated and we’re bringing in about 70 trade offices built on commercial terms. We’re talking about prospective markets such as Vietnam, Iran, China, South America – Argentina and Mexico.

They will be manned by local staff, so the cost of employment and administration will be much lower. They will also provide fee-based services. They will still provide basic services for free, but if a Polish company wants a report on some aspect of the economy, they can buy it, and if they want a matchmaking service to find a particular partner, they can also buy that sort of service.

Is there any wish or drive for a Polish equivalent of AmCham or BPCC – a professional network of Polish chambers of commerce abroad?

Absolutely. At present we have a lot of associations and they seem to be quite dispersed with a very poor costbenefit. So we need to amalgamate these together so they can be more powerful and have a much stronger voice representing businesspeople.

We need to develop Polish chambers abroad. We’ve already started it, for example in the U.S., where there are already chambers – although they’re more linked to the Polonia in the States.

We need Polish companies to be the drivers of the chambers of commerce, not the companies based abroad.

For chambers of commerce to be effective, like an ideal civil service, they should not be politically-aligned, not following a particular government line. Do you agree?

I completely agree. Business is business and politics is politics. They do intermingle and that’s not always a bad thing, but I think we need to be open for business for everybody.

What is the government doing about the demographic trap – the ever-shrinking workforce?

Quite a lot, because unfortunately the Polish nation is getting older and there are fewer people working and more people in retirement, so the

costs of supporting that is astronomical. First of all, let’s try and stop people leaving Poland, because that’s the worst thing that’s happening. We have the cost of their upbringing and education, then young people don’t see their future in Poland and leave. How do we stop them from leaving? First, let’s give them jobs. If they don’t have a job, they’re not going to stay. And once they do have jobs, they must have better jobs. And that’s what I meant earlier about the quality – we can’t just be an assembly line for foreign companies.

We need the hi-tech jobs, the R&D jobs.

We’ve also got the 500+ programme which has made a big difference to the birth rate in Poland.

Concerning 500+, why is it that the well off also receive it. Shouldn’t the money be more carefully distributed?

Will it be fine-tuned in the future?

The costs of filtering are higher than the costs of paying. Full stop.

Really?

It’s not actually my area of responsibility, but that’s my understanding.

Means-testing is a cost, and the cost benefit of that is not great enough.

Concerning the demographics, what we’re trying to achieve in Poland is for people to have higher salaries.

The more they earn, the more they will be able to spend in Poland and the more likely they are to stay here.

So we are moving up the value chain.

Allowing in immigrants is a delicate issue. On the one hand we have a lack of people to work in Poland because we’ve got just over 4% unemployment, meaning business can have a problem investing in Poland because they don’t have people to invest in. So either they don’t invest at all in Poland, or they start increasing the salaries they pay.

We obviously want (the salaries to increase), but it has to be controlled otherwise there will be salary inflation and that will take us out of the market against our competitors. So using immigrants can actually allow companies to take some of the pressure off in terms of employment, but at the same time keep enough pressure for companies to migrate up the industry 4.0 value chain to automate more, to move away from manual assembly lines to automated assembly lines. There are different perspectives to deal with.

What does industry 4.0 mean for the Polish government?

It’s about getting away from manual labour and looking at the internet of things, big data, cloud computing, automation and robotics. We’re promoting all of these either through direct funding or tax relief.

interview by Richard Stephens

ssibility as of December

2017. All sources available

upon request. Report elaborated

d. for the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs by Bartosz Stefaniak

2000

(madeinPolska.eu).

2001

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agiełło iellonian on the e two e Polishs born.

The Beginning of WWII The worst of all wars starts by a joint invasion of Poland

by Nazi Germany and the USSR. The post-war global order created by Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin puts Poland within the Soviet sphere of influence.

This heralds the start of a long and painful period of Communism in Poland.

nce udski, es 3 ule.

able upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

Republic of Poland

1989

4.7%

worked

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share of GDP / man-hour in current prices according to purchasing power

Poland has one of the most educated populations in Europe.

43 percent of young adults aged 25-34 have attained tertiary education degree. Poles are some of the hardest workers in the world as well, labouring for more hours than people in most other developed nations. This has led to a raft of investments in business process outsourcing and in research and development centres in recent years.

2002

2003

All statistical data valid according

enrolled in tertiary education

parity

2004

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2

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102

2005

to sources accessibility as

2006

2007

2008

of December 2017. All sources

2009

2010

available upon request. Report

2011

2012

elaborated for the Ministry

2013

2014

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

2015

2016

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

0.5%

2

B102

PhD course

n request. Report elaborated

for the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs by Bartosz Stefaniak

cumulative GDP growth 2002-2016

2002

2003

2004

2005

(madeinPolska.eu).

2006

All statistical data valid according

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2007

2008

to sources accessibility as

2009

2010

of December 2017. All sources

2011

2012

available upon request. Report

2013

elaborated for the Ministry

2014

2015

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

2016

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National symbols

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

2

Białowieşa forest became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

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2

The country, officially called ‘The Republic of Poland’, is in Central Europe. In Polish its name is ‘Polska’. With an area of 312,679 km2, Poland is the 69th largest country in the world and the 8th largest in Europe.

With a population of more than 38.4 million, it is the 37th most populous country in the world and the 6th most populous member of the European Union.

National flag

white and red

National emblem

the white eagle

National phone code

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

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National currency

National road traffic code

.pl

to sources accessibility as

PL

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

1

to sources accessibility as

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

2

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Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

to sources accessibility as

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

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2

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POLAND’S INVESTMENT

2

ATTRACTIVENESS

Road system

1

Ministry

Road safety in Poland is constantly improving.

Between 2007-2016, the number of casualties on national roads decreased by 45,7%.

Ministry

2

The Po h Pope 978

Republic of Poland

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

1

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2

A distinctive part of the coast is the Hel Peninsula, a 35km-long strip of land separating the Bay of Puck from the Baltic Sea.

17 February 1980

to sources accessibility as

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

institute:

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

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Ministry

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2

in Monocle's Soft Power Survey 2016/17

$602 bn

+7.0%

1999

2000

2001

+3.6% +3.2%

+2.8%

+2.0%

+1.2%

1998

+5.0%

+4.2%

+3.4%

+2.6%

+1.6%

2002

2003

2004

2005

to sources accessibility as

2006

2007

2008

of December 2017. All sources

2009

2010

available upon request. Report

2011

2012

elaborated for the Ministry

+3.8%

+1.3%

2013

2014

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

2015

2016

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

H gher educa on 9 3% 65%

Country rank:

Country rank:

2014

Country rank:

2015

Country rank:

Country rank:

Country rank:

24th

20th

20th

to sources accessibility as

20th

of December 2017. All sources

2016

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

POLAND’S HISTORY UNTIL

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23rd

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

m

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

POLAND’S CULTURE

Spotlight on art

Ministry

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2

one of world’s first contemporary art museums opens in the city of Šódź.

Kazimir Malevich

Katarzyna Kobro

(1879-1935), was born to Polish parents.

(1898-1951) are some of the greatest examples of Polish Constructivism.

The conceptual approach to time flow by

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Ministry

2

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

World War II has left Warsaw as a city of ruins.

71

1

Poland’s population makes it the largest market in the region. Domestic demand has risen 2steadily Black 80% since Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102 the fall of communism.

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Foreign direct investment into Poland â‚Ź15.6bn

16%

of Poland’s pre-war citizens have lost their lives in WWII (5.8 million people).

Poland is a highly attractive location for investment and business expansion. According to a report by EY, Poland is the fifth most attractive country for foreign direct investment in Europe. Highlighting

11 Feb. 1945 The Yalta conference, where the Big Three (UK, US and USSR) decided that post-war Poland would remain in the Soviet sphere of influence.

Under German occupation, 1.7 million Poles have been forcibly expelled from their hometowns in the process of ethnic cleansing of the Polish territory. Meanwhile, a few hundred thousands of those who felt under Soviet occupation have been deported deep into USRR.

Bartosz Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Poland placed 45th out of 180 countries listed in the ‘2017 Index of Economic Freedom’ ranking by The Wall Street Journal and the Heritage Foundation.

All statistical data valid according

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

97%

â‚Ź14.8bn

â‚Ź10.1bn

â‚Ź9.3bn

â‚Ź8.3bn

Republic of Poland

â‚Ź12.1bn

â‚Ź10.5bn

2005

2006

2007

All statistical data valid according

2008

2009

to sources accessibility as

2010

2011

of December 2017. All sources

2012

available upon request. Report

2013

elaborated for the Ministry

2014

2015

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

2016

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Average exchange rates Q3 2017:

Ministry

Republic of Poland

1

2

1USD = 3.62PLN 1GBP = 4.74PLN 1CHF = 3.76PLN

The Polish government doesn't plan to adopt the euro in mid-term

18th February 2009 1EUR = 4.89PLN

July 2008 – February 2009, the złoty (PLN) loses 1/3 of its value relative to the euro.

The drop in the71złoty made Polish more competitive which helped exports stabilize the economy in the aftermath of the global crisis.

C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

POLAND’S LANDSCAPE

2

AND WILDLIFE

Ministry

2

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2

Ministry

2

1

Ministry

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2

ByB102 2016 Poland ranked

the 29th least corrupt out of 176 countries

reign Affairs by Bartosz

2004

2005

2006

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

2007

2.1%

25th July 2008 1EUR = 3.20PLN 2008

All statistical data valid according

2009

to sources accessibility as

2010

Interest rate December 2017:

2011

of December 2017. All sources

2012

2013

available upon request. Report

National bank reserve October 2017:

The Masurian Lake District is a popular tourist destination frequented by lovers of the great outdoors. The most abundant activities include birdwatching, fishing, sailing, canoeing, horse riding and cycling.

1.5% â‚Ź95bn

2014

2015

elaborated for the Ministry

2016

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

on an area of about 52,000

2017

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Logotyp A

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

POLAND’S HISTORY UNTIL

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Logotyp A

POLAND’S HISTORY UNTIL

Noble Democracy 1

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2

Metropolitan areas

The liberum veto

was a form of unanimity voting rule that allowed any member of the Sejm an immediate end to the current to force session and nullify any legislation that had already been passed at the session.

It was based on the premise that since all Polish noblemen were equal, every measure that came before the Sejm had to be passed unanimously.

The first regional councils were set up by the nobility

in 1454

The first free election of the king took place in 1573, when Sigismund II Augustus died without having fathered an heir.

He was the last of the Jagiellonian prompted the first free elections dynasty. His death attended by some 40,000Â Polish nobles.

This is seen as the starting date for the Noble Democracy.

The ‘Sejm’ – the early form of parliament – was made up of the king and a chamber of deputies that numbered 170.

The election of Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski in 1764, depicted in a painting

by Bernardo Bellotto.

Henceforward every Polish king was freely elected.

All statistical data valid according

to sources accessibility as

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

71

Poland is unique in its region in that the country’s population is not mostly concentrated around a single city. In fact, Poland boasts 7 metropolitan centres with populations of 1 million people or above. There is also a significant number of large to medium sized cities (17 with a population of over 200,000). These cities are spread out across the country, meaning Poland offers a wider array of large markets in which to invest. By 2030, Poland plans to further integrate its metropolitan areas into groupings of a larger scale. This integration will be reflected in common institutions and common legal standards.

2

Republic of Poland

1

2

Logotyp A

POLAND’S SOCIETY

Republic of Poland

By 2015 the average fertility

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

71

Katowice

78

49% of Poles want to have two children. (as of March 2013)

rate was

1.32 children

per woman of reproductive

2

cities and towns in Poland (July 2017)

219

cities have a population bigger than 200,000 (July 2017)

60.2

towns have a population bigger than 20,000 (July 2017)

percent of Poles (23.1 million) live in towns or cities (as of end 2016)

Silesia conurbation

2.8 mln

Cracow agglomeration

2.1 mln

Map of the biggest Polish cities and towns

Wrocław agglomeration

1.2 mln

to sources accessibility as

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

Ĺ ĂłdĹş agglomeration

1.1 mln

age (15-49).

By April 2016 Polish government a subsidiary programme designed has introduced to encourage families to have more children. It is 500 PLN (around â‚Ź113) monthly for every second and consecutive child in a family.

2

Ministry Republic of Poland

1

2

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

elaborated for the Ministry

1.1 mln

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

0.8 mln

The horn of plenty 1

By 2016

10.6 mln ha of land in Poland were used for agricultural production.

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2

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71

129,100 tonnes of raspberries in total were grown in Poland in 2016.

its name is derived from the Polish word ‘pole’ meaning ‘field’. Nowadays over one third of its total land area is taken up by growing cereals, fruits and vegetables.

By 2016 29,300 ha of land were dedicated to growing raspberries in Poland.

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

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Logotyp A

Foreign trade

In 2016 exports represented 52% of GDP Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

up from only 27% in 2000.

All statistical data valid according

to sources accessibility as

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

The EU accounts for: 79.8% of Polish exports 61.2% of Polish imports (as of 2016)

In 2016 Poland saw a trade surplus of

â‚Ź4 billion

2

71

The CEE countries account for: 5.5% of Polish exports 7.2% of Polish im

Ministry Republic of Poland

1

2

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

80-89

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Republic of Poland

Agricultural production (as of 2016):

1

2

POLAND’S ECONOMY

Stock market

29 Oct. 2007 WIG20 blue chip index: 3,940.53

Ministry

Republic of Poland

Cereals: 29.8 mln t Sugar beet: 13.5 mln t Potatoes: 8.6 mln t Fruits: 4.6 mln t Other vegetables: 4.5 mln t Rapeseed: 2.2 mln t

1

WIG20 blue chip index change

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Web R204 G0 B51

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71 between 02 January 1996 and 29 November 2017:

â‚Ź332bn

477

total capitalisation (as of 29

50

+207.64%

29 Nov. 2017 WIG20 blue chip index: 2,436.24

In 2016 with a production of 3.6 million tonnes, Poland was

world's 3th biggest producer of apples.

Poland had 1,504,000 bee hives in 2016. Their number grows steadily year by year. to sources accessibility as

of December 2017. All sources

1.09 mln tonnes of apples have been exported in 2016, making Poland one of the world's biggest exporters of that fruit.

177,000 ha of land were dedicated It is over 3/4 of the total acreage to growing apples in Poland. of tree fruit cultivation in Poland (as of 2016).

available upon request. Report

elaborated for the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

The dynamic growth of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) has made Warsaw the leading financial centre in the CEE region, attracting a steady flow of IPOs, both domestic and foreign.

The WSE, as a well developing company, debuted on its own stock exchange in 2010.

â‚Ź52bn 2017 total share sales

â‚Ź247m

02 Jan. 1996 WIG20 blue chip index: 810.70 1996

1997

1998

2017 average share sales per session 1999

18 Feb. 2009 WIG20 blue chip index: 1,253.24

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 to sources accessibility as

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

of December 2017. All sources

available upon request. Report

2012

elaborated for the Ministry

2013

2014 2015

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

POLAND’S FOREIGN RELATIONS

Architecture of Poland’s international relations

Ministry

1

C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

2

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

71

He p ng o her

2016

2017

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

Republic of Poland

Nov. 2017)

â‚Ź175bn

capitalisation of foreign companies (as of 29 Nov. 2017)

total companies listed (as of 29 Nov. 2017)

Logotyp B

Ministry

Poland’s key tr

commander of Polish forces.

foreign companies listed (as of 29 Nov. 2017)

Republic of Poland

2

The spoils of war: Captured banners of the Red Army

First Marshal

Józef Piłsudski

90-100 2

Ministry

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

All statistical data valid according

POLAND’S ECONOMY

U.K.

1989

Logotyp B

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

1

/RJRW\S MÄ‹]\N DQJLHOVNL $ WHUVMD NRORURZD SR]\W\Z ]QDN SRGVWDZRZ\ Pobierz logotyp A w formacie: Pobierz logotyp B w formacie:

Republic of Poland

Tri-City conurbation

Toruń agglomeration

Poland

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Ministry

2

1.2 mln

Poznań agglomeration

Logotyp B

Family first

Ministry

C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

/RJRW\S MÄ‹]\N DQJLHOVNL $ WHUVMD NRORURZD SR]\W\Z ]QDN SRGVWDZRZ\ Pobierz logotyp A w formacie: Pobierz logotyp B w formacie:

available upon request. Report

Logotyp A

All statistical data valid according Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

of December 2017. All sources

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

Poland has always been an agricultural country. Even

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

1

16

3.2 mln

All statistical data valid according

Ministry

923

Warsaw agglomeration

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Logotyp B

to sources accessibility as

POLAND’S FOOD

1

Ministry

2

22,074 43,165

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

2

Republic of Poland C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

Germany

71

politician and the British 60-69 ambassador in Berlin at the time, Lord Edgar Vincent D’Abernon.

Logotyp B

Republic of Poland

19,961

Romania

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

ATTRACTIVENESS

71

1

2

70-79 /RJRW\S MÄ‹]\N DQJLHOVNL $ WHUVMD NRORURZD SR]\W\Z ]QDN SRGVWDZRZ\ Pobierz logotyp A w formacie: Pobierz logotyp B w formacie:

Logotyp A

Ministry

2

C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

Just a few years after regaining independence, Poland faced40-49 an onslaught from a Russian army intent on spreading its Bolshevik ideology westwards. The Battle of Warsaw, in which Poland 50-59 emerged victorious, was called the 18th most-decisive battle in world history by renowned

least corrupt

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

rs by Bartosz Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

ations as of October 2017

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

POLAND’S INVESTMENT

1

Republic of Poland

Poland’s Noble Democracy, a country not governed solely by the monarch, was uniquely enlightened for the times.

It allowed the nobility, which made up some 10 percent of Poland’s population, to elect a king. The period is often referred to as ‘Golden Liberty’ due to the extent of the privileges enjoyed by the nobles.

Many historians claim that the principle of liberum veto was a major cause of the deterioration of the Commonwealth's political system, particularly in the 18th century, when foreign powers bribed Sejm members to paralyze its proceedings. That led to a major crisis of power and eventually to the partition of the country between Austria, Prussia and Russia for over a century.

/RJRW\S MÄ‹]\N DQJLHOVNL $ WHUVMD NRORURZD SR]\W\Z ]QDN SRGVWDZRZ\ Pobierz logotyp A w formacie: Pobierz logotyp B w formacie:

elaborated for the Ministry

most corrupt

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

2

Republic of Poland

Logotyp A

available upon request. Report

Logotyp B

Ministry

2

1

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

1989

Ministry

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

of December 2017. All sources

17,545

30-39

2015: 30th / 168 countries 2014: 35th / 174 countries 2013: 38th / 175 countries 2012: 41st / 174 countries 2011: 41st / 182 countries

All statistical data valid according

Logotyp B

2

Ministry

to sources accessibility as

France

Poland

Poland's rank in the previous editions of the Corruption Perceptions Index:

Like any country that has come out of the throws of a communist regime to undergo a democratic transition, Poland has faced its fair share of business opportunists and corrupt officials. According to international figures, however, Poland is among the least corrupt countries of the former Eastern Bloc.

113.8 km2

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

1

Republic of Poland

km .

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

All statistical data valid according

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

The largest lake in Poland is Ĺšniardwy, with an area of

2

Serbia of

Ministry

20-29

listed in the Corruption Perceptions prepared yearly by the international Index corruption watchdog Transparency International.

2,000 lakes

Russia to sources accessibility as

Republic of Poland 10-20

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102

71

EUR/PLN exchange rate

14,292 15,064 16,396 16,980 Czech Rep.

The war with Soviet Russia (1919-1920)

00-10

2

Republic of Poland C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

The Masurian Lake District in northeastern Poland counts around

CPI inflation (y/y) October 2017:

Spain

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

2

Republic of Poland

1

Poland has pledged to join the Eurozone in the long term, but currently the country benefits from remaining outside the single currency area.

12,969

Hungary

Logotyp B

Corruption level

1

Ministry Republic of Poland

1EUR = 4.25PLN

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Logotyp A

POLAND’S ECONOMY

2

Republic of Poland

1

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

Logotyp B

71

Poland maintains a floating currency, the złoty, which helps to keep Polish products competitive on world markets and insulates its economy from external shocks. The country has an independent central bank with a solid track record of responsible, anticyclical monetary policy, as well as a well-regulated and conservative banking system.

12,454

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

Logotyp A

Average exchange rate Q3 2017:

perspective.

/RJRW\S MÄ‹]\N DQJLHOVNL $ WHUVMD NRORURZD SR]\W\Z ]QDN SRGVWDZRZ\ Pobierz logotyp A w formacie: Pobierz logotyp B w formacie:

The Masurian lakes

1

Ministry Republic of Poland

(as of 2016)

All statistical data valid according Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

The 2016 FDI inflow was worth $11.3 bn.

By 20156 the total stock of FDI invested so far in Poland was worth $185 bn.

Poland ranked 27th out of 190 countries for ease of doing business by the World Bank in 2017. It is a rise from the 45th position in 2013.

Top 10 European countries

by FDI job creation

Year after year, Poland moves up in international rankings for ease of doing business and investment attractiveness. In recent years, Polish governments have moved to reduce bureaucracy and improve infrastructure. While there is still room to improve, Poland is now the clear leader in the region in terms of its appeal as a destination for business.

Logotyp B

National currency

Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

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Poland ranked higher 71 than such competitors for investment as Spain, Belgium, Slovakia, Hungary, France and Turkey.

â‚Ź12.5bn

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

Logotyp A

POLAND’S ECONOMY

2

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Poland is world's 23rd best location for FDI according to the 2015 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index.

â‚Ź10.7bn

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

By 2016 Poland noted a 21% rise of FDI projects quantity compared to 2015.

Republic of Poland

Poland placed 45th out of 180 countries in the 2017 Index of Economic Freedom ranking

by The Wall Street Journal and Heritage 1 C0the M100 Y100 Foundation K5 2 Black 80% Pantone 485 C

â‚Ź2bn

2004

ATTRACTIVENESS

Ministry

2

â‚Ź4.7bn

the availability of well-qualified and productive employees as a key strength, as well as its business-friendly climate and transparent tax and legal systems.

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

POLAND’S INVESTMENT

The rankings

1

Ministry

Poland's place in the ranking was higher than such competitors for investment as Spain (28th), Portugal (29th), Czech Republic (30th), France (31st), Netherlands (32n d), Switzerland (33rd), Japan (34th) Slovenia (37th), Slovakia (39th), Romania (45th), Italy (46th), Hungary (48th), Belgium (52nd), Israel (54th) and Turkey (60th).

â‚Ź17.2bn

â‚Ź10.3bn

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Logotyp B

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH Logotyp B

By 2017 Poland ranked 27th out of 190 countries in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ enquiry by the World Bank.

of foreign investors in Poland would choose the country as a place to invest in again. (as of December 2016)

Poland’s stable macroeconomi c situation, the report mentions

Hundreds of thousands of Poles joined the many underground resistance movements, including 0.38 million in the Home Army, which was directed by the legal government-in-ex ile in London.

to sources accessibility as

/RJRW\S MÄ‹]\N DQJLHOVNL $ WHUVMD NRORURZD SR]\W\Z ]QDN SRGVWDZRZ\ Pobierz logotyp A w formacie: Pobierz logotyp B w formacie:

Logotyp A

2

Poland's place in the ranking is higher than such competitors for investment as Belgium (49th), Hungary (56th), Slovakia (57th), Turkey (60th), Spain (69th), France (72nd), Portugal (77th), Italy (79th) and Slovenia (97th).

71

during a joint victory parade Polish town of Brześć Litewski,in the where the two invading armies met.

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

Republic of Poland

38.4 million

22 Sept. 1939 Red Army troops chatting with Wehrmacht soldiers

World War II started in September 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, followed soon after by the Soviet Union from the east, in accordance with the RibbentropMolotov pact concerning the partition of Eastern Europe.

Due to Poland’s geographical location between two totalitarian regimes, it was inevitable that the country would find itself in the middle of the global conflict, and suffered deeply with huge losses in population, wealth and infrastructure.

Visiting Poland for business

Ministry

2

Republic of Poland C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

m w m

Bar osz S e an ak +48 505 029 696 bar osz s e an ak@po and oday p

BASIC FACTS ABOUT POLAND

1

m

%

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

2

m

m

96%

R chard S ephens +48 694 922 898 r chard s ephens@po and oday p

Roman Opałka

(1931-2011) has been recognised by the renowned Centre Pompidou in Paris and New York’s MOMA and now features in their permanent collections. to sources accessibility as

Sp r o en repreneur h p

I you wou d ke o know more p ease con ac us

The giant of painting

The abstract sculptures of

Logotyp B

World War II 1

We ass st pub c nst tut ons and oca author t es w th the r strateg c commun cat on

The paintings of

Tamara Ĺ empicka

(1898-1980) are recognised as important contributions to the World’s Art Deco heritage.

1930

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

Logotyp A

1989

Ministry

1

05

Country rank:

21th

elaborated for the Ministry

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

2

m

2017

Country rank:

20th

available upon request. Report

Republic of Poland

Republic of Poland

Logotyp A

m 0 w

216% 2013

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Logotyp B

Republic of Poland

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

$571 bn

$516 bn

2012

71

+5.1% +3.5%

2

hon in Poland is held in Dębno est part of the country. It was July 1966 to mark the 1,000th olish statehood. Dębno is now Polish capital of marathons.

of motorways in use and

of expressways in use

in 2012 Poland recorded the highest increase in brand value among all 100 countries studied

by Brand Finance Institute.

$566 bn

$497 bn

2011

Poland in the pre-war period was one of the most dynamic centres of avant-garde in Europe, with artists such as Władysław Strzemiński, Katarzyna Kobro, Henryk Staşewski and Henryk Berlewi. After the war, and until 1956, Polish art was dominated by ideologically inspired Social Realism. One of the first artists of the new avant-garde was the internationally acclaimed Tadeusz Kantor, a painter and theatre performer.

Today, big Polish names in the contemporary art market include Zbigniew Libera, Mirosław Bałka, Paweł Althamer, Wilhelm Sasnal, Katarzyna Kozyra and others.

+6.1%

+4.6% +4.6% +4.5%

1

Ministry

in the Country Brand Index 2014-15 published annually

by Future Brand

2010

25th

1

total GDP (PPP) in 2008 in current prices

All figures according to Eurostat's methodology (ESA 2010 standard)

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elaborated for the Ministry

institute:

All statistical data valid according

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

1,688 km

available upon request. Report

$269 bn

$229 bn

$1,055 bn

In 2016 Poland’s GDP was 51% higher than at the beginning of the global financial crisis, a peerless performance among all EU 28 countries.

Beginning of the global crisis:

All statistical data valid according

2016

of December 2017. All sources

+75%

Poland Poland ranked 25th ranked 45th

$472 bn

Poland's brand value

according to Brand Finance

2

2

Republic of Poland Total GDP (PPP) in 2016 in current prices:

$698 bn

(madeinPolska.eu).

-2.5%

224 km of expressways in use

to sources accessibility as

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

1

Ministry

Thanks to the free float of Poland's national currency, the country was able to cushion the dramatic effects of global economic collapse after 2008. The purchasing power (PPP) of Poland's gross domestic product steadily rises year after year despite its nominal current 71 value in USD floating up and down.

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

$365 bn

Poland’s GDP per capita has rocketed since 1989; more than two decades of uninterrupted growth has made the country a star performer amongst all transition economies. Poland was the only economy in Europe to avoid a recession during the global crisis, benefiting from a depreciated real exchange rate, large domestic market, relatively low exposure to international trade, low household and corporate-sector debt leverage and stimulative fiscal and monetary policy.

2

1,627 km

of motorways in use and

Logotyp B

Total GDP (PPP) in 1998 in current prices:

Logotyp A

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

As of December 2017 Poland had:

535 km

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

Logotyp A

Republic of Poland

1

54.1%

(2017)

1. United States 13. Mexico 2. China 1 C0 M100 Y100 K5 14. Switzerland 2 Black 80% Pantone 485 C 3. Germany Pantone 425 C R186 G0 B31 15. Netherlands Web R102 G102 B102 Web R204 G0 B51 4. Japan 16.

71 Indonesia 5. United Kingdom 17. Russia 6. France 18. Brazil 7. Canada 19. Sweden 8. India 20. Taiwan 9. Italy 21. UAE 10. South Korea 22. Saudi Arabia 11. Australia 23. Poland 12. Spain 24. Turkey

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Economic growth

1

Republic of Poland

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Republic of Poland

The strength of a country's brand is determined in the same way as any other brand. We can analyse different associations and attributes evoked by a specific country, as well as measure levels of awareness, familiarity, preference, consideration, advocacy and active decisions to visit it or buy a product made there. The branding and image of a nation-state and the successful transference of this image to its exports is just as important as what the country actually produces and sells. Poland is quickly catching up on all those levels.

POLAND’S ECONOMY

2

Ministry

elaborated for the Ministry

Map of the planned motorway and expressway network in Poland

Ministry

2

according to Brand Finance

Logotyp B

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available upon request. Report

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

2

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

of December 2017. All sources

John Pau

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

Logotyp A

The biggest construction in Poland by cubic capacity.

was undertaken by Leszek Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki.

Here, the whole team appear at their base below the peak. to sources accessibility as

As of December 2004 Poland had:

ATTRACTIVENESS

All statistical data valid according

Ministry

EUR 38 billion

The density of the motorway and expressway network is set to change from 8.5 km / 1000 km2 (2014) to 22.7 km / 1000 km2 (2023).

For an economy to run efficiently, it needs a good system of roads to keep people and goods moving from place to place. In the past few years, Poland has made great strides in this area, significantly increasing its number of express roads and motorways thanks to EU funding.

Much of this progress was made in the run-up to the 2012 European football championships.

As of December 2017, Poland had over 3,300 km of motorways and expressways in use.

The first ever winter ascent of Mt. Everest

Brand Polska

1

Ministry Republic of Poland

770 km

All statistical data valid according

Republic of Poland

The road construction programme for the years 2014-2023 has an estimated budget of

Black 80% Pantone 425 C Web R102 G102 B102

it envisions the construction of 3,900 km of motorways and as well as 57 ringroads around expressways, different cities.

POLAND’S INVESTMENT

The coast stretches

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

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2

71

Most valuable nation brands

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The Baltic Sea constitutes Poland’s northern border, providing access to the Atlantic Ocean. Polish tourists flock to the coastal sandy beaches every summer. Many stay in the Tri-City region of Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot.

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

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Logotyp B

2

Hungary

28 member countries

2015

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Republic of Poland

1

uropean Union

2014

34.9 ha

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Polish Winter Himalaism

AND WILDLIFE

The Baltic coast

Czech Republic

stry of Foreign Affairs by

Budge and pub c deb

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2,499 m The largest lake in the Tatra mountains is Morskie Oko (Eye of the Sea). It spans an area of

Ministry

Slovakia

-2.6%

2

The Tatras are the highest mountain range in Poland, and the highest sub-range of the Carpathian Mountains.

Forming a natural border between Poland and Slovakia, the Tatras span an area of 785 2 km , of which 175 km2 lies in Poland.

Republic of Poland

Ministry

71

-3.6%

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All statistical data valid according

POLAND’S LANDSCAPE

2

1

Ministry Republic of Poland

% 50.2% 51.1%

AND WILDLIFE

The highest point in Poland is the Rysy peak in the Tatras.

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

VisegrĂĄd Group

Affairs by Bartosz Stefaniak

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

The Tatra mountains

modern day Poland (312,679 km2)

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Logotyp B

structures

or the Ministry of Foreign

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Republic of Poland

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of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

elaborated for the Ministry

71

All statistical data valid according

borated for the Ministry

available upon request. Report

Ministry

2

990,000 km2

It is little known, even in Poland, that the first winter ascent of Mt. Everest was accomplished by a Polish climbing team. The golden age of Polish Himalaism recalls the outstanding achievements of Polish Himalayan mountaineers in the 1980s. Called the ‘Ice Warriors’ these mountaineers were world pioneers in ascending the eight-thousanders during winter. The current Program ‘Polish Winter Himalaism’ has been developed to continue the great successes of legends such as Jerzy Kukuczka, Wanda Rutkiewicz, Leszek Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki.

Polish złoty (PLN)

National Internet suffix

+48

by Bartosz Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Poland

POLAND’S LANDSCAPE

2

1

Ministry Republic of Poland In 1618 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth spanned a grand total of

Republic of Poland

All statistical data valid according

imar Triangle

of December 2017. All sources

71

5 km2 Ministry of Foreign Affairs

to sources accessibility as

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

1989

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was marked by high levels of ethnic diversity and by relative religious tolerance, guaranteed by the Warsaw Confederation Act (1573)

1

650 years old

F yde yk Chop n

deputees in the EU Parliament

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71

Report elaborated for the

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The oldest oaks in this primaeval forest are

Białowieşa onal Park s an area of

51 of 751

– as of 2016

votes in the EU Council

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

POLAND’S SPORTS

2

2

Republic of Poland

The Republic of Poland

C0 M100 Y100 K5 Pantone 485 C R186 G0 B31 Web R204 G0 B51

27 of 352

million citizens – as of 2017

billion EUR of total GDP (PPP)

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

1

Ministry Official name

1

38.4 of 511.8 775 of 14,904

Poland joined the European Union in May 2004 after completing comprehensive structural reforms. Over ten years after its accession, Poland is now one of the most proEuropean member states and an advocate for other countries in the region. EU membership has helped strengthen Poland’s democracy as well as increase its economic prosperity and open new markets. Poland is now the 6th largest economy in the EU.

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Republic of Poland

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According to an opinion poll conducted by the European among representatives of Council on Foreign Relations the political class from all over the EU, Poland appears the fourth most influental member state after Germany, to be France, and the UK, ex aequo Italy. Its perceived impact on EU policy in general is with also higher than the one of Spain.

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Ministry

2

2

All statistical data valid according Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

BASIC FACTS ABOUT POLAND

1

Ministry

of December 2017. All sources

when Polish queen regent Jadwiga married the Grand Duke of Lithuania, who adopted the title Władysław II Jagiełło and founded the Jagiellonian dynasty.

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

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2

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Ęę

Ll

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

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Republic of Poland

Kk

in 1386

All statistical data valid according Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

1

Aa

to sources accessibility as

POLAND’S FOREIGN RELATIONS

71

R102 G102 B102 R204 G0 B51 TheWebCommonwealth state was 71 established on a formal level at the Union of Lublin in July 1569, but the actual dynastic union occured much earlier,

The Union of Lublin (1569) heralded the creation of Poland and Lithuania as a federation.

The Commonwealth, which was divided into the ‘Crown’ (Poland) and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, is widely regarded as a precursor to modern day democratic states. The power structure consisted of the king, a senate and a lower parliament in which sat the regional nobility.

Even though government was largely centralized, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania retained an autonomous army, treasury, judiciary, administrative body and legal system.

19.5%

Poland has changed significantly since it joined the European Union in 2004. It is now one of the major players in the bloc.

Poles are also consistently among the nations with the highest support for the EU. Public opinion polls from june 2017 show that 88 percent of the nation supports EU membership with only 9 percent being against it.

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Poland in the European Unio n

famous.

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1

9 years

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Republic of Poland

Republic of Poland

Poland joins the EU European Union 28:

elaborated for the Ministry

Ministry

2

Ministry

2

71

4 years

for which Szczebrzeszyn is

Ff

POLAND’S HISTORY UNTIL

1

Ministry Republic of Poland

PL

available upon request. Report

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

1

Ministry

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

2

cumulative GDP growth 2002-2016

of December 2017. All sources

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

Poland:

70.1%

National road traffic code

.pl

to sources accessibility as

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of Poles aged 25-64 attained a Doctoral tertiary education degree. OECD average: 1%. (as of 2016)

64 attained y education erage: 11.9%.

16)

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Republic of Poland

Logotyp B

European growth leader

National currency

Polish złoty (PLN)

National Internet suffix

+48

All statistical data valid according

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Logotyp A

Republic of Poland

1

al emblem

the white eagle

National phone code

2

The Polish alphabet, which has 32 characters,

Ĺ Ĺ‚ Mm Nn ĹƒĹ„ Oo Ă“o Pp Rr Ss Śś Tt Uu Ww Yy Zz Śź ŝş

Polish is a part of the West Slavic language group, which includes Czech and Slovak and is part of the Indo-European language group.

It is estimated that Polish is a native language for some 44 million people worldwide. Polish is known for a frequent occurrence of long consonant clusters which can prove problematic for foreigners.

in Poland.

6%

2016

does not include the Latin letters Q, V and X.

W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie.

Eng: In Szczebrzeszyn a beetle buzzes in the reed,

Ministry

2

2015

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Logotyp B

71

POLAND’S TRANSFORMATION

1

Republic of Poland

and

2014

Logotyp A

a favourite tongue twister

1

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

2

By 2016 there were

0.36 mn new graduates

2013

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

Republic of Poland

(EU28: â‚Ź25.4 / hour)

Logotyp B

Ministry

2012

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A: plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

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1.34 mn students

2011

Ministry

2

Republic of Poland

(2016):

â‚Ź8.6 / hour

All statistical data valid according

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2010

elaborated for the Ministry

The Polish language

1

Ministry Average pre-tax labour cost

was Poland’s unemployment rate in August 2017. (average for EU28: 7.6%)

$15.6 $17.0 $18.1 $18.7 $19.7 $20.6 $21.4 $21.8 $22.4 $22.9 $23.1 $23.9 $25.5 $26.7 $27.1 $27.6 $27.9 $28.4 $29.0 1998 1999 2000 2001

Stefaniak (madeinPolska.eu).

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

2009

BASIC FACTS ABOUT POLAND

Workforce productivity:

Polish Sovereignty

of Foreign Affairs by Bartosz

In 2016, the average Pole

which is 165 hours longer than the average for OECD 2 Black 80% countries and Pantone 425 the fifth highest figure among C Web R102 G102 B102 them.

It is also 66 hours less71 than in the record-breaking year 2005, when the average hours. Since then, time spent Pole worked 1,994 on work systematically decreases, while work productivity rises.

1

Following a peaceful revolution Poland regains its sovereignty and becomes a democratic state, re-claiming its rightful place amongst the community of nations.

2008

available upon request. Report

Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

2

1,928 hours

The First Free Election Sigismund II Augustus dies without having fathered an heir. He is the last of the Jagiellonian dynasty.

His death prompts the first free elections, attended by some 40,000 Polish nobles. From now on every Polish king is freely elected by the noblemen.

1939

e

2007

Logotyp B

Ministry

2

Republic of Poland

1573

The Union of Lublin Spurred on by conflicts with the ever powerful Russia and the failure of Sigismund II Augustus, king of Poland, to bear children – thus threatening the continuation of the Jagiellonian line - Poland and Lithuania enter into a commonwealth effectively becoming a single state.

2006

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ATTRACTIVENESS

Labour

1

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Logotyp A

POLAND’S INVESTMENT

2

1569

ian

t Jadwiga Duke of pts the

2005

of December 2017. All sources

All statistical data valid according Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

Logotyp B

Ministry

2004

plakaty ZHEVLWH GUXNL RNROLF]QRÄžFLRZH PDWHULDĂĄ\ SUR PRF\MQH LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELDĂĄH Logotyp B: ZH ZV]\VWNLFK DSOLNDFMDFK ZLHONRIRUPDWRZ\FK 3U] H]QDF]HQLH PDWHULDĂĄ\ %7/ 326 banery ÄžFLDQNL 3RS8S UROO XS LWG :VND]DQH WĂĄR ELD ĂĄH

Logotyp A

nts

2003

to sources accessibility as

Logotyp A, B Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Logotyp A:

white and red

million, it is the 37th most populous country in the world and the 6th most populous member of the European Union.

78

2002

All statistical data valid according Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych

m

54 Business

‘Dynamic development of foreign trade in food products is the best measure of growing competitiveness of the Polish food sector’ National division

Poland is divided into regions, which are then divided into voivodeships (provinces), then further divided into powiats (districts) and then into smaller gminas (municipalities).

There are currently 6 regions, 16 voivodeships, 380 powiats, and 3,757 gminas.

Polska goes global

Over the last 20 years,

the Polish food sector transformed into a major stimulator of economic development. The country’s accession to the European Union in 2004 accelerated the growth of the sector and the opening of European markets prompted an over three-fold increase of agricultural and food products.

Today, Poland is the largest agrifood industry producer in Central and Eastern Europe and 7th in the EU. Due to low costs, the most competitive products in the food sector include: meat, milk processing, fruits and vegetables, sugar, cereal processing and manufacturing of tobacco products. Owing to constant technological and organisational development, voivodeships are able to meet the increasing demand for Polish products from domestic and foreign markets.

2.

1.

3.

4.

7.

6.

5.

10.

8.

13.

11.

12.

9.

14.

15.

16.

1. Zachodniopomorskie

2. Pomorskie

Victoria Cymes Sp. z o.o

Capital Group Graal

For over 30 years, Victoria Cymes has been producing concentrated syrups in Wałcz. From fruit syrups, and juices to carbonated drinks and water, the company currently manufactures over 140 products and exports them to Germany, Ireland, Russia, UK and USA.

A leader in the Polish fish processing industry from Wejherowo operates on American and European markets. Its flagship product is canned fish, but the company also distributes smoked and frozen fish, seafood, caviar and fish salads.

www.cymes.pl

www.graalgroup.com.pl

3. Warmińsko-Mazurskie

4. Podlaskie

Indykpol SA

Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Mlekpol

One of the biggest producers of turkey products is located in Olsztyn. The company’s turkey, chicken, and geese products have been present on the European market for 12 years.

As one of the biggest dairies in Poland and also one of the biggest 20 in Europe, its milk production reaches 1.5 billion litres per year.

Mlekpol products are exported not only to Europe but also to South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

www.indykpol.pl

www.mlekpol.com.pl

5. Lubuskie

6. Wielkopolskie

7. Kujawsko-Pomorskie

Łużyckie Praliny sp. z o.o.

Colian sp. z o.o.

Krajowa Spółka Cukrowa SA

With a love of chocolates and 20 years of confectionary experience, this family business has grown into one of the biggest praline exporters in Poland. Created in 1966 in Lubusko, Łużyckie Praliny produces more than pralines – their product offer includes marzipan, caramel bars, holiday favorites and more.

Colian creates confectionary, culinary products and beverages. It’s portfolio includes the popular brands Goplana chocolates, Akuku! fruit jellies, iconic Hellena soft drinks and Siesta nuts and dried fruit.

Created in 2002 and located in Toruń, it is the biggest beetroot sugar manufacturer in Poland and the 8th in Europe. The company processes about 5 million tons of beetroots annually, from about 77 thousand hectares of land.

www.colian.pl

www.polski-cukier.pl

8. Mazowieckie

9. Lubelskie

10. Dolnośląskie

Polmlek

Lemonex SA

Tarczyński

To produce dairy products such as yellow cheese, cream, yogurt, butter and desserts, Polmlek, headquartered in Pułtusk, buys nearly 230 thousand litres of milk from local farmers every day.

A company which started by trading citruses, is now one of the biggest food distributors in Lubelskie Voivodeship. Lemonex supports over 1000 Polish customers, but also has buyers in Germany, Great Britain and Italy.

One of the most advanced cold meats processing plants in Poland is located in Ujeździec.

Founded in 1989, the family company is known for its famous “kabanosy” dry cured sausages.

www.polmlek.com

www.lemonex.pl

www.praliny.pl

www.grupatarczynski.pl

55 business

Land of plenty

Poland’s vast landscape gives way to a wide variety of foods.

From its Baltic Sea to its Tatra Mountains, the CEE country produces a cornucopia of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy and sweets.

‘Poland’s food sector constitutes approximately 18% of the country’s industry sales and has potential for development’ 11. Opolskie

12. Śląskie

13. Łódzkie

Nutricia

Grupa Kapitałowa Żywiec SA

Based in Opole, Nutricia operates one of the largest factories in Europe that produces food for infants and young children. Popular brands of products include Bebico 2 and BoboVita.

Żywiec, part of Heineken holding, is one of Poland’s most famous breweries.

With 40 types of beers and ciders, the company is conquering not only the hearts of Poles but also Europeans and beyond.

Okręgowa Spółdzielnia Mleczarska w Łowiczu

www.nutricia.com.pl

With over 100 years of tradition, Łowicz is one of the biggest dairies in Poland. Its recognizable trademark of a “Łowiczanka” in a folk dress can be found in markets across Poland.

www.grupazywiec.pl

www.mleczarnia.lowicz.pl

14. Świętokrzyskie

15. Małopolskie

16. Podkarpackie

Spółdzielnia Mleczarska Włoszczowa

Grupa Maspex

Orzech Sp. z o.o.

Włoszczowa has been producing dairy products since 1936. Its quality cheeses reach not only European markets, but also distant places such as Australia, China, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States.

Maspex Group is one of the biggest companies in the CEE in the food product sector with exports delivered to over 50 countries. It leads in the production of juices, nectars and soft drinks in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Lithuania.

Located in Kolbuszowa, Orzech is one of the biggest fruit and vegetable producers in Poland. Its product offer includes jarred peppers, pickles and preserves, jams, canned vegetables and more.

www.osmwloszczowa.com.pl

www.maspex.com

www.orzech.com.pl

Global exporter

By 2016, Poland’s export of food and agriculture products was worth €24.3bn.

Of that, €19.8bn was the value of export to the EU.

56 business

‘Five years ago, Poles were more attracted to lower prices and bigger quantity. Now that has changed. They realise that it is more than just a question of price’

Mike Whitney Owner of Adoria Vineyards

Rodolph de Bure Owner of Rhubarbe & Basilic

The modern history of Polish wine is built

French cuisine is among the most prestig-

Looking back, Mike said bureaucracy made it difficult to start a business in this field 14 years ago. “There were no wineries so we were treated like a big vodka producer. We had 35 licenses to operate and we needed permission from everyone.” In addition, Polish people kept telling him a vineyard in Poland is not possible.

Nevertheless, with the help of a team of local and global professionals, Mike made his dream come true.

Rodolph moved from France to Warsaw five years ago where he transformed his childhood passion for food into business. After years of cooking for his family and friends, Rodolph realised his passion and thought, "If I really like it, why am I not doing it?" This question took him one step closer to opening his own restaurant.

by enthusiasts with vineyards in regions that allow grapevine cultivation. One such connoisseur is Mike Whitney, owner of Adoria Vineyards. Mike started his business after moving to Poland. As a California native, the first thing that came to his mind was winery.

Adoria Vineyards is located in Zachowice.

The climate of southwest Poland is warmer and is more suitable for grape growing. However, it took one and a half years and over 300 site rejections for Mike to find the perfect location. Adoria exports wine abroad, but mostly concentrates on the Polish market with plans to expand.

In the past, people did not associate Poland with wine making. Mike said people’s mindset stems from deep Polish roots: “Poles make vodka and kielbasa but do not make wine.” Due to this, it was hard to sell the wine because people thought wine from Poland could not taste good. Over the years, cultural changes have occurred and people understand that it is possible to make good wine in Poland. A growing number of Polish vineyards proves it.

Global goes Polska

Grapes of Envy

In a land of milk and honey, California native Mike Whitney wanted to own a vineyard in Poland.

With determination, he purchased land in Zachowice where the warmer climate of southwest Poland allows for grape cultivation.

ious in the world. There is a convivial nature about the entire process, with high importance placed on using the best ingredients, planning the menu, and sitting down for hours to enjoy it. Owner of the restaurant Rhubarbe & Basilic, Rodolph de Bure is trying to instill this mentality in people in Poland.

Now Rodolph is trying to encourage Polish people to try new tastes with extraordinary combinations. In the beginning, his clients were skeptical about his fresh take on Polish classics. ''They were not used to experimenting with something so traditional,'' Rodolph explained.

Although over the last 20 years Poles have been discovering the world more, Rodolph still can see that they stick to tradition and are scared to explore modern variations.

As a French speaker, learning Polish was a big challenge for Rodolph but it was definitely worth it. "When I speak Polish to clients, they see that I am trying. I don't want to be one of those foreigners who comes to Poland and does not care about their culture. I care and I want them to know that," said Rodolph.

When it comes to business, the hardest part was changing clients' stereotypical views about French restaurants. French cuisine does not automatically mean high prices. “People were confused about the prices in my restaurants,” said Rodolph. It was hard to convince Poles that regardless of price, the food is made from good, fresh products. "Five years ago, Poles were more attracted to lower prices and bigger quantity — no matter the quality. Now it has changed. They realise that it is more than just a question of price."

During his five years in Poland, Rodolph owned two restaurants and plans to open more to keep surprising Poles with new food combinations.

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The Emerging Europe Awards

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Community space

Google Campus Warsaw

Located at Praga Koneser Center, Campus Warsaw held 400 educational events in 2017 and had over 20,000 visitors.

Campus Warsaw, a Google space for entrepreneurs, has established itself as the heart of the Warsaw startup scheme beyond initial expectations. As part of a global network of innovators, the tech hub is located at the Koneser urban renewal scheme in Praga. Campus Warsaw recently hosted three major startup events and acceleration programmes and Poland Today was delighted to support all three – but first a quick Q&A with Rafał Plutecki, Head of Campus Warsaw and tech entrepreneur.

Rafał Plutecki,

Head of Campus Warsaw and tech entrepreneur.

What are the benefits of hosting startup events at Campus Warsaw?

Our space is free and open to anyone that plans to host an event that serves the startup ecosystem. Our growing community is very active and hosting events here gives anyone fast access to the vibrant and inclusive group of entrepreneurs.

What are your thoughts on the startup community in Poland and the CEE as a whole?

For several years now I observe rapid growth of the startup community, quality How does Campus Warsaw support Why is it important for Warsaw to and quantity of events, growth of amazstartups and entrepreneurs? have a space like Campus Warsaw?

We invite all globally-minded entre- ing coworking spaces, increased access For every city it is critical to support startups, founded by visionary entrepre- preneurs from across Central and Eastern to funding and mentorship. What is the neurs – their successes will be key to the Europe that can join any of the multiple most important, however, is the growth success of the city in the coming decades. startup programs we run. We support of successful, global tech companies. In And it is exactly Campus Warsaw’s mis- founders at different stages and the first Poland companies such as CD Projekt and sion as well: to identify the potential for thing we do is to match an entrepreneur Livechat are examples of multi-billion development and support entrepreneurs or a startup with one of our programs success stories, and there is an increasing at these moments of growth. Similarly, it’s such as Startup Weekend, Launchpad number of startups such as Docplanner, the reason why we decided to locate this Start and Campus Residency. Last year Brainly, Estimote and G2A that are rapinvestment here – because of Warsaw’s at Campus Warsaw we hosted 20,000 idly expanding worldwide. Hundreds of enormous potential as the startup hub attendees at 400 education events, work- smaller startups compete on the global for Central and Eastern Europe. Campus shops and mentoring sessions. We hope stage from all of the CEE region – every Warsaw was the 2nd Campus to open in our efforts will translate into many suc- country in the CEE has its own rising star and a local legend. by Monica Zielinski Europe, after London, out of the network cess stories over the coming years. of six Google Campuses across the globe including Tel Aviv, Seoul and São Paulo.

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Powered by kulczyk investments

InCredibles Programme Initiated by Sebastian Kulczyk, InCredibles is an acceleration programme in Poland that provides startups with financial support and opportunities for global development. Partners of the first edition of the initiative included IBMN, Startup Poland Foundation and Campus Warsaw. Over 400 submissions were received, from which 10 finalists were chosen and these startups presented their solutions to the executive judges.

The panel included Sebastian Kulczyk, CEO of Kulczyk Investments, Rafał Plutecki, CEO of Campus Warsaw, Piotr Pietrzak, CTO of IBM Polska, Julia Szopa, CEO of Startup Poland, and Lawrence Barclay, Head of Venture Capital Kulczyk Investments. Five startups were chosen for the acceleration programme and will receive $100,000. “We focused on medium-sized enterprises, founded on good team work with great ideas and significant growth potential,” said Sebastian Kulczyk. “Poland has almost everything that is needed for the creation of a company that could be recognised all over the world. That’s why I would like to significantly support the development of a Polish startup ecosystem.”

Special guest Kees De Jong, founder of BBI Group Holding, welcomed the winners to start their journey. During the 12 week programme, the startups learned about B2B SaaS sales strategy, participated in the Wolves Summit to expand their network, attended workshops with legal experts in the tech industry, and worked on marketing and PR strategies. In addition, teams met with investors, heads of Campus London and Campus Warsaw, prominent UK venture capitals as well as several high-profile mentors. Kulczyk said, "Thanks to the unique formula of the InCredibles programme, we started with an optimal ‘tailor-made’ acceleration for our companies.” InCredibles participants also had the opportunity to meet Henry H. Wong, founder of Diamond TechVentures and former venture partner at Crystal Ventures. The successful executive and venture investor in Silicon Valley was also a finalist for the EY “Entrepreneur of the Year Award.”

IBM partnered with InCredibles to find tech companies that could offer solutions to clients on a rapidly changing market. Piotr Pietrzak, CTO of IBM Poland & Baltics, said; “We reviewed applications submitted to the programme and

actively, for example, suggested where the solutions could be adapted in one of the portfolio companies of Kulczyk Investment. We can very quickly and easily evaluate this solution technologically — whether it is unique, whether it gives investment potential, or if we see a potential customer.”

The winning startups included Archdesk, which created a method to connect a construction site with the office, Hotailors, developer of a smart travel technology to book rooms faster, Radio Net Media, which made an app that replaces broadcasted ads into online ads, Tidio -- communication service for businesses and UserEngage, which is a tool for sending automated messages in all communication channels.

Lech Gorlewicz, CEO of UserEngage said, “There is huge enthusiasm for startups from both government agencies and corporations, but the most promising shift is the increased influence of experienced entrepreneurs who help fast-growing startups with their advice, goodwill and close relationships with the members of the international startup ecosystem.

Building a densely connected environment driven by a pay-it-forward approach will be crucial for the long-term future of European startup community and this is exactly what we've experienced during the inCredibles programme.”

With support from the programme, startup Radio Net Media can now focus on growth and development of its solution which improves personalised marketing. Founder Michal Marcinik said “We underestimate ourselves a little. We, entrepreneurs from the CEE, have the great passion to achieve goals and positive stubbornness not to give up early. What we need is to believe in ourselves more, that our ideas will prove their value not only on the home market but are also scalable to become international success stories.”

“We are happy to start our business here in Poland,” said Marta Skrzypiec from Hotailors. “Our country has amaz- tailored to their needs and teams met with ing technology specialists, and now well-connected mentors, well-known it's our time to show the world that in investors as well as other innovators. the nearest future, the second Silicon “I was not aware of how many Venture Valley will be here in the CEE.” Capitals are located in Poland. After the InCredibles was the only acceleration programme, we networked with local programme that the UK-based startup startups and we were amazed at how Archdesk participated in thus far, and many successful startups there are here its CEO Michal Mojzesz said it was in this part of Europe.”

Polish Initiator

Entrepreneur Sebastian Kulczyk has been investing in technology companies for 18 years.

The CEO of Kulczyk Investments selected the top five winners of InCredibles.

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Powered by enterPrise forum Poland

MITEF Poland Acceleration Programme BZB UAS

Builds industrial grade unmanned aircraft system for professionals that save operational costs and increase safety and comfort.

Synonymous with the world’s most cutting-edge technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was the inspiration for technology accelerators organised by local chapters of MIT Enterprise Forum. To help startups take their ventures to the next level, MITEF Poland provides access to mentors and resources, connects Polish tech

experts and entrepreneurs and support of experts and technical resources made through MIT Enterprise Forum Global. available by partners in industry paths.”

In the 3rd edition of the MIT Enterprise Among the participants were creators of Forum Poland Acceleration Programme, an intracranial implant for the treatment 117 technology startups from all over of brain tumors, anti-wrinkle cosmetPoland registered, from which 23 were ics with bee venom, a mobile applicaaccepted. These Polish companies pre- tion dedicated to oncology patients, open sented their solutions to over 150 inves- banking service that integrates banking tors and representatives of corporations products and fintech services and many and public institutions throughout the more. Michał Krużycki, COO of DEBN three-month programme. On the final said, “We are working on a new medical day of the forum, teams showed off their device – a prostate biopsy needle – and public speaking skills and networked we were looking for support in some fields with potential partners. The five winners in R&D development. It’s very difficult or of DemoDay were: Silencions, which even impossible to get experts from the combats noise pollution, BanqUp, is an market to cooperate with a startup like open banking service, Lerta, which sup- ours so we got access to fantastic specialports energy sellers, LGM, which cre- ists that helped us a lot.” Inviting corpoated an electronic controller for electric rate partners to the programme allowed generators, and DEBN — inventors of a teams to verify their startup readiness to safer prostate biopsy needle. The teams move onto commercialisation, said Pawel will present their technologies during Wiktor from LGM, developer of an electhe bootcamp in Boston in October 2018. tronic device and software for electricity generators. We had an opportunity to turn With the goal to help companies advance this experience into a prospective real the commercialisation of their solutions, business opportunity,” he said. “We are the project gives startups an opportunity now running a pilot project with our corto work with top organisations in various porate partner and we are really optimisfields such as finance, energy and health. tic and enthusiastic about the outcome!”

The 3rd edition of the programme was Michał Sosiński from Soma Healthcare, supported with the ScaleUp grant, which which developed a tool to improve provided startups with up to 200,000 zł. work in the field of imaging diagnosParticipants attended six 2-day work- tics using artificial intelligence, said the shops based on the 24 Steps of Discipline programme gave them a chance to build Enterprise created by Bill Aulet of MIT and a valuable network. “Cooperation with the Pitch Academy. Partners of the pro- mentors and industry partners provided gramme included PGNiG Group, KGHM us with a great amount of knowledge — CUPRUM - Research and Development we genuinely felt like we were standing Centre, Adamed Group, Intel, Visa and on the shoulders of giants.”

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Polska.

Kacper Budnik, CEO and co-founder of “We are still looking for Polish uni- the startup BZB UAS, which develops corns,” said Magdalena Jabłońska, COO unmanned aerial systems, said the proof MITEF Poland. “For the 3rd edition gramme’s valuable workshops helped his of the programme, we accepted startups team realise how to implement their soluthat have developed technologies with a tions on the market and acquire customchance for commercialisation not only in ers. Thanks to the acceleration, the startup this country, but also abroad. These are presented its unmanned system for Polish innovative solutions, some of which are Gas Company (PGNiG). Connecting with unique on a global scale. Together with a global network of talented people is the our partners, we enable startups to gather most valuable outcome, according to CTO business knowledge and teach them how and co-founder of Elastic Cloud Solutions, to present a technology company and creator of an internal communication innovative solutions in an efficient and platform. “We had multiple opportuniunderstandable way for clients, partners ties to pitch, present and get feedback. We and investors around the world,” said are also happy to be chosen by the largest Jabłońska. “The acceleration programme Polish bank – PKO BP – to deploy and test also enables testing and validation of a our innovations in their environment, as business idea thanks to the involvement a part of the acceleration programme.”

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business

Powered by masschallenge

Bridge to MassChallenge Warsaw With the aim of accelerating top startups Skriware Spaceflow Developed a comin Central and Eastern Europe, Bridge to Creates originally munity app that MassChallenge Warsaw is a startup com- designed 3D printers, programmable connects landlords, petition that supports entrepreneurs and robots and an tenants, visitors and connects innovators to the international interactive e-learning local vendors — all MassChallenge network. Nearly 300 start- platform for home part of a building’s environment. ups from the CEE applied to the accelera- and school use. tion programme but only 23 moved on to the next stage of the competition. These finalists traveled from 12 countries to participate in the four-day bootcamp during investors and scale up our business. Being which they met with international experts here in Warsaw means a lot to us, because and representatives from top VC funds we partnered up with some of the bigand corporations. After intensive training gest players, such as PKO Bank Polski, and attending workshops, startups faced- PGE Nowa Energia or VISA. These comoff on Demo Day at Campus Warsaw for panies can help us to get in touch with the ultimate opportunity to participate people with whom otherwise it would in MassChallenge in Boston. be difficult to connect.” Spaceflow created an app that connects key people To kick off Demo Day, US Ambassador to in buildings such as landlords, tenants Poland, Paul W. Jones, said a few words and visitors to enhance the environment about Polish-American cooperation and and improve functionality. upcoming events. He concluded by saying, “Over the last two and a half years, I have Another winner, Polish/Ukrainian startup visited Polish startups in Warsaw and in bNesis is a platform that combines scorcities across Poland and I am so impressed ing engines, social media, payments, with the entrepreneurial spirit, with the banking and eCommerce services. CEO successful commercialisation in areas that Dmitriy Norenko said, “The competiI would have never thought of or imagined tion was great because we discussed our were possible and I’m sure it holds the ideas with American experts on how to same for the other countries here today introduce our idea on US markets. Bridge so we want to continue this enthusiasm.” to MassChallenge was an extensive proNewly appointed Jadwiga Emilewicz, gram and we met with top mentors, execMinister of Entrepreneurship and utives, lawyers and professionals. Anyone Technology, was also an honorable guest who wants to go global should particiand said, “There are startups here operat- pate.” Although the CEE is full of innovaing on the financial or real estate markets, tive startups, CEO of the Polish-Swedish as well as startups who want to help solve company Skriware Karol Górnowicz the problem of air pollution, to name but said, the region still needs help developa few. We want to cooperate with those ing. “The industry is moving in the right who provide new, breakthrough technol- direction, however, a recent Deloitte’s ogies.” After the introductions and well- study shows that among the 40 most wishes, representatives of each startup economically developed countries, the were given only a few minutes to pre- maturity of the startup environment in sent their solutions to a panel of expert Poland is still below the moderate level judges and the audience. At the end of (2.1 on a four-level scale),” said Górnowicz. the presentations, 10 startups received a “We can change that by joining partticket to Boston: bNesis (Poland/Ukraine), nerships and programs – such as CertChain (Belarus), DrOmnibus (Poland), B2MCWarsaw – led by people who underFuntronic (Poland), KLEAR Lending stand the fears and feel the exhilaration (Bulgaria), ShelfWise (Poland), Skriware of the entrepreneurial journey.”

(Poland), Smart Technology Group (Poland), Spaceflow (Czech Republic), MassChallenge is one of the largest interand Talk-A-Bot (Hungary). national startup accelerators that has been supporting startups for over seven Upon receiving the prized ticket, Petr years and has raised over $2bn in funding.

Bořuta of the Czech startup Spaceflow, The results of the worldwide competition said, “We are looking forward to going held in Boston at the end of February will to Boston, so we can find prospective be available on our website.

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Urban Issues MIPIM 2018

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urban issues

The warehouse and logistics industry

shows no signs of losing its leader position globally, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, while PropTech is just finding its feet, but has the potential to soar. We report on both sectors, and also take a look at another flourishing area – fitout, while profiling one of its leading lights. And if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re in sunny Cannes, participating in the annual real estate pilgrimage to MIPIM, where Poland Today is taking the spirit of the silver screen to heart, premiering our film ‘The Future of Warsaw’.

Just keeps on growing page 64

What is PropTech, anyway? page 66

MIPIM preview page 68

Frank Lloyd Wright meets 21st century Poland page 72

Future of Warsaw page 74

Warsaw, via Sydney, born and bred

photos: Robert Neumann (Forum)

page 76

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Maintaining ranks

The delivery of an all-time-high volume of new industrial and warehouse space in 2017 strengthened Poland’s eighth position among the largest markets in Europe.

Growing exponentially Demand for warehouse and logistics real estate in Central Europe among international investors and tenants shows no signs of stopping

Last year set another record for the sector in Poland. According to Colliers International, 2017 take-up was more than 4.6m sqm, 1.2m higher than the previous year. The country’s stock of modern industrial space stands at 13.5m. Over 2.3m was delivered to the market last year compared to 1.3m coming to market in 2016. At the moment, around 1.3m of space is under construction in Poland. Robert Dobrzycki, CEO of industrial property developer Panattoni Europe, says, “It’s an amazing boom everywhere in Europe but specifically in central Europe, whose economies are growing, and the region can also serve western European bases from facilities close to the German border.

And central Europe has the advantage of lower labour costs.”

Urban Issues MIPIM 2018

A whole new dimension Central and eastern Europe’s economies are themselves growing, which is boosting domestic demand for logistics facilities. Moreover, new infrastructure and roads are speeding delivery times, further enabling growth. E-commerce is the principal driver of the surge in new development and investor interest.

“Three years ago our initial thoughts were that this was a game-changer. But now it has entered a whole new dimension and investors have fundamentally shifted how they view the sector. These are very exciting times, especially for the central European logistics agency” says Dobrzycki. The supply in the three Warsaw zones alone is over 3.5 sqm.

Last year new deals made up over half (54%) of demand, while renegotiations amounted to 39%. The majority of space was leased within zone II (788,800 sqm), which is the second-best result in Poland and means that interest in this location has held up (662,800 sqm in 2016). A total of 11 projects totalling

year-end report The warehouse market grew by another

2.3m sqm and the largest amounts of new space were located in Szczecin, Warsaw Suburbs, Upper Silesia and Poznań. Two of the largest e-commerce BTS projects in Szczecin were completed in 2017: a 161,000 sqm warehouse for Amazon and 130,000 sqm for Zalando. Retailers and logistics operators account for more than 65% of net take-up last year and continue to drive the market. (JLL)

227,000 sqm were under construction in 2017. The vacancy rate remains at a relatively stable level. At the end of 2017, it stood at 6.1% compared to 6.4% recorded last year. The vacancy rate in all three zones reached 9.3% in zone I, 5.9% in zone II and 2.9% in zone III, says Colliers International. Polish broker and manager AXI IMMO points to rising rents in “selected locations” due to higher land costs, construction materials and investment-related costs. According to JLL, however, in general there were no “major changes” in rental levels last year. The highest prices for warehouse space were in Warsaw Inner City and Kraków, where headline rents ranged from €4.1 to €5.1 sqm per month and €3.8 to €4.5 sqm per month, respectively.

Record high occupancy Meanwhile in Czech Republic, 2017 net take-up amounted to 937,300 sqm representing an annual increase of 3%.

The leading sector, both in gross and net demand, during Q4 2017, were logistics companies who accounted for 46% of gross and 43% of net takeup. Distribution, retail and e-commerce companies ranked second with 26% of gross and 27% of net demand, according to JLL’s latest figures. Tenant demand throughout the region isstrong with occupancy holding up well. CEO of P3 Logistics Parks, Ian Worboys, reports a record high occupancy rate across the European developer’s central Europe portfolio of 98%. “Because there is no oversupply of space tenants have less choice to move on so we can keep our portfolio very full, also enabling us to push rents higher. Net effective rents are growing as incentives fall and there is yield compression due to the weight of investment money chasing assets; the warehouse sector is the best performing asset out of all the real estate classes,” says Worboys. Jeff Alson, Cushman & Wakefield’s international partner, CEE markets, is equally positive about tenant demand: “The average deal and shed size is getting bigger. Five years ago a big shed was 20,000 sqm; today a big one is 100,000 sqm,” he says. Logistics property company Prologis affirms that tenant demand is growing most in the Czech and Polish markets. Martin Polak, the

company’s regional head of the CEE, says: “Rents are growing sometimes in double digits in Czech Republic; Polish levels are growing too, although in some sub-markets they remain stable.” In February, pan-European ecommerce operator Zalando revealed that US-based investor Hillwood Europe is to build a 130,000-sqm warehouse in Olsztynek, about 200 km north of Warsaw for the company. The retailer already has two Polish ‘fulfilment centres’, one near Szczecin and one planned close to Łódź.

amounting to almost €940 m, according to JLL. Last year’s figures were dominated by one large transaction, namely the acquisition of the pan-European Logicor platform by China’s sovereign wealth fund, China Investment Corporation. A total of €750 m of this is made up of Polish assets.

2018 to prove transactional

The firm expects stronger volumes for 2018 with large scale transactions on the horizon in the office investment sector for Warsaw and regional cities.

Some assets, albeit those with excepHigh yields, low tional, long leases, have traded below vacancy in Romania 6%. Properties are expected to continue Further east, according to Tomasz changing hands at a very strong pace Kasperowicz, director of logistics with both portfolios and large single agency at Colliers International, the assets expected to transact this year.

Romanian market is “growing like crazy.” According to Philip Wood, CEE transThe economy expanded 5.7% year-on- actions manager for Munich-based year in the second quarter of 2017, the GLL Real Estate Partners: “The market fastest rate in the EU; GDP rose 4.8% in is continuing to evolve into a mature 2016, while last year the EU estimates marketplace and to attract significant GDP grew by 6.7% year-on-year. “But volumes of capital from across the whether market growth is sustainable is globe. We see growing interest in CEE another question,” he says. JLL’s statis- from the Far East and South Africa, tics reveal that Bucharest last year set a alongside traditional experienced CEE record for leasing activity in and around investors from geographies includthe capital, where more than 700,000 ing Germany, Austria, the US and UK.” sqm of space transacted, 54% of which Other investors include South Korean was in the city itself; activity was driven funds, reportedly represented by GLL, by pre-leases and build-to suit-transac- also Canada’s PSP Investments has tions. The vacancy rate rose a little to teamed up with UK developer SEGRO reach 4% nationally; however, prime to build logistics space. Compared with rents climbed during the second half western Europe, CEE assets are becomof last year, reaching €4.1 per sqm per ing increasingly efficient for foreign month, reports CBRE. This was largely buyers for a particular reason: Janusz driven by the logistics and retail indus- Dzianachowski, a real estate partner at tries. Around 420,000 sqm of space Linklaters, explains that international is being built across the country, some investors who buy various assets at very half of which is located in Bucharest. low yields of 3-4% in Western Europe Prime yields stand at around 8.25%. are now looking at Poland and other Polak says that the Czech Republic central European markets, where they seems to be the first “really European” can buy at higher yields and increase market as the sector is very liquid and their investment incomes. transparent. “Yields for core product Meanwhile, the rising demand for are around 5.75% for Czech Republic, logistics assets is attracting interest while for Poland they stand at about 6% from international banks eager to take to 6.25%. Buyers are typical European a slice of the boom. Robert Sztemberg, institutions, such as the large German, the head of Warsaw’s office at German UK or French funds, while we are see- bank Berlin Hyp, is keen to diversify ing Asian purchasers more and more,” his retail and office-dominated lendsays Polak. Prologis is keen to expand ing portfolio. “We are active in the in Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary French and German logistics markets and Slovakia in the sub markets around and are looking to expand our portfolio these capital cities. In Poland the 2017 in Poland. Schemes are modern, with investment volumes set a record high, good technology and location. Many assets serve the German and Polish economy, which spreads our risks,” says Sztemberg. “Up to now our portfolio has been no more than 10% logistics but from last year this is growing and we are willing to increase it further.” He favours lending on a 65% loan-to-value basis and claims that on a 50% LTV deal, Berlin Hyp has the most competitive pricing. As yet, development finance is underwritten mainly by Polish banks.

‘Stronger volumes are expected for 2018 with large scale transactions on the horizon’

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urban issues

by David Sands

David Sands has

been writing about European commercial real estate for over 20 years for UK magazine Estates Gazette, where he was news editor, and most recently for EuroProperty as deputy editor. During 1994 to 1996 he had a weekly half-hour slot on LBC Radio commentating on the London commercial real estate market. He is based in London.

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urban issues

Marta Bogacz is a

freelance writer who specialises in new technologies and writing like a real human. She manages PR and communications for PLUGin (Polish Innovation Diaspora), a non-governmental organisation that connects Polish innovators worldwide and helps Polandbased technologies go global. Marta uses storytelling to promote the digital transformation and entrepreneurial approach to problems of reality.

What is PropTech, anyway?

The Polish property market is beginning to join the 21st century and getting with the PropTech programme.

There are two basic roads

to technological innovation that real estate firms can take. One is to invest in research and development (R&D) internally and create their own tools.

The other is to involve an outside company, usually a startup.

As Anna Walkowska, co-founder of Startup Poland and PropTech startup mentor, points out, adopting and customising a tool developed by another company is incomparably less expensive than building your own. Especially if that tool is backed by VC firms or already implemented by early adopters who were happy to experiment.

Also, when digital innovation is developed by a company that doesn’t specialise in digital technology (like a real estate company), those new tools tend to be outdated after a year, as nobody is hungry to develop them.

Startups improve them continuously, using feedback from multiple clients and knowledge from innovators' ecosystem. The most efficient way to find the right PropTech partner is through a startup accelerator: a partnership programme where startups are paired with mentors from bigger companies to develop technological solutions to the client’s problems.

“Start-ups face a lot of barriers if they want to get a corporation as their client. The role of an accelerator is to support them in obtaining corporations for cooperation on a partnership basis,” says Katarzyna Malec, managing director of bChange at Business Link Poland and coordinator of the Urban Quest programme. “Bringing a product to the market is not enough”, says Tomasz Rudolf, CEO of The Heart.

“Many companies are not successful because they don’t manage to acquire a critical mass of customers. The solution could be cooperation with big

What is PropTech?

Urban Issues MIPIM 2018

PropTech applies to technology used for

different processes of real estate development, different stages of a building’s life cycle, and different kinds of property. “PropTech is technology that increases the efficiency of planning, managing, trading and using real estate at every stage of a building’s life cycle,” says Maciej Markowski, CEO and co-founder of spaceOS. Dan Hughes, PropTech leader, former Director of Data and Information products at RICS, defines PropTech as, “the label attached to the transformation that is happening to how we build and use buildings and how we do our jobs. PropTech is about the change in the industry, not the technology itself.” Unlike traditional real estate-related technology PropTech is based on the use of data to address problems in communication, logistics, investment and making data-based decisions. According to Bartosz Dobrowolski, founder of PropTech Poland, “PropTech is also the sum of all digital solutions that let people be in a space where they want to be rather than where they have to be.”

companies which can be a huge help for young companies’ growth - as a client, partner or investor.” There are big-scale PropTech accelerator programmes in Western Europe and the US (such as MetaProp NYC), backed by several major real estate agencies and venture capital funds. There are also initiatives like JLL Spark or Concrete which explore acceleration options with startups. In Poland the PropTech accelerators are few, but the interest is growing.

The new face of the workspace “Innovations and new technologies in the real estate market are the result of an inevitable trend,” says Jarosław Zagórski, Commercial and Business Development Director at Ghelamco.

“Right now the most important asset of companies, especially in the services sector, are employees - the talent. We have to create the right work environment for them. If we can make it more attractive thanks to technology, why not do it?” One of the drivers of enduser PropTech is the sharing economy and generational shift that has taken place in the last decade. Job mobility has increased and the lifespan of companies has become less predictable. We can see that in the growing popularity of coworking spaces and the shortening of lease periods on office space. Coworking spaces, pioneered by WeWork, are also shaping the contemporary culture of business, in which networking and exchange of ideas have become key. Shortage of talent makes attracting employees a priority and a well-designed and equipped office is a big advantage.

proptech: Visualisations StructView has built two solutions:

for developers and for city planning offices.

They create interactive 3D visualisations of planned developments. Their City solution has been used by municipal offices to consult projects with the citizens and show how planned developments interact with the surroundings.

StructView displays all the location-based data on the 3D model, including GIS, economical and demographic information.

VR Global builds advanced solutions including VR, AR and Touch applications that help Real Estate developers increase sales and enhance marketing of their off-plan investments. Recently, VRG released a dedicated VR platform that enables RE agents to create and host Virtual Open Houses for clients anywhere in the world.

proptech: Corporateowned tools Calibrate is a service developed by CBRE that analyses the digital footprints of 15m+ mobile phone users, tracking them to within 5 metres, which delivers actionable insights and outputs for clients, bringing their brand and location strategies to life. Calibrate allows occupiers, landlords and investors to make more scientific investment decisions.

Connected Helmet is a wearable technology developed by Skanska (in collaboration with Intel and Cybercom) for increasing the safety of construction workers. It monitors the wearer’s parameters and anomalies at the construction site, such as accidents or lowered body temperature. It’s connected to a central system that alerts supervisors in case of danger and locates the worker to minimise reaction time.

photos: Olga Lebedeva

What took so long?

Why has financial technology, dubbed FinTech, been around for decades and PropTech has just recently become popular? Maciej Markowski, from SpaceOS, notes that the finance industry has long been the main destination for top-of-the-class computer science graduates. It relies heavily on algorithms and cost optimisation, because that’s how financial firms have always competed with each other.

And while some fields of real estate have a lot in common with finance - after all, property is primarily an investment - they are much less prone to taking risks and experimenting. As Stanislav Frnka, CEO of HB Reavis Poland notes, “The life cycle of a property investment takes at least a few years and it can be even longer before a building can be declared a success or a failure. The same can be said for the ROI (return on investment) of some proptech solutions. That makes them very difficult to sell, especially for startups who have no successful implementations under their belt.“ by Marta Bogacz

proptech: Property trading and listing ShareSpace is an online platform that

matches professionals with office space providers: coworking spaces, serviced offices and conference rooms. The tool simplifies finding the right work space and making the transaction.

Legal terms transparency lowers the cost and complexity of the traditional leasing process.

ChromaWay is a technology platform that can be used for land registration and mortgage workflows. In developed markets it solves problems relating to inefficiency, lack of standardisation, and insufficient auditing capability, while in less developed markets it also offers relief from corruption, and a path to digitisation.

‘PropTech is technology that increases the efficiency of planning, managing, trading and using real estate at every stage of a building's life cycle’ proptech: Workplace enhancement Spaceflow allows building owners to

connect all the building’s facilities and the users to each other. Aside from showing building users what amenities are available nearby, Spaceflow allows tenants and office users to collaborate, network or arrange carpooling.

The app gives property asset managers the overview of all the buildings in their portfolio - both residential and commercial.

SpaceOS adds a digital layer to a workspace

proptech: Logistics and construction ProperGate has been implemented in

Warsaw by HB Reavis at the construction site of Varso - the tallest high-rise building in the EU. The system supports logistics management of hundreds of delivery trucks daily in the strict center of Warsaw. The developer was looking for a solution that would minimise the impact on traffic congestion and improve productivity of operations at a very demanding construction site. Solving that problem helps avoid construction delays and decrease CO2 emissions, automating and improving the effectiveness of many internal processes at the site.

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that improves the human experience of its tenants, functioning as a remote control for workspaces. It improves the effectiveness and lowers the cost of managing office or coworking property. SpaceOS helps the tenants and the owners of a building communicate, facilitates community building between the space users and helps manage operations like booking rooms, invoicing, marketing and maintenance. It can be integrated with apps and systems already used at the office.

proptech: Industrial property maintenance SENSE Monitoring is a Polish startup that develops S-One: a system that uses laser sensors to monitor the condition of the roof in industrial and big-scale retail property objects. By eliminating the need for manual checks it lowers the cost of maintenance and safety of the building and its users.

Bartosz Dobrowolski, founder of PropTech Poland:

“Digital technology is already being implemented to optimise construction costs.

This building life cycle stage is relatively short but involves significant funds so the savings are easy to justify, both in money and time. But the outcome of this stage - the building is used for decades after that and landlords are starting to see the value of further cost efficiency and in user experience improvement that PropTech can add in those years to come.”

conference & cocktail party

Poland Today at MIPIM 2018 The world's leading real estate fair | 13-14th March 2018 | Palais des Festivals | Cannes, France

mipim & future of warsaw film partners

VA R S O P L A C E WAR SAW

Poland Today is once more playing a

Richard Stephens

founder & editor, Poland Today

leading role at MIPIM, the world’s foremost real estate event in Cannes. This year we’re diversifying, both geographically – by welcoming speakers from around the world – and in terms of subject matter, with sessions on the future of the Polish economy and PropTech, as well as getting the all-important lowdown on industry trends and issues in the region. As always, we’ll be providing a focal point for those active or interested in Central & Eastern Europe. And this year we’ll be showing our own film – The Future of Warsaw, to be premiered at the official City of Warsaw panel session, moderated by myself. If you don’t get to see it there, we’ll be posting it on social media not long after.

Tadeusz Kościński, Under-

Urban Issues: MIPIM 2018

secretary of State in the Ministry of Enterprise & Technology: To continue the 25-year record of unbroken, above EU average, economic growth Poland must evolve from the imitation, low cost, work environment to an innovation based hi-tech socially and regionally inclusive environment.

This migration will provide great opportunities for investment in industry 4.0 solutions, advanced shared services centres and modern infrastructure.

Tomasz Rudolf,

Co-founder & CEO, The Heart: International corporations like Samsung, J.P. Morgan or Goldman Sachs choose Poland as the location for their digital R&D hubs not only because of the region's engineering talent pool and cost advantages, but also because of its entrepreneurial mindset.

Just like Copernicus, Poles have a rebel heart. And readiness to challenge industry assumptions is the key to success in digital transformation.

‘Poland Today’s programme at MIPIM consists of three panel discussion sessions, a cocktail party, a lunch and the premiere of the film we created together with the City of Warsaw’ Tuesday 13th March 16.00 – 17.00

Faces Of Emerging Europe – Jacek Jaśkowiak, Mayor of Poznań – Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kiev – Robert Dobrzycki, CEO Europe, Panattoni Europe – Olga Melihov, Country Head, BNP Paribas Real Estate Romania – Moderator: Andrew Wrobel, Head of Content Strategy and Publishing, Emerging Europe 17.00 – 17.30

The CEE Cocktail Party Hosted by Montenegro

– Guest of Honour: Pavle Radulović, Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism, The Government of Montenegro

Wednesday 14th March 10.30 – 11.30

Transformation Nation: The Future Of The Polish Economy – Tadeusz Kościński, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Enterprise & Technology – Tomasz Rudolf, Co-Founder & CEO, The Heart – Adam Pustelnik, Director of Investor Service and International Cooperation Bureau, City of Łódź – Otis Spencer MRICS, President, Peakside Polonia Management – Moderator: Courtney Fingar, Editor in Chief, FDI Magazine (part of the FT group)

12.00 – 13.00

How Proptech And Digital Transformation Can Dramatically Build Your Company’s Competitive Edge – Jens Böhnlein MRICS, Global Head Office Solutions & Design, CA Immo Deutschland (developer of ‚The Cube‘ in Berlin) – Bartosz Dobrowolski, Founder, Proptech Poland – Tomasz Trzósło, Managing Director, Poland, JLL – Aaron Block, Co-Founder & Managing Director, MetaProp NYC – Moderator: Julia Arlt, Innovation Real Estate Director, Europe, PwC, and StartUp Mentor, MetaProp NYC 13.00 – 13.30

Poland Today Networking Lunch Hosted by SIOR

– Del C. Markward, President/CEO/Broker at Markward Group and President of SIOR – Renata Osiecka, Managing Partner at AXI IMMO Group and President of SIOR European Chapter 14:30 – 15:30

Warsaw, The Largest Metropolis In CEE – New Areas For Development – Marlena Happach, Director of the Architecture and Spatial Planning Department, The City of Warsaw – Marcin Mostafa, Chairman of the Board, WWAA – Thomas Pucher, Founder, Atelier Thomas Pucher – Aleksandra Wasilkowska, Founder, Pracownia Architektoniczna Aleksandra Wasilkowska – Moderator: Richard Stephens, Founder & Editor, Poland Today

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Left: Aaron Block,

Left: Adam Pustelnik, Director

Co-Founder & Managing Director, MetaProp NYC

of Investor Service and International Cooperation Bureau, City of Łódź

Down: Courtney Fingar, Editor in

Chief, fDi Magazine

Left: Andrew Wróbel, Head

Left: Bartosz Dobrowolski,

of Content Strategy and Publishing, Emerging Europe

Above: Tadeusz Kościński,

Left: Jens Boehnlein, Global

Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Enterprise & Technology

Left: Julia Arlt, Innovation Real Estate Director, PwC Europe, and StartUp Mentor, MetaProp NYC

Head Office Solutions & Design, CA Immo Deutschland

Left: Olga Melihov,

Founder, Proptech Poland

Left: Otis Spencer, President, Peakside Polonia Management

Country Head, BNP Paribas Real Estate Romania

Left: Tomasz Rudolf, Co-Founder

& CEO, The Heart

Above: Robert Dobrzycki, CEO

Above: Vitali Klitschko,

Left: Tomasz Trzósło, Managing

Left: Jacek Jaśkowiak,

Europe, Panattoni Europe

Director, JLL Poland

Mayor of Kiev

Mayor of Poznań

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Frank Lloyd Wright meets 21st century Poland Just like residential architecture experienced a transformation with the advent of open plans, office design has experienced a transformation as well – one that Poland has been witnessing over the last 5-10 years.

Urban Issues MIPIM 2018

The office industry

in Poland is mation – those types of workers have Colliers office decided to give up their growing rapidly. The Colliers Annual assigned desks and are at least par- personal offices for a shared space Report states that “during the past year, tially enclosed). “This is a new genera- without assigned desks, which would developers completed a record number tion of employees… people want to be facilitate communication and sponof over 896,000 sqm of office space, able to choose how they work, whether taneous interactions amongst them; 60% more than the annual average from on a sofa, a chair, or at a high table”, this in an era when weeks could pass 2011-2015. Almost half of the new sup- says Artur Winnicki of Reesco. Variety before a meeting, scheduled via emails, ply was delivered in Warsaw (407,000 ofseating also has positive health impli- came to fruition. These partners’ shared sqm), while in the regional cities most cations. The World Green Building space is in the middle of the office, creof the new projects were completed in Council Health, Wellbeing & Productivity ating less of a barrier between leaderKraków (149,000 sqm) and Wrocław in Offices report says, “Even task-based ship and employees. “A good example (139,000 sqm).” Frank Lloyd Wright’s spaces can be designed to encourage must come from above,” Sylwia affirms. open plans transformed home design some standing and perching, to vary in the US at the turn of the 20th century, posture and encourage alertness and Office etiquette but in Poland, open plan apartment ‘active pauses.’” Additionally, hot desk- The World Green Building Council mendesign wasn’t widely proliferated until ing saves floor space which would oth- tions, “A common theme in the availafter 1989, once there was more money, erwise be dedicated to desks that might able research is that installing physical more Western influence, and private stand empty – especially in offices that design features and providing etiquette developers. Office design has similarly have many contract workers or sales- guidance for workers is important to followed a transition from enclosed per- people who don’t spend the entire reduce visual distractions and mansonal offices to open office spaces, but day in the office. According to CBRE’s age noise from conversations.” The the most recent trend has taken this Poland Fit-Out Cost Guide, some com- Skanska office in Warsaw has many one step further, from open office plans panies even have a “flexibility ratio” of the same activity-based spaces as to activity-based office spaces – spaces of 70% desk occupancy (or about 1.4 Colliers. They chose Swedish interior that incorporate several types of work- users per workstation). Moveable walls design company Kinnarps for all of their ing zones to accommodate the various also serve a similar purpose – compa- furnishings. Their holistic approach functions of a company. nies found that large inflexible con- to office design transcends the walls Some designers in the Fit Out indus- ference rooms often stood unused, of their building – they commissioned try – the industry specialising in making so the addition of moveable walls a mural to be painted on the grey wall of interior spaces suitable for occupation, allows large conference rooms to turn a neighbouring tenement house facing the office, so that the view for workers often in office developments – now into a few smaller ones.

Also from the World Green Building would be more pleasant. aim for office spaces to feel like “home” – a place that is comfortable. “So it’s Council Health, Wellbeing & Productivity According to the World Wellbeing not a typical corporate office with white in Offices report: “Recent research sug- Report: “Staff costs, including saladesks, and nothing more,” says Sylwia gests that designing for a diversity of ries and benefits, typically account for Pędzińska, Director of Workplace working spaces is key to a productive about 90% of business operating costs.

Innovation at Colliers International, pre- office. This allows people to choose the Therefore what may appear a modest senting her office in The Metropolitan most appropriate space for the task at improvement in employee health or building in Warsaw. The key rule in the hand – whether quiet concentration, or productivity, can have a huge financial contemporary fit out industry is to cus- creative interaction. However, it is not implication for employers – one that is tomise the design of an office based on only working spaces, but also social or many times larger than any other finanthe specific needs of the company. It’s breakout spaces that have an impact cial savings associated with an efficrucial to think about exactly what type on productivity. Places for staff to con- ciently designed and operated building. of work the employees do – is it collabo- gregate socially and relax, and not to For many readers, that will sound so rative? Individual? A mix? Or maybe disturb or be disturbed directly by the obvious it almost goes without saying. it’s confidential, such as in the case working environment, are vitally impor- But it does need saying, loud and clear, of accountants and lawyers? This is tant. They help to drive a cross-polli- because this evidence has not yet had a taken into account, and offices include nation of ideas, employee engagement spaces conducive to those functions, and foster a sense of community, which accordingly. can serve to strengthen a company’s culture, or its ‘organisational ecology.’

Standing and perching Sadly, these spaces are sometimes lost Contemporary fit outs are often guided in a drive to increase density, which usuby the idea of “hot desking” – not having ally generates short term cost savings, assigned seating at work, thereby add- but can be counter-productive to the ing flexibility in an employees workday. organisation’s overall aims.” Sometimes In theory, employees can sit at a differ- one office’s space-saving measure is ent desk every day (this does not apply simultaneously that office’s time-saving to those working with confidential infor- measure: the leadership of the Warsaw

‘It's not a typical corporate office with white desks, and nothing more’

Mindspace Warsaw. Beautifully

designed offices and workspaces with advanced technology provide inspiration and foster productivity.

major influence on the mainstream real estate sector, and is not yet translating at scale into design, finance and leasing decisions, certainly not in all parts of the globe.”

Which brings in Marcin Rutkowski of Isku, a Finnish furniture design company in Warsaw. “Thinking about the quality of the environment of a human being is in the Finnish DNA,” he quips.

Among some of the furnishing elements that Isku has created are ergonomic seating, space dividers and acoustic panels for both privacy and sound absorption, and ottomans that you can attach to the wall (especially fun for kids; but not only). These items, though, are often twice the cost of other desks or chairs on the market. Rutkowski explains: “Finnish products might be twice as expensive per unit, but then after a year or two, other products have to be exchanged. These Finnish products, meanwhile, still look new, and they are systematic [aesthetically speaking],” meaning that you can match future purchases to what you already own.

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in Poland for many years, contributed to over 300 office designs. So do the current fit out trends have Scandinavian roots? Martela came up with a very optimistic catch-phrase and ad campaign recently: “Thank God It’s Monday.” Whether these design considerations improve our general life outlook or just our attitudes from 9 to 5, it seems like a step in the right direction.

by Klaudia Siczek

Rutkowski continues: “In reality, if you look at a big organization, it’s a ratio of 1 to 10 to 100. The computers, the tables, the chairs, are ‘1’. The cost of the square meterage of floor space is 10 times more than the things standing on it. And the people that are using that floor space cost 10 times more than the square meterage itself. But people still try to save every euro possible on something like a chair. They need to think holistically, though. Because even if they buy a chair that is three times the cost of the cheapest chair on the market, this does not compare to the total cost of company expenditures. But a 1-3% increase in the efficiency of your workers – the portion of the company that is most costly – finances the rest.

The working environment should not be seen as a cost, but an investment.”

One of Isku’s mottos, said by the founder Eino Vikström, is “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” Isku divides the offices it designs into four regions: Think, Link, Connect and Refuel. Isku has contributed to the design of 35-40 offices during its two years in Poland. Before that, Martela, another Finnish company which was

photos: Tetris

As easy as 1-10-100

JLL. Conference rooms of different sizes, quiet corners, phone booths and work spaces that awaken creativity meet the various needs of team members.

Sage. With multiple

seating areas and workstations, employees can find a space that’s best for them – doesn’t have to be a desk.

The redesign breaks down the stereotype of a typical office.

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The Future of Warsaw A film showing the most important future commercial and city projects in Warsaw. Commissioned by Poland Today, in association with the City of Warsaw.

Below: Central Point

– address: Corner of ul. Marszałkowska and ul. Świętokrzyska – completion: 2020 – developer: Immobel Poland

Premiere at MIPIM in Cannes,

14th March 2018. Released on social media, including YouTube and Facebook, in the spring.

Below: Browary Warszawskie

– address: ul. Grzybowska 58, Wola – completion: 2020 – developer: Echo Investment

The aim of the film is to promote the city of Warsaw to overseas businesses and international investors, as well as to show the citizens of Warsaw and the people of Poland some of the great projects which will be built in their capital city in the next few years. Poland Today is bringing the leading developers in Warsaw together, alongside the City of Warsaw, to show the best of the city to the world. The goal is also to show how the real estate sector is leading, reflecting and catering to the growth of Warsaw’s key business centres. Finally, the film shows how the development of new schemes is adding another dimension to the city and driving the growth of its highly-skilled workforce.

Above: Varso Place

– address: ul. Chmielna 69-73, Śródmieście – completion: 2019/2020 – developer: HB Reavis

Right: Sinfonia Varsovia

– Address: ul. Grochowska 272, Praga Południe – Completion: 2020

Below: ArtN

– address: ul. Żelazna 51/53, Wola – completion: 2020 – developer: Capital Park Group

Below: CEDET

Urban Issues MIPIM 2018

– address: ul. Krucza 50, Śródmieście – completion: 2018 – developer: Immobel Poland

Right: The future path of the metro – 6 new stations: Płocka, Młynów, Kzięcia Janusza (west), Szwedzka, Targówek, Trocka (northeast)

Right: The Warsaw Hub

Below: Skyliner

– address: Rondo Daszyńskiego 2, Wola – completion: 2020 – developer: Ghelamco Poland

– address: ul. Prosta 67, Wola – completion: 2020 – developer: Karimpol Group

Below: Museum of Modern Art – address: pl. Defilad, Śródmieście

A film showing the most important future commercial and city projects in Warsaw.

Above: Ursynów Tunnel

(part of the Southern Bypass of Warsaw - POW) – length: 2.5km – completion: 2020

Above right: pedestrian bridge over the Vistula river

– planned construction start: 2019

Right: Bulwary Wiślane

– Further development of the west bank of the Vistula river

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Warsaw, via Sydney, born and bred From fitout to future of the real estate market, Rajmund Węgrzynek shares his insights.

How did you find Poland when you came back from Australia?

Moving away from history and onto business, what’s your definition of fitout?

Fitout is to do with internal space – it doesn’t matter if it’s an office, a private house, school, theatre, opera – fitout means doing the internal work of a building. The shell and core are just concrete, but internally it’s always changing as the tenants or operators change.

Fitout was the new ‘big thing’ in real estate starting a couple of years ago. Before that it was sustainability. Now it’s PropTech.

Is there some truth in that?

Urban Issues MIPIM 2018

It was a time when we had a lot of political problems. There was also the question of whether to join the (Fitout) has been around longer European Union or not. People didn’t than two years. Recognition of the know which way to go. Sometimes importance of fitout is more like six former communists were running the – eight years. For the last two years country, sometimes liberals – nobody we’ve tried to become recognised as knew what would happen. But I saw a ‘general interior contractor.’ A lot huge potential, whereas in Australia of American companies do construceverything was already established. tion management. They don’t have Rajmund Węgrzynek When I came to Poland 16-17 years a general contractor to do the whole runs, together ago, I thought everything would be thing but split the work into packages. with Paweł Brodzik, completed in 5-10 years, but now it’s There’s someone to do the structure, the Polish division of Tétris, a fitout company almost 20 years and I see even more someone to do the facade, someone operating across Eupotential for Poland and Polish people else does the insulation. It all depends rope. He was born in than I saw before. And I’m not just talk- on how big the developer is. The big Warsaw during the tail ing about real estate. Poles are leaving ones will always do it in packages end of the communist period. After several behind the ghosts of the past, of World because they don’t want someone summers working on War II. My kids don’t have the types of else having greater control of the proconstruction sites in memories we have. Our grandparents ject than themselves. They think they London during his used to talk a lot about the war, about can do it cheaper that way, but then school holidays, he the Germans and the Russians. My two they have to employ lots of people headed to Australia in the late 80s and set up daughters are proud to be both Poles internally to coordinate it all. When his own construction and Europeans. But there’s still a lot to developers tell me they can do fitout company in Sydney. do in almost every field. We have a lot cheaper internally, maybe on the buildIn the late 90s, he to improve and a lot to achieve. There’s ing side it is cheaper, but I don’t know decided to head back to Warsaw with the a lot I didn’t notice before, when I was who’s counting their overheads. aim of doing business only thinking about my business, but in the ‘new Poland.’ as you get older you understand much What concerns you more about politics, business and soci- about the future of the real ety. Business can’t only be run just as estate market in Poland? business – it’s a part of society, even of Developers are planning to release culture. Now people who have become a lot of space to the market in the next millionaires understand they need couple of years. But how can they do to put something back into society. three times more than they used to do, That’s how we’re changing. with the same resources? There are not so many construction workers on the market. A solution has to be found What does the city for this. Developers know how to comof Warsaw mean to you?

I was born in the old part of Mokotów. mercialise the buildings, but then they I feel I was born in the right place at the have to make sure the work is done on right time. The city is like a small New time. Margins will disappear. Poland has York – there are lots of opportunities for been running out of labour for at least anyone who wants to succeed, and it’s changing every 24 hours. I live 300m away from Warsaw Spire. This was once the middle of the ghetto. During World War II, my grandfather fought here. It’s so important for me to see it develop.

It’s also important for Jewish people.

From my window I can see the buses of young people from Israel coming on tours. For Jews, for Poles, it’s a place of history. Our grandparents rebuilt the city from nothing, so we can’t complain.

We are extremely lucky.

two years. I say to developers: you can have a client, you can have cheap land, you can have a project, but who’s going to build it for you? It’s a huge problem.

For a few months now, Ukrainians have been able to go to other countries in Western Europe. They’re not supposed to be able to work there, but of course in reality they do. And there’s another element. We’ve only used about 10-15% of eligible EU funds. The rest still needs to be processed.

If there will be a splurge in structural spending and labour will be needed for this, what is the solution?

We have to be smarter in our relations with Ukraine and other countries to the east. We have to give them a really good opportunity in this country.

Things have already started to change.

Banks have products for Ukrainians, and they have a television station here.

They have to feel that Poland is their second home. So even if they can make more money in Western Europe, they prefer to stay here. Language and culture is important, as well as proximity to home. But if people don’t feel comfortable, they won’t stay. I’m not only talking about labourers here – there are also engineers, specialists in their fields. Tétris takes benefit from the workforce of numerous Ukrainians.

Some have been working for us for 10 years. Some of them are bosses. We are not paying them less than the Polish guys, we pay them the same money.

They need to be paid well and on time. But the government is not helping with their procedures, which take a lot of time. Ukrainians should not have to wait for their visa and work permit for three-four months.

Is the government addressing the issue?

The government spends too much time on history. Instead they should be thinking about what can be done if we don’t have the labour.

If Poland wants to use labour from Ukraine, doesn’t that cause problems in Ukraine?

Until Ukraine eradicates corruption, Poland will offer a better alternative for its workforce. The Polish government needs to improve relations with Ukraine because once it joins the EU – and I don’t think this is wishful thinking Poland will have a big advantage. This is exactly what Germany did with Poland.

Ukraine is not Russia. They have a different type of democracy. The Polish government and the Polish people have the opportunity to show them how to do good business and to make honest money. This is a huge opportunity also for Poland. by Richard Stephens

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The man who stayed

history

Marian Turski has more than defied the terrible odds stacked against him in his youth. Here his granddaughter Klaudia shares her perspective on her grandfather.

As a high school student

Far right: Marian Turski on a bench in the Łódź ghetto during WW2.

MARIAN TURSKI Marian Turski is head of the history de-

partment at newsweekly magazine Polityka.

He was one of the main drivers behind the creation of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and serves as Chairman of the Museum Council. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland. On his 90th birthday in June 2016 he received greetings from around the world, including from President Barack Obama, Chancellor Angela Merkel and former President of Israel Shimon Peres. President Obama wrote: “In the example you have set throughout your life, we see the resolve and courage the human spirit is capable of summoning. I deeply appreciated the chance to meet you during my visit to Poland in 2011. I was particularly moved by your recollection of marching alongside Dr. King — a reflection of the extraordinary power of solidarity and the universality of the ideals we carry in our hearts.”

After being liberated from the camp-ghetto in 1945, he chose to stay in Poland

in Illinois, USA, I often phoned my grandfather, Marian Turski, to discuss what I was learning in my European history class. To my 15-year-old self, the French Revolution was abstract, but a conversation with my grandpa in Poland brought it to life. At that age, I had no idea about the things that he was doing on the other side of the ocean - my world was the United States; plus, universal teenage dramas clouded my mind. Poland was barely 16-day death march from Buchenwald a part of my identity. to Theresienstadt - the last existing We could not have had more differ- camp-ghetto of the war. When he ent teenage years. He grew up in the was liberated in May 1945 he weighed city of Łódź, then the second largest 32 kg. After several months in hospitals, city in Poland. When my grandpa was most of those on the verge of death, the same age that I was nonchalantly he was offered the chance to go to paging through a European history Great Britain, Canada or America by textbook, he was forced to live in the Jewish organisations. He chose to stay Łodź ghetto, robbed of any semblance in Warsaw. In 1958, he joined the hisof a ‘normal’ adolescence. He and his torical department of the newsweekly family lived in an apartment in the magazine Polityka, where he remains ghetto with two rooms and a kitchen. to this day, in the same position. In One room housed the hosts, a family March 1965, he participated in Martin of four, and the second room housed Luther King's march against racial seghis family – also a family of four. His regation in the south of the USA from aunt and her daughter lived in the Selma to Montgomery small kitchen. There was no toilet; With his experience and wisdom, they had to go to the courtyard. “But he sees things that most other people still, for the ghetto, it was not a bad don’t. For example, he is concerned house,” he says. Until the beginning of about a possible ‘Polexit’ - more in 1941, there were functioning schools symbolic terms than in actual reality inside the ghetto, so my grandpa was and the implications such an estrangeable to complete two years of high ment can have. He recalls that British and French people, in 1939, would say, school while being there.

Unlike other ghettos, the Łodź “Why should we die for Danzig?” Poland, ghetto was fully sealed. It was practi- he recalls, “was alone, totally alone.” He cally impossible to escape. And unlike believes that Poland needs to be a good the Warsaw ghetto, there was greater partner in order to prevent something security along the Łódź ghetto’s like that happening again. “We need perimeter, as well as orders specifically to convince our allies that Lithuania, prohibiting commercial exchanges Latvia or Estonia are almost a part of between Jews and non-Jews. Jews Britain, France or America,” he says. caught on the Aryan side would be shot. “But if you lose the sympathy of great Also unlike Warsaw, many Germans allies, then their people will say: ‘Why were living around this ghetto, and they should we die for them?’” Good alliwere loyal to the Nazis. ances require engagement and diaMy grandpa was in the ghetto until logue. They also need leaders with the last day of its liquidation, on 29 a strong sense of moral leadership and August 1944. That day he was trans- perspective, and he bemoans the lack ported to Auschwitz. He was deemed of such leaders today. “Politicians look fit to work upon arrival. His father and at the short term,” he says. “Statesmen brother, however, were sent to the should foresee great dangers and how gas chamber. After a few months in to effectively prevent them.” Good Auschwitz, my grandpa survived the leaders look for consensus, which winter death march from Auschwitz can only be reached by compromise. to Buchenwald. And then a second,

by Klaudia Siczek

the main drivers behind the creation of the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw and continues to serve as Chairman of the Museum Council.

Marian Turski has

been recognised by many world leaders, including former President Barack Obama, Pope Francis, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prince Charles, former UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon as well as by President Andrzej Duda.

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photos: Photo archive of the Prince of Whales, Magdalena Starowieyska (POLIN Museum), Polityka, Marek Edelman Dialogue Center.

Marian was one of

It Happened In… June On 14 June 1985, the Racławice Panorama, initially based in Lwów, now modern-day Lviv in Ukraine, was reopened in Wrocław.

A cycloramic painting - shown on

ing around 75,000 visitors annually on the inside of a cylindrical platform - the average until World War II. Following piece depicts the Battle of Racławice, the War, the panorama was a key piece one of the earliest skirmishes of the of the Ossoliński Institution collection Kościuszko Uprising. With shouts of, brought to Wrocław, part of Poland “My boys, take that artillery! For God, since the 1945 Potsdam Conference. and the Fatherland! Go forward with The patriotic nature of the artwork faith!” Tadeusz Kościuszko, Polish gen- was deemed politically sensitive under eral and war hero, inspired his rebels Poland’s post-war Communist regime, to victory against the opposing Russian which meant that restoration efforts forces in April 1794. However, Polish were haltingly slow. The contributions joy was shortlived. Kościuszko was of successive Volunteer Committees wounded and captured by Russian only came to fruition following forces at the Battle of Maciejowice increasing liberalisation during the in October and, by mid-November, 1980s, most notably with the growth the uprising had collapsed. The coun- of the Solidarity movement. try was finally divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria in the Third Partition Back to its former glory of Poland the following year.

After reopening in 1985, the panoCreated for the 1894 National rama was again an instant hit and Exhibition in Lwów to commemorate has become a must-see attraction the 100th anniversary of Kościuszko’s in Wrocław. Over 30 years later, it convictory, the piece was designed by tinues to attract people from all over Lwów-based artist Jan Styka and the world. Many internationally famous renowned battle-painter Wojciech guests have visited the painting, in both Kossak. Painting began in August 1894 Lwów and Wrocław, including Franz after a specially built iron rotunda, Joseph I of Austria, Archduke Charles, designed in Vienna by Ludwik Ramułt, Duke of Teschen, Queen Beatrix of the was installed in Lwów’s Stryjski Park. Netherlands, and Nobel Prize laureThe huge panorama, painted on canvas ate Czesław Miłosz. The battle site at specially woven to order from Brussels, Racławice is another popular tourist took nine months to complete and was location, designated by the National finished in May 1894. Created with over Heritage Board of Poland as one of 750 kg of paint and stretching 114m, the the country’s official national Historic painting was an instant success, attract- Monuments. by Liam Frahm

Panorama OF THE BATTLE OF RACŁAWICE The Panorama is an impressive relic of 19th-century century mass culture and also one of only few examples of this genre preserved in Europe. The large painting (15x114m) 'transfers' the viewer into an altogether different time, a reality of its own, by artfully combining painterly devices (special kind of perspective) and technical effects (lighting, artificial terrain, dark and usually tortuous passage to the viewing platform).

Finishing touches.

photos: Marek Maruszak (Forum), Bartłomiej Kudowicz (Forum), Andrzej Wiernicki (Forum), Andrzej Wiernicki (Forum)

Conservation workers prepare the large painting (15x114m) for the grand unveiling of the Racławice Panorama (1985).

A must-see.

The Panorama is one of the main tourist attractions of Wrocław. Visitors can listen to the history of the painting in 16 languages (including Korean, Croatian and Esperanto).

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Vincent on the silver screen A Polish-British duo reimagined van Gogh's art into an animated feature film.

Oscar-nominated Loving Vincent is

from all over the world handpainted 65,000 frames of oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as van Gogh.

One second of the movie

contains 12 of these paintings. Ninety-four of van Gogh’s works were included in the film in original form, but 40 paintings were reimagined for the screen.

by Monica Zielinski

photos: Loving Vincent

Over 100 painters

the world’s first fully hand oil-painted feature-length film. Directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman, the British-Polish film is based on original Vincent van Gogh paintings and tells the story of the post-impressionist painter. Made primarily in Gdańsk, Poland for $5.5m, the filmmakers transformed the painter’s famous artworks into mesmerising animation. Kobiela’s inspiration for the film stems from her struggle with depression as a student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

During this time, she started to read letters by van Gogh — an artist who suffered from mental illness. She wrote her master’s thesis about the relationship between art and mental health.

Based on 800 original letters written by van Gogh, the film creators developed a story that follows the fictional character Armand Roulin who is given a letter to deliver to van Gogh’s brother after the painter’s suicide in 1890. Along his journey, he meets people who knew the troubled Dutch artist.

The film premiered at the 2017 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and won ‘Best Animated Feature Film Award’ at the 30th European Film Awards in Berlin. In addition, Loving Vincent was nominated for the Golden Globes in 2018 for ‘Best Animation Film.’

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Box-office success.

Since the premiere in October 2017, the show has already sold over 100,000 tickets and performances typically sell out.

Piloci take flight on Warsaw stage After many performances of international titles at the ROMA Musical Theatre, the time has come for an original Polish musical – Piloci (“Pilots”).

Directed by seasoned professional Wojciech Kępczyński, Piloci is a love story between Jan, a young Polish military pilot, and Nina, a Warsaw-based cabaret actress and singer. The story takes place in the 1930s and 1940s when their love is suddenly interrupted

by World War II and the Battle of Britain.

“It is a story about difficult choices made in the face of dramatic moments,” says Kępczyński, “I wanted to show what the war does to people's psyche.”

The musical, though not a documentary, was inspired by historical events.

“My grandmother's brothers fought in the ranks of 307 Polish Air Force Squadron. As a child, I listened to their stories,“ said Kępczyński in an interview. The squadron, nicknamed "Eagle Owls", was a night-fighter squadron that defended the South West of England from German night bombers. Piloci features a diversity of music genres ranging from Wagner to hip-hop composed by brothers Jakub and Dawid Lubowicz.

During the performance, the audience watches scenes of aerial battles and animations displayed on LED walls.

Kamil Pohl, from Platige Image, directed the digital set design and animation and said, “We design and create entire worlds, make interactive animations, so that videos and stage components complement each other, and not contradict our story.” by Santa Kraukle

photos: Teatr Muzyczny Roma

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OutlOOk 2018: EurOpE & cEE invEstmEnt briEfings

Growth prospects boost CEE real estate At the annual Outlook 2018: Europe & CEE Investment Briefings in Warsaw & Budapest, led by Richard Betts, Group Publisher and Head of Events, PropertyEU, senior real estate figures representing a range of views and perspectives gave their insights into market trends. Strong economic fundamentals are proving more important than political risk for the increasing number of foreign investors coming to the region from all continents, they said.

Left to right:

– Bence Vecsey, Colliers International; – George Leslie, HB Reavis; – Jake Lodge, Lodge & Partners; – Arpad Torok, TriGranit; – Ian Worboys, P3; – Richard Betts, Investment Briefings

Outlook Budapest

Attendees at the Europe & CEE Investment Briefing in Hungary heard leading market figures discuss latest trends and issues in the regional real estate market, and networked at the Mupa Budapest venue.

Economic fundamentals trump political risk, as investors attracted by strong growth prospects continue to pour money into the real estate sector in Poland, Hungary and the wider Central and Eastern Europe. “There are headwinds, but the economic indicators across the region justify the investment,” said Luke Dawson, Managing Director & Head of Capital Markets CEE, Colliers International, at the Warsaw event.

“Investors have a rational optimism, halfway between the extremes of euphoria and pessimism, so we are very bullish on prospects for 2018.” Liquidity is not an issue, said Lila Pateraki, Chief Investment Officer, Zeus Capital Management: “A lot of real estate capital was raised in 2017, and there is even more money waiting to be deployed this year. Demand is set to increase further in 2018.” According to Colliers International data, 2017 real estate transaction volumes will be in the €12bn range, matching 2016's €12.2bn figure and close to the cyclical peak of €13bn reached in 2007 before the crisis.

“It has been an impressive performance in 2017 and we expect even more exciting times ahead,” said Piotr Mirowski, Director of CEE Investment Services at Colliers International Poland. “Last year for the first time the pace of growth in CEE outperformed EMEA, reflecting the positive sentiment about the region. It is still a small percentage of the European market, but its share has increased from 3% to 4.5% and keeps growing.” What really matters, Mirowski said, is that “CEE is now seen as a mature key market, with good liquidity and pricing, and this change is reflected in the composition of investors. We still see the usual suspects from the US and UK who have been investing for years, but what is encouraging is the inflow of new money, particularly from the Far East.”

Risk in the eye of the beholder Increasing political risk has had one noticeable consequence in the withdrawal from the market of some more cautious German institutional investors.

“Conservative German funds are concerned and are suspending their investments in some parts of the region because

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the outlook is uncertain,” said Wojciech Koczara, Partner and Head of CEE Real Estate at CMS Poland. “However, the economy is doing well so we are seeing funds coming in from other parts of the world like Asia, America and South Africa, who are more used to challenges of this kind and can deal with them.”

Political risk is very much in the eye of the beholder, maintained Gijs Klomp, Investment Director at NEPI Rockcastle: “We come from a different geography and see things differently. Our shareholders are mainly South African institutions and, in their perception, Eastern Europe is not riskier than Western Europe.” Poland is now in the eye of the storm, with new taxes and regulations being brought in, as well as political tensions between Warsaw and Brussels. But it seems that for every cautious German investor who is sitting on his hands there are two from other countries around the world eager to deploy capital in the region. “There will be fewer Germans but more pan-European or Asian investors coming in to replace them and we have even had interest from Australian investors recently,” said Anna Duchnowska, Director of Asset Management, Invesco Real Estate Poland. “There is a definite change in the investor base.”

Rental growth and a development boom are coming to Central and Eastern European countries, delegates heard at the Outlook 2018: Europe & CEE Investment Briefing, held in Budapest. “The region is on a growth path and has real momentum,’ said Mark Robinson, CEE research specialist, Colliers International. “We now see rental growth, which is the next stage of the cycle. Of all six countries, Hungary presents the most bullish picture for rental growth.” There is a development boom underway in Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria, said Robinson, as “yield compression, low interest rates and rising rents encourage speculative development.”

Retail is the biggest sector in CEE, attracting €5bn of investment to the six countries in 2017, followed by offices with €3.5bn and industrial with €2.2bn. Hungary, which was shunned for years but is now in great demand, is a clear example of how investors learn to focus on the opportunities and deal with political issues. Demand is such that opportunistic investors should consider office development in the capital, said Arpád Torok, CEO, TriGranit Corporation: “It is a good investment and, at current financing levels, these assets will provide steady cash flow.” Retail is a strong sector throughout the country, said Torok, because e-commerce and the omnichannel trend have not taken root in Hungary yet. “There is a transformation

underway, but the experience is still very different from that of other countries.

Regional shopping centres still have a big role to play as places of entertainment and meeting points for people.”

Hotel sector leading the charge Logistics is doing extremely well across the region, yet the e-commerce story is just beginning, said Ian Worboys, CEO, P3 Logistic Parks: “There is great strength in the market. We anticipate yield compression in all CEE countries. In the Czech Republic, to give just one example, one in ten transactions is done online and Amazon is not even there yet.” However, it was the hotel sector that grew the fastest in 2017, with volumes doubling to €988m. “It is interesting to see this sector booming, because a preference for hotels does tend to indicate a strong economic cycle,’ said Robinson.

What is attracting American, Asian, European and South African investors to the region is its dynamism, said George Leslie, head of investment management, HB Reavis: “There are always opportunities, especially in the capital cities.” One overlooked story is the non-prime sector and the value-add opportunities it offers, he said: “There is a whole cohort of value-add investors who have been extremely successful, yet they have not covered all the opportunities. There is a very interesting dynamic in the region and there is still a lot more that can be done.”

by Nicol Dynes and Richard Stephens

Outlook Warsaw

Speakers: – Piotr Mirowski, Colliers International; – Anna Duchnowska, Invesco Real Estate; – Luke Dawson, Colliers International; – Lila Pateraki, Zeus Capital Management; – Wojciech Koczara, CMS Poland; – Gijs Klomp, NEPI Rockcastle

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bss fOrum and OutsOurcing stars gala

Closing one year, opening another Below: Katja Lozina of the City

of Poznań, received the City Award at the 5th Outsourcing Stars Gala.

Right: Wiktor Doktor, CEO at Pro

Progressio, hosted the event at which key issues in BSS were debated and industry stars were recognised.

Bottom: Katarzyna Gruszecka-Spychała Vice President

of the City of Gdynia, gave the welcome address at the BSS Forum.

Each year in January, Pro Progressio hosts one of the most important BSS business events. This time, the second edition of the BSS Forum and the fifth Outsourcing Stars Gala took place in Gdynia on 25 January, 2018 and Poland Today was the proud partner of those events. On that January morning, around 300 Polish and international experts in outsourcing and modern business services gathered in the Pomeranian Science and Technology Park in Gdynia for discussions, presentations, workshops and brainstorming.

The selection of the topics for the Forum was based on areas which are crucial for the BSS sector such as HR, work life balance, work environment, business transformation, software development, process automation, sales, attracting foreign investment, personal data protection and posting of employees. The event gathered business managers, leaders, mentors and coaches, but above all people responsible for the operational development of the BSS sector in Poland and abroad.

The Forum has gained recognition and support from entities that play a key role in the development of the BSS sector in Poland, as well as internationally. The main partner of the BSS Forum was the City of Gdynia, supported by Invest in Pomerania, and held under the Honorary Patronage of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency.

A whole plethora of important information was presented, but it was the Outsourcing Stars Gala, which celebrated the grandeur of the BSS sector, where the fastest growing companies and business supporting institutions were recognised.

Pro Progressio prepared an unusual setting — the round stage of the Outsourcing Stars Gala was placed in the centre of the Gdynia Arena. Since Rock Your Business was the main theme of the event, rock music played throughout the gala. The Focus Event Agency was responsible for organising the whole event, and the band The Customs provided the music. The gala finished with networking, which lasted until 3.00 a.m.

On one hand, the Outsourcing Stars Gala was an event closing the year 2017. On the other, it was opening 2018 for the BSS sector in Poland. The gala is one of the most important outsourcing and BSS events in Europe and each year it is held in a different formula. This event enables Pro Progressio to show its appreciation and respect for BSS companies which have a strong impact on the development of global entrepreneurship. The next BSS Forum and Outsourcing Stars Gala will take place on 24 January 2019.

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ULI brings Bilbao and Millennium Park to Warsaw

photos: Urban Land institute Poland

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placEs + spacEs

The series is held under the auspices of Mayor of Warsaw.

– 17 April, “Branding the building, building the brand” – 19 June, "High streets, public spaces and placemaking" – 18 September, "Tomorrow's urbanhoods" – 23 October, "Dreaming the new downtown"

The first of the PLACES + SPACES meet- Top: Daniel Ringelings initiated by Urban Land Institute stein, Director of City Poland was held in Warsaw. The event, Design at Skidmore Owings and Merrill dedicated to the role of big projects with Architects presented a significant share of public spaces, was Millennium Park attended by nearly 100 professionals in Chicago representing the real estate, urban planning and architecture industry as well Right: John Banka, Chairman of Urban as local government representatives. At Land Institute the beginning, Alfonso Martinez Cearra, Poland.

Director General of Bilbao Metropoli-30, presented the case of Bilbao’s transforma- Below: Alfonso tion from an industrial city into a vibrant, Martinez Cearra, General of popular tourist destination. Several stra- Director Bilbao Metropoli-30, tegic initiatives were the keystone of that metamorphosis, including the regenera- Below right: tion of the riverside, improvement of the Marlena Happach, public transport system and new cultural Chief City Architect projects. The second keynote speaker of Warsaw was Daniel Ringelstein, Director of City Design at Skidmore Owings and Merrill Architects, who presented the development of Millennium Park in Chicago. The transformation of that area, which previously served as a rail yard, was one of the largest undertakings ever completed in the centre of the Windy City. The discussion panel that followed, moderated

by Andrew Tuck of Monocle Magazine was also attended by Marlena Happach, Chief City Architect of Warsaw, Mikael Andersson of Echo Investment and Arie Koren of Okam Capital. Citing international examples, the participants addressed issues related to directions of growth for Warsaw.

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impressions

Karolina Horoszczak

with her family on the Great Wall of China.

Assembling a life in China Uprooting a family to Asia without an instruction manual is no easy task.

Karolina Horoszczak is the Corporate Communications Director at IKEA Group China, based in Shanghai. She was born and grew up in Poznań, where she studied Management & Marketing at Adam Mickiewicz University, before moving to Warsaw. While working for IKEA in Poland, she was offered the job in China and moved to Beijing with her family in July 2015.

When Karolina was first

asked to a tough modern history, which has move to China, she was taken by sur- made both people more creative – they prise: “Someone called out of the blue have had to be in order to survive. The and said: ‘What do you think about Chinese are generally faster in doing going to China?’ I had limited knowl- things than Poles, but both nations are edge of the country and I had never in more of a hurry than established socithought about visiting, but curiosity is eties. That’s why I think Poles would setmy second name so my husband and I tle down in China better than Western decided to go for it.” Like anyone, she Europeans or Americans,” says Karolina, had certain preconceptions. “Before, who is learning Mandarin and passed when I thought of China, I pictured lots her Chinese driver’s license. of workers in endless factories making dubious-quality products that flood No Facebook the world. Air pollution and human & Google in China rights issues also came to mind, but Living in any new country, there are I did know that China has a long and some inevitable downsides, apart from obvious things like missing home food. incredible history.”

After arriving in Shanghai Pudong “Things that were quite funny at the Airport, she found her assumptions beginning soon became annoying. Our had been wrong. “The China of today is kids have blond hair (she has three boys, nothing about history – it’s all about the Maxim, 12, Konrad, eight, and Hubert future. I don’t think there is any other – who was born in China – one) and nation or society that thinks about people point at us, want to take photos tomorrow as much as the Chinese. It’s and even to touch. My son wanted to a highly digitalised society. There is an start charging them money. There’s also app for absolutely everything, and peo- limited communication in English with ple use them – it makes life so much the Chinese, and it’s harder to connect easier. For example, if you don’t use with the outside world because there’s WeChat in China, you don’t exist. It’s no Facebook and no Google.” a combination of Instagram, LinkedIn, Working for a Swedish company, Facebook, Twitter and others all rolled with its strong company culture, means into one.” Karolina was also struck by that she hasn’t experienced a genuine the speed of development. “Decisions Chinese work environment, but she are taken today and the results happen has seen insights into Chinese worktomorrow. There is never any doubt that ing characteristics. “Chinese peothey will happen.” Chinese consumers ple need time to trust you. Outside are anything but laid back and relaxed. work, it’s difficult to become friends.

“The Chinese are extremely demanding Chinese people keep to themselves. when it comes to services and prod- We ourselves can only count one uct quality. And there are many very Chinese family as our friends.” wealthy people in the country. They can Perhaps the biggest difference afford things that most people in other Karolina found between Poland and China – in fact between the westcountries could never afford.”

There are some similarities between ern world and China – is the scale. “In Poles and the Chinese, however: “We Poland there are around 38 million definitely share the trait of entrepre- people. In Europe it’s about 740 million. neurship. And both countries have had Here there’s 1.3 billion. Many cities have more inhabitants than some countries in Europe – a city of 10 million is perceived as small.” Finally, Karolina has found an unexpected, somewhat counter-intuitive experience with Chinese journalism. “I have found Chinese journalists to not only write the correct facts, but also to dig deeper than their western counterparts – in my experience. They really want to understand the topic, and go into real depth to enable them to do so."

‘The China of today is not about history – it's all about the future’

by Richard Stephens

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foreign impressions

Trading Egyptian sands for Polish snow Moving away from Egypt is the dream of every young Egyptian but when he finally made the leap and settled in Kraków, living in Poland changed him in more ways than he expected.

ing home a Muslim boyfriend but they were accepting and they loved me. I wasn't expecting that.

What was the toughest challenge you had to overcome?

‘I love Polish people.

It’s really astonishing because I’ve encountered the opposite of racism’ Mohamed Ibrahim

was born in Cairo, Egypt. He left his small neighbourhood of Abdeen for Giza at 20. Before emigrating to Poland, he studied computer science in Egypt and worked in programming, graphic design and advertising. As an Arabic speaker, he landed a job as an accounts strategist at TTEC in Kraków, liaising with clients in Middle Eastern countries.

Why did you decide to move to Poland?

Every Egyptian my age wants to leave Egypt because the situation there is not very good. In 2015, I went abroad for the first time in my life to take part in the Digital Participation Summit in Münster, Germany where I met a Polish girl. We started dating and I wanted to know more about Poland and its culture. I visited her in Katowice a year later and I decided to move to Poland to be with her.

How did your family react to your decision?

My mom was very happy that I moved to Poland. She actually loves my girlfriend and was accepting of my decision. It was the same for my girlfriend’s parents as well. She actually told me to be prepared to meet them because their daughter was bring-

religion, especially Islam because I come from a Muslim family. But now I am comfortable not calling myself a Muslim because I now embrace all beliefs and I consider all of them equal, without one religion as a point of judgment for the others. This was a big change and I struggled with it, but living in Europe made me look at things from a different perspective.

Besides learning the language, obtaining a visa was the hardest. It took a lot of time and hard work because there are laws that make it harder for immigrants to enter, especially after the refugee crisis. I spent two years going Have you faced any racism? back and forth between Egypt and Surprisingly no. I say surprisingly Poland on a tourist visa. A big factor because a lot of people told me Poles was the lack of English speakers in the are racist, but actually no, not at all government offices. It was frustrating – I love Polish people. It’s really astonbecause after not seeing my girlfriend ishing because I’ve encountered the for a year, I applied for a tourist visa opposite of racism. For instance, I was and was rejected. I made an appeal, had walking in Katowice with friends and an another interview and finally received old man approached me, hugged me the visa. Now that I have a job at TTEC in and said “Wszystkiego najlepszego” Kraków, I was granted a work permit but which means best wishes. Maybe he it took two months longer than it should. thought I was a refugee because from When I applied for a national visa, I was what I understood, he said it must asked for documents and certificates have been hard for me to get here that weren’t listed in the requirements. and I must have suffered so much but he wishes me luck. This was the It seemed like they didn’t trust me. most heart-warming experience that How do you like living in Kraków?

I’ve ever had in Poland.

Kraków is amazing. I love this city because it’s like you’re living in a What are the similarities and differhuge part of history. Kraków has a ences between Poland and Egypt? lot of incredible places and sections Religion is a big part of life in both that remind you of really significant countries. You can walk the streets in moments in its past. There are also a either nation and spot religious symbols lot of foreigners here and it’s easy to and places of worship. Another similarmeet interesting people from different ity is football – people in Egypt and countries. I like the diversity.

Poland love football. A big difference is the mentality. Because of the poor conWhat do you think ditions, bad political situation and eduabout Poland’s weather? cation, some people in Egypt are less It never snows in Egypt, so I always open-minded and are not open to new dreamed about building a snowman ideas or ways of thinking. Another difand doing winter sports. I remember ference is people’s approach to shopmy first time seeing snow and it was ping. I noticed that Polish people prefer magical – I felt like a little kid. During my to buy local products from Poland, first visit, I went hiking in the Bielsko- while Egyptians like to buy imported Biała region and the experience was items and go to chain restaurants. really amazing. So I really like the weather because in the winter I can go What advice would you give skiing and the summers are nice, unlike an Egyptian moving to Poland?

Egypt's unbearable 45 degrees.

Learn Polish, buy warm winter clothes and have an open mind to be ready to accept the differences.

Has living in Poland For someone who has never been changed you in any way?

I have become a more open-minded, outside of Egypt, coming to Poland accepting person and my beliefs have can be a really big culture shock and changed a lot. I used to be extremely it’s something to be prepared for. defensive during discussions about interview by Monica Zielinski

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An escape from communist Poland led Stash Pruszyński to Radio Free Europe in Munich. page 68

While other countries cut back on defence, Poland is spending more. page 24

H2 2017 issue no. 15

A testament to the Jewish contribution to Polish history opens. page 58

The changing face of Silesia, above and below the ground. page 68

Does Donald Tusk have the political will to force through healthcare reform? page 30

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Maritime trade and improved transport links boost Pomerania. page 40

Poland's unlikely role model as it seeks to maximise BPO potential. page 50

World Press Photo winner Chris Niedenthal shares his memories of transformation. page 30

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Jan Cienski reports from Ukraine on how the country's divisions have made it vulnerable. page 42

A Polish startup that makes 3D printers has landed a huge deal with computer giant Dell. page 54

An exclusive interview with President Bronisław Komorowski. page 22

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MIPIM 2015: Extended in-depth real estate coverage for the fair in Urban Issues. pages 68-84

Canada in focus: Canadians want to share their experience in spurring innovation. pages 37-48

Expert level: Polish video games are being recognised for their quality worldwide. page 98

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Former President Kwaśniewski talks about Poland’s chance for unity in an exclusive interview. page 24

Q2 2015 issue No. 09

Expo Real 2015: Special focus sections on commercial real estate and the hotel market. pages 29-48

Polish scientists are helping the police catch drunk drivers with innovative use of lasers. page 54

The quiet charm of Sandomierz, one of the country’s lesser known tourist delights. page 64

Door to the future

A summer to remember

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Uniting business and academia will unlock Poland’s potential

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Politics and business go hand in hand. Where is the economy headed under PiS? page 22

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The economy needs a caffeine kick, claims top economist in an exclusive interview. page 30

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Startups are beginning to be recognised by the mainstream, but could do a lot better. page 64

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The aims and implications of Deputy Prime Minister Morawiecki’s plan. page 24

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Poland’s exporters and their success despite challenges in trade with Russia and the EU. page 30

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pages 30-39

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Fishermen's boats on the beach at Międzyzdroje. photo: Jan Włodarczyk (Forum)

Understanding it is the first step to harnessing its potential

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illustration: Arthimedes

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Poland's Diaspora

page 22

ESA membership is boosting Poland’s role in exploring the final frontier. page 86

The innovation push

Climbing higher

Poland looks to build on the past 25 years of economic freedom Poland Transformed

Two big investments could shift Poland’s beleaguered auto industry back into gear. page 58

photo: Avalon Studio

Poland's startup community has great potential. But it still has a long way to go. pages 40-46

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How is Poland’s reputation abroad? We ask Professor Timothy Garton Ash. page 28

Magazine • Portal • Conferences • find out more at www.poland-today.pl

q1 2016 issue No. 12

96

The Emerging Europe Awards