No. 3 (239) / 2016 Polish Market

Export

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No. 3 (239) /2016 :: www.polishmarket.com.pl

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Space InduStry regIonS deSIgn

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“Creation is the essence of my professional life.”

Rafał

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Sonik President of Gemini HoldinGs, sPortsman, PHilantHroPist

Investment

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GOVERNMENT ADOPTS THE RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN Stanisław Karczewski, the Speaker of the Senate: HUMAN CAPITAL OUR STRONGEST ASSET Radosław Domagalski-Łabędzki, Deputy Minister of State at the Ministry of Economic Development: SUPPORTING EXPORTS ONE OF THE FIVE PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Rafał Sonik - RATIONAL ROMANTIC Jakub Opara, President of PL.2012 Sp. z o.o.: “STADIUM” BUSINESS

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Jerzy Bojanowicz: POLAND IN SPACE

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Juliusz Kornaszewski, Business Marketing & PR/Social Media Manager, Intel Technology Poland Ltd.: POLAND HAS THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF BIG DATA CONSUMPTION IN THE REGION

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Regions

From The Government Information Centre

Economy

Our Guest

Space Industry Business&Sport Smart City

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From The President’s Press Office

Prof. Marek Banaszkiewicz, President of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA): „SPACE ALWAYS SERVED AS A VALVE STEM FOR HUMAN IMAGINATION”

Paweł Wojtkiewicz, CEO of the Polish Space Industry Association: A VERY PROMISING PARTNERSHIP WITH ESA

DIGITISATION THE MAIN FACTOR IN A COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT

Infrastructure

CONTENTS 6 7 9

28 29 30 32 33 34 36 37 38 42 44

Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś: INVEST IN REGIONS, INVEST IN SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES Elżbieta Anna Polak, Marshal of Lubuskie Province: LUBUSKIE PROVINCE’S PATH OF DEVELOPMENT KIELCE RZESZÓW - FOCUS ON SUCCESS THE RZESZÓW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION ON HIGH LEVEL Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of Pomorskie: SMART SPECIALIZATION - AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE POMORSKIE’S INNOVATION PERFORMANCE GDYNIA IS 90 YEARS OLD GROWING GRAIN AND FEED POTENTIAL AT GDYNIA PORT EXPO MAZURY BENEFIA UBEZPIECZENIA CREATES NEW HORIZONS IN THE MOTOR INSURANCE MARKET Łukasz Kolano, Deputy Director UN Secretary General Initiative Global Compact Poland: UN PROCUREMENTS ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE EXPANSION OF POLISH BUSINESS

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Angelika Jarosławska, Project Coordinator, Poland 3.0: POLAND 3.0 MADE IN POLAND

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Leszek Jurasz, President and General Director of Zetkama Group: WE ARE A LEADING COMPANY ON THE EUROPEAN MARKET

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Marcin M. Kruk, PhD, Director of the Building Research Institute (ITB): THE BIGGEST EXPERIENCE, THE BEST PROFESSIONALS THE BUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE

CONSTRUCTION SECTOR GETS A SECOND BREATH AWAITING EU FUNDS Krzysztof Andrulewicz, CEO of Skanska SA: HUMAN HEALTH AND LIFE ARE OUR MOST IMPORTANT VALUES

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Maciej Proliński: POLISH FURNITURE TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM! INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR WARSAW 2016 - FIRST INTERNATIONAL FAIR FOR 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY ART IN POLAND Cultural Monitor Maciej Proliński: EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE LET’S GO!

CONTENTS

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Alicja Adamczak, PhD, President of the Polish Patent Office: WOMEN IN AN INNOVATIVE ECONOMY

Food Industry

Powerful Businesswoman Design

Culture

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Monika Jabłońska, the President of Nurture the World: NURTURE IS NOT A FOUNDATION, BUT A “SOCIAL BUSINESS”

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Mieczysław Twaróg, President of the Board of the Association of Polish Exporters: STRATEGY OF PRO-EXPORT DEVELOPMENT OF THE AGRIFOOD INDUSTRY

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FROM A HUT TO SUCCESS. DAIRY PRODUCTS FROM HAPPY GOATS

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Bożena Skarżyńska: EASTER COMPETITIONS OF PROCESSED MEAT UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE ASSOCIATION OF BUTCHERS AND PRODUCERS OF PROCESSED MEAT OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND

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THE FOOD INDUSTRY IS MEETING IN WARSAW AGAIN! Economic Monitor

Maciej Proliński: INTERACTIVE CASTLE Maciej Proliński: BEETHOVEN AND OTHER MASTERS Maciej Proliński: VERITABLE, COLOURFUL MUSICAL FEAST! Maciej Proliński: HE WHO IS MUSIC! MEDALS OF THE ACADEMY OF POLISH SUCCESS

Cover: Rafał Sonik Photos on issue: www.shutterstock.com

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Publisher: Oficyna Wydawnicza RYNEK POLSKI Sp. z o.o.

(RYNEK POLSKI Publishers Co. Ltd.) President: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek Vice - Presidents: Błażej Grabowski, Grażyna Jaskuła Address: ul. Elektoralna 13, 00-137 Warszawa, Poland Phone (+48 22) 620 31 42, 652 95 77 Fax (+48 22) 620 31 37 E-mail: info@polishmarket.com.pl Editor-in-Chief: Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek Deputy Editor-in-Chief: Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś redakcja@polishmarket.com.pl Marcin Haber m.haber@polishmarket.com.pl

Writers/Editors: Maciej Proliński, Jan Sosna, Sylwia Wesołowska-Betkier, Grażyna Śleszyńska, Janusz Korzeń, Jerzy Bojanowicz, Janusz Turakiewicz,

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Editorial

Krystyna Woźniak-Trzosek Editor-in-Chief President of Rynek Polski Publishers Co. Ltd.

POLAND - ASTONISHING COUNTRY FULL OF SURPRISES ON THE ONE HAND, THE PUBLIC OPINION IS ABSORBED BY STORMY POLITICAL DEBATES AND ALARMING REPORTS OF ECONOMIC ANALYSTS. ON THE OTHER HAND, GOOD NEWS KEEPS COMING FROM THE ECONOMY. THE SITUATION HAS NOT BEEN SO GOOD IN A LONG TIME. Publishing its verified data for 2015, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) confirmed a 3.6% growth of the GDP and stressed its acceleration in the last quarter to 3.9%. It bodes well for achieving a 3.8% growth rate assumed in the 2016 national budget plan. Moreover, last year, for the first time since times immemorial, we managed to achieve a surplus in foreign trade: exports exceeded imports by EUR 3.68 billion, and in the trade with the European Union EUR 37 billion. Visible tendencies in this growing exports include exceeding a 40% share by companies with a majority of Polish capital, 25% by small- and mediumsized enterprises, 14% by small- and micro-enterprises, and established more often with an export business plan. These are good changes.

Others see them, too. Poland’s gross domestic product will increase this year by 3.5% and will continue to increase at this rate in 2017 and 2018 – the European Commission predicts in its latest economic forecasts. This stable and solid economic growth in Poland is to be powered by domestic demand. Private consumption stands to benefit from a strong labour market and fiscal stimuli, and the price pressure will remain low. This year, the budget deficit will be below 3% of the GDP, but may exceed this figure in 2017, unless additional steps are taken. Next year, the rate of unemployment is bound to drop below the historic minimum recorded in 2008. Forecasts are for a decrease to 6.5% (according to Eurostat’s methodology). The expected pay rises of approximately 4% will not be dented by inflation. The forecasts regarding our immediate economic environment are also rather good. According to the European Commission, the EU economy will grow in 2016 at a rate of 1.9%, and in 2017 at a rate of 2%. “The European economy is entering its fourth year of recovery, and economic growth remains at a moderate level, driven mostly by consumption,” states the EC. To the economists this may look like a gateway to heaven, but we should not be naive. Even if we refuse to give credence to warnings regarding the global effects of the Chinese economy’s slowdown, the recession affecting the BRIC countries and a third wave of the crisis, we must at least be aware that optimistic forecasts only indicate chances and opportunities, but without an effective policy they are unlikely to be fulfilled. Which advantages should we use?

I have already mentioned entering the global markets with increased effectiveness and a reform of the labour market, which is increasingly possible. Other tools may include improving the process of modernisation of the national transport infrastructure, while we still can take advantage of the support offered by the EU funds. One of the most pronounced tendencies in recent years has been the relation between the economic, and in particular, investment attractiveness of regions and their transport accessibility. “Gaps” in this infrastructure exclude valuable potential of many regions, with their traditions, knowledge and skills, from participation in economic activity. It is also difficult to achieve logistics optimisation, or even to pursue a rational cluster policy.

However, this infrastructure should be understood extensively, together with the transmission and ICT networks of the new generation. Of particular importance here is concluding the “Digital Poland” programme providing access to broadband Internet and e-State services, i.e. allowing citizens to attend to all matters requiring contact with the public administration, health service, business, etc. on-line. “Digital Poland” also means opening public access to digitised resources not just of administration institutions, but also of cultural institutions and the education system.

Digitisation is also a key condition of development of innovative branches of the economy. The IT/ICT sector alone, employing some 400,000 workers in companies providing IT services and nearly 220,000 in companies manufacturing ICT products, is among the most important segments of the Polish economy. This sector has been growing at a double-digit rate.

It is impossible to underestimate its importance for the future of other sectors. It only suffices to mention that the Polish space technology sector, launched recently and very dynamically, has already received a contract from the European Space Agency for conducting the “EO Innovation Platform Testbed Poland” project, which is a platform for gathering and providing access to data regarding fire and flooding risks, river levels, state of crops, the reach and density of smog over cities and climate change.

This is an example of the correct path which increasing numbers of Polish firms are beginning to follow.

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President

POLISH PRESIDENT AND THE GERMAN BUNDESRAT HEAD MEET IN WARSAW

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olish President Andrzej Duda received on February 17 President of the German Bundesrat Stanislaw Tillich at the Presidential Palace.

The talks centred on Polish-German bilateral relations, the situation in Ukraine as well as security in the region in the context of the Ukrainian conflict and the approaching NATO summit in Warsaw.

The head of the Bundesrat arrived in Warsaw with a delegation for a 2-day visit at the invitation of the Speaker of the Polish Senate.

POLISH PRESIDENT HOLDS A MEETING WITH THE HEAD OF THE VENICE COMMISSION

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meeting was held on February 8 at the Presidential Palace between President Andrzej Duda and Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission. The Commission’s delegation is to draw up an opinion regarding the amendments to the Constitutional Court Act. The European Commission for Democracy through Law, also known as the Venice Commission, is a consultative body of the Council of Europe. Its opinion regarding the amendments to the Constitutional Court Act adopted by the Parliament on December 22 has been requested by, among others, Witold Waszczykowski, head of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“RELATIONS WITH OUR NEIGHBOURS MUST BE BASED ON PARTNERSHIP”

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resident Andrzej Duda took part in the 52nd Munich Security Conference on February 13. The President told reporters that during the Munich Conference he had held two bilateral meetings – with Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine, about the situation in that country, and with French Prime Minister Manuel Valls. With the latter he discussed the war in Syria, purchases of armaments, as well as the implementation of advantanced economic projects.

The reporters asked the President about the remark made by Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev who said that the West was responsible for the new cold war between his country and the West. The Polish President is of the opinion that, taking into account Russia’s latest offensive military actions, which could undoubtedly be construed as empire-building, when speaking about the return of the cold war, Russia refers to its own actions.

Asked about Poland’s possible involvement in military operations in the south of Europe in connection with the threat of terrorism, he replied: “I am very far indeed from any decision to send Polish soldiers anywhere. However, we should remember that we are a member of the North Atlantic Alliance. If we want to be treated seriously in NATO, if we want our expectations towards the Alliance to be respected, we must understand that other NATO members also have their concerns and interests in other parts of Europe or the world.”

“AUSCHWITZ IS A WARNING OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN LIFE BECOMES DOMINATED BY HATRED”

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Thank you for being here as eye-witnesses to the history which took place back then,” said President Andrzej Duda during the ceremony held on January 27 to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, speaking to former inmates. He added that the losses suffered by the peoples, including Poles and Jews, were incalculable.

The President welcomed with utmost respect and profound gratitude the former prisoners of concentration camps, above all Auschwitz-Birkenau, who attended the ceremony. “ I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to come here, and this in spite of the time flow, of the 71 years that have lapsed. Not only because of your age but also because of the meaning that this place has for you and the images which must revive before your eyes whenever you step onto this soil. The soil which will always hold ashes of almost 1.5 million victims,” said President Duda.

Undoubtedly, these were unfathomable losses that the peoples have suffered, the Jewish People in particular, but also the Polish, Roma and Russian peoples,” added Andrzej Duda.

The President stressed that Auschwitz is more than merely a museum, more than a vast grave. It is a memorial and a warning of “what could

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happen if international law is broken and the international community fails to react in time. What may happen if states pursue an aggressive conduct towards others, if they seize the others’ territories, if they spread warfare and hatred. Therefore, Auschwitz is and will always be a great warning,” said President Andrzej Duda.

He thanked the former inmates for their presence – as witnesses to this horrible truth about Auschwitz, about the German Nazi concentration camp built on the land which had belonged to the Polish state but which was treacherously seized by Hitler’s Germany in 1939.

The Germans established the camp at Auschwitz in 1940 with the intention to imprison Poles there. Auschwitz II-Birkenau was created two years later, becoming a place of the Jewish Holocaust. The camp complex also included a network of sub-camps. In Auschwitz the Germans murdered at least 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, but also Poles, Roma, Soviet prisoners and people of other nationalities. The camp was liberated on 27 January 1945 by the Red Army.

27 January is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Prime Minister

PREMIER BEATA SZYDŁO IN BRUSSELS

MEETING BETWEEN PREMIER BEATA SZYDŁO AND PREMIER VIKTOR ORBÁN

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n agreement on the conditions of further membership of Great Britain in the EU has been reached at a European Council summit. It takes into account Poland’s negotiation objectives regarding defending the rights of Poles working in the UK. “We have succeeded in achieving all our objectives in the negotiations with Great Britain,” said Prime Minister Beata Szydło at a press conference held after the end of the summit. “We have an agreement, but not at any price,” she added.

The Polish Prime Minister stressed that the government had gone to the summit in order to achieve three objectives, i.e. to defend the rights of Polish workers and citizens who live in Great Britain, to defend their rights in the event of London leaving the EU and to protect the European Union against Brexit.

“I can say with satisfaction that after difficult negotiations requiring compromises and searching for various areas of agreement, we have succeeded in achieving these objectives,” said Beata Szydło.

The Premier said that in the negotiations Poland had been supported by the Visegrad Group.” We made up a group speaking with one voice,” stressed Beata Szydło. She added that the Visegrad Group is a stable block whose voice is increasingly heard in the European Union. The Premier thanked the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Bohuslav Sobotka – head of the V4 presidency – for conducting the negotiations, and the premiers of Slovakia and Hungary for their good co-operation.

PREMIER BEATA SZYDŁO IN BERLIN: WE WANT TO MAINTAIN AND DEVELOP OUR CO-OPERATION AND GOOD RELATIONS WITH GERMANY

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The most important thing is for us to work on strengthening the EU,” Premier Beata Szydło emphasised in Berlin after a meeting with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Polish premier stressed that Germany was a very important partner for Poland, not only in terms of economic cooperation, but also in political matters. “The 25th anniversary of signing an agreement on good neighbourly relations demonstrates that the path taken by us is good for the Polish and the German nation,” said Beata Szydło. “We want to maintain, develop and expand this co-operation and our good relations,” she declared.

Poland’s premier said she had offered Angela Merkel a joint Polish-German humanitarian project. I am very glad that Madam Chancellor has agreed to this. I think that this will be evidence of our good co-operation, but also a symbol we want to show in the EU, confirming that this is the path other EU Member States should take to resolve this difficult problem,” said Beata Szydło.

Beata Szydło stressed that she was glad that the German Chancellor had agreed to discuss the issue of Poles living in Germany. “This matter is very important for our mutual relations,” she observed. “We are going to analyse ways of improving the situation when it comes to the possibilities of learning Polish in Germany,” declared Angela Merkel. The head of the Polish government invited the German Chancellor to visit Warsaw.

remier Beata Szydło met with premier Viktor Orban in Budapest. The topics discussed included the demands of Great Britain regarding reforms in the EU, the migration crisis and PolishHungarian economic co-operation.

“This is a very important visit,” stressed Premier Beata Szydło at a press conference held after her meeting with Prime Minister Orban. She explained that her government hoped to see a development of the political and economic co-operation between Poland and Hungary. “It is important to us to ensure that our region develops and is an important player in the international arena, also in the European Union,” she added.

VISIT IN PRAGUE

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remier Beata Szydło met with the leaders of the Visegrad Group countries. The Prime Ministers of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary adopted a common position regarding the migration crisis. Leaders of Bulgaria and Macedonia also participated in the talks in Prague.

The extraordinary summit of the heads of government of the Visegrad Group was devoted to the preparations for a meeting of the European Council in Brussels on 18-19 February. The leaders of the Visegrad Group States adopted a common declaration in Prague.

“I am glad of the conclusions adopted today. Europe is facing very important challenges which require reasonable solutions based on common sense,” said Premier Beata Szydło.

In the opinion of the Prime Minister, by adopting a single common position regarding migration, the Visegrad Group shows that such solutions are possible. The position of the Visegrad Group is a proposal of a common solution which should be developed by the European Union. The Polish premier pointed out that the migration crisis may be resolved through more effective measures directed against the real causes of migration, i.e. by ending the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, stabilising the situation in Libya, among others.

She pointed out that the key to stopping the migration pressure is co-operation with third countries, including Turkey. “We need an immediate implementation of the EU-Turkey plan,” pleaded Premier Beata Szydło.

The topics discussed between Premier Beata Szydło and the prime ministers of the Visegrad Group also included deepening the co-operation between the Group‘s States with countries along the Balkan migration route. For this reason the prime minister of Bulgaria and the president of Macedonia were invited to the meeting in Prague.

On 15 February, the Visegrad Group celebrated its 25th anniversary. It was established on February 15, 1991 in the Hungarian town of Visegrad. On 1 July, Poland’s fifth presidency of the Visegrad Group begins.

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President

POLISH-HUNGARIAN ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION

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We have agreed to pursue important economic projects. We want to implement infrastructural, transport projects. We spoke of energy security,” enumerated Beata Szydło. She added that these are priority issues both for Poland and Hungary. “We want direct transport connections to further strengthen regional and bilateral co-operation,” said premier Szydło. “Poles greatly value the friendship and co-operation with Hungary,” the Premier summed up her statement. Apart from talks with Viktor Orban, the visit of premier Szydło in Budapest also provided an opportunity for a meeting with Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament László Kövér.

WE ARE OPEN TO CO-OPERATION WITH FRANCE

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olish-French economic relations, defence matters, immigration in the European Union and British demands regarding reforms in the EU were the main topics discussed during a meeting between Premier Beata Szydło and French President François Hollande. “Poland wants France, which is one of our strategic economic partners, to develop contacts with Poland even further,” said Beata Szydło. “We want Polish businesses to be able to pursue their projects in France and French investors in Poland. We are open to this co-operation,” she added. The premier stressed the importance of the co-operation between the defence industries of Poland and France. “We are doing business together in this field, which is very good for the Polish economy and the French economy. We want this co-operation to develop,” said Beata Szydło. The President of France stressed after the meeting that the Polish-French relations were “strong and valuable”, also in the area of economic and cultural co-operation. “We want to strengthen our economic co-operation. Our companies are ready to invest in Poland,” said François Hollande.

“I would like to thank Poland for the role played in working out the climate compromise. Poland’s voice was very bold and thanks to this it was possible to reach a global agreement on reducing CO2 emissions,” said the French president.

MEETING BETWEEN PREMIER BEATA SZYDŁO AND THE PRESIDENT OF CROATIA

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remier Beata Szydło met in Warsaw with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. The talks included bilateral relations, with particular emphasis put on economic matters and current problems facing Europe, including the migration crisis and energy security.

The Polish prime minister and Croat president also discussed co-operation in Central Europe, the forthcoming NATO summit in Warsaw and other security-related issues. The meeting also provided an opportunity for exchanging views on the situation in the Middle East and the relations with Russia and Ukraine.

VISIT OF PREMIER BEATA SZYDŁO IN OSLO

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he migration crisis in Europe, energy security and the situation of Poles living in Norway – these were the main topics discussed by Poland’s premier in Oslo. “I believe that there will be good co-operation between us,” stressed Beata Szydło after her meeting with Norwegian premier Erna Solberg. “We treat very seriously the challenge facing Poland,that is the diversification of the sources of energy,” said Premier Beata Szydło. She added that Poland was a country whose economy was going to be based on coal for many years to come. At the same time, other ways of generating energy are being sought and, according to the premier, the investment in the Norwegian Shelf is the right path to take.

“Nearly 100,000 Poles have made Norway their home,” said premier Szydło. “We shall do everything to ensure that they feel safe wherever they want to live, where they find their home and appealed to the Norwegian authorities to offer them support.”

Premier Beata Szydło visited Oslo at the invitation of the Norwegian government.

MEETING BETWEEN PREMIER BEATA SZYDŁO AND PREMIER DAVID CAMERON

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Great Britain is a strategic partner for Poland,” Premier Beata Szydło said before her meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, David Cameron. The topics of the talks at the Prime Minister’s Office included British demands regarding reforms of the EU, the issue of the Polish Diaspora in Great Britain and preparations for the NATO summit in Warsaw.

Premier Beata Szydło also said that the discussions touched upon the challenges facing Europe, including the situation in Syria, and the migration crisis.

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Prime Minister

GOVERNMENT ADOPTS THE RESPONSIBLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN

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he Ministry of Economic Development has put forward the Responsible Development Plan.

The Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Beata Szydło, has adopted the Plan. The Plan is a set of tools designed to stimulate the development of Poland. It contains a diagnosis of the current situation and sets out directions of the actions to be taken by the government.

According to the situation diagnosis, the Polish economy faces a spectre of five traps: the middle income trap, the lack of balance between foreign and domestic capital deployed in the economy, the average product trap, the demographic trap and the institutional weakness trap.

A balanced action plan is needed to avoid them. The Responsible Development Plan provides for supporting the development of firms, their productivity and foreign expansion and an even development of the whole country, felt by all Poles. Moreover, the Ministry wants to see more investments in Poland and will also increase expenditures on innovation. The co-operation between science and business is also to improve. High quality GDP growth. Facilities for businesses and promotion of savings. These are the main assumptions of the plan adopted by the government. The Polish Development Fund is to be created out of several institutions whose tasks overlap to a certain extent.

The government is to base Poland’s development on five pillars: • reindustrialisation (supporting existing and developing new competitive advantages and areas of specialisation of the Polish economy), • d e ve lopm e nt of i n novat ive companies (building a businessfriendly environment and a system of innovation support),

• capital for development (more investments and building savings of Poles), • foreign expansion (support for exports and foreign investments of Polish companies, reform of economic diplomacy, promotion of Polish brands), • social and regional development (among others, reform of vocational schools, inclusion of rural areas and small towns in the development processes).

Exports are the most visible proof of the competitiveness of the Polish economy.

The Ministry plans to set up the Polish Development Fund (PDF) as a key tool in the implementation of its strategy. The Fund will be based on the existing development institutions (by taking over some of the functions of today’s BGK, PARP, PIR, PAIiIZ, ARP and KUKE). It will integrate and systematise the tools offered by these institutions and propose new ones. As a result, their effectiveness will increase (until now, the offers of these institutions overlapped and the scale of their activity was rather small). The support under the Plan is to extend to many areas – small- and medium-sized companies, investment, infrastructure, exports, promotion, innovation. The Fund will acquire capital for investments offered on preferential conditions by international financial institutions.

The importance of modern technologies to the government is attested by the appointment of the Innovation Council. The Ministry of Economic Development proposes a package for entrepreneurs and innovations.

New solutions will be prepared in areas which are of particular importance to small- and medium-sized enterprises. One of them is

the new Business Constitution, i.e. a statute regulating the rules of doing business in Poland (replacing the Economic Activity Freedom Act). The new law will reduce legal barriers facing entrepreneurs and facilitate co-operation on innovative projects. The rules of succession for sole trader firms are to be created. A new Innovation Act will also be drafted (first, an amendment to the current Act in June 2016, followed by a new Act in mid-2017), the StartInPoland Programme will be launched and research institutions reformed.

Polish undertakings should be strong in all sectors, but we must have our areas of specialisation, particularly those based on modern technologies. Their development will be supported by the utilisation of National Smart Specialisation and special development programmes implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development and the Polish Development Fund in various sectors, such as aviation, armaments, ship-building, chemical, food, transport and IT. The targets set by the government for 2020 are very ambitious. They include: • increase in investment to above 25% of the GDP, • R&D outlays increased to 2% of the GDP, • increase of the number of small and medium-sized enterprises to more than 22,000, • increase of Polish direct investments abroad (by 70%), • industrial production growing faster than the GDP, • Poland’s per-capita GDP reaching 79% of the EU average.

As the result of the implementation of the plan Poland is to avoid the five development traps.

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Our Guest

Stanisław Karczewski, the Speaker of the Senate, talks to Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś about the “Morawiecki Plan” and the necessity to cooperate with the Polish organisations abroad.

HUMAN CAPITAL OUR STRONGEST ASSET According to the Central Statistical Office, Poland had a positive balance of trade in 2015. The surplus of exports over imports was EUR 3,678.6 million. Will this trend continue in 2016?

Let’s hope it will. The opposition may have criticised Morawiecki’s ambitious plan, but I hope that it will be the driving force behind keeping up this good trend. It is aimed at continuing our economic growth. Let’s be honest, our development is average. During her introduction speech as prime minister Beata Szydło said that it was good we are moving forward, but we can move forward at a faster pace.

Polish companies can help our growth. We have to think about our biggest asset, which is our people. They will help us the most. Our plan is to use experiences of Poles living abroad. We want to encourage them to take an interest in our country, and start co-operating with us.

PM

PM

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Do you believe Poles living abroad will help build a positive image of the Polish economy and take part in developing it?

Those who have left the country and are successful abroad build a positive image of our country. They are our best spokespeople. We need to reach out to them. They can really help us with business contacts. Without this kind of international co-operation there will be no success. Every government office and institution has to join in the effort.

We need to work hard and use the positive image that Poles abroad have. I know President Duda is involved in building bridges with them. Hopefully, we shall benefit from his actions in the near future. The President has declared that on his every trip abroad he will make the effort to meet with local Polish communities. We do not want this to be a formality. It is a great way of building a working relationship with them. These meeting serve to exchange views and opinions, and see what Poland has to offer them. This will create an atmosphere that encourages these people and their businesses to co-operate with us. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also going to make a few changes to our embassies. In the past it was the ambassador and embassy workers who were responsible for building relations with Poles

Our Guest

living abroad. Now there is a plan to create in these embassies a special unit that will only focus on the business side of relations with the Polish diaspora. We hope this will help our industries abroad. There is a third axis of co-operation with Poles living abroad. Enter the Senate. We are responsible for looking after Poles living abroad, known as the Polonia. Our Emigration Affairs and Contact with Poles Abroad Committee is very active. Together with my deputy speakers we have plans to be active in supporting the Polonia. We want to make sure that they keep their bond with our country, the language and culture. This will help with business relations that we want to build. Personally I have held many meetings with representatives of Polish organisations abroad. I know many of them are interested in what the Polish economy has to offer. They want to trade with our goods, and help young Poles who want to study at foreign universities.

Is it really worth engaging Poles around the world to help with businesses?

This has huge potential, so yes. We know this is a massive task ahead of us. We need to properly plan and carry out our partnership.

We have already made our first steps. Since I am a doctor, I will give you an example from my own backyard. From what I know, many doctors who studied here moved abroad and work in foreign centres. They co-operate with Polish institutes and universities. Many professors who work on introducing innovative technologies benefit from Polish doctors abroad. So we have to build on this. And this is why we are planning a congress for Polish doctors living abroad.

PM

Prime minister Szydło has guaranteed that the Senate will return to looking after Poles abroad. Why is it important that the Senate takes care of the Polonia?

There are many reasons for this. First of all it was a kind of tradition. The senate built a good model of co-operation. Unfortunately, things changed a few years ago. The funds for the relations with the Polonia were reallocated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At first it seemed like a good solution and did make sense. Unfortunately, it turned out to be an unpopular move with the Polonia. Probably because the Senate had already some experience in relations with them. It’s probably due to our approach towards them. Our role is to unite these mixed environments. You have to acknowledgethe fact that Poles abroad may be very divided. They have different political opinions, and you have to respect that.

PM

Does the Senate want to unite different groups, no matter what political option they represent? Have you managed to work something out?

We have good will. Janina Sagadowska, the chair of the Emigration Affairs and Contact with Poles Abroad Committee is experienced in this matter. This guarantees that our partnership will go in the right direction.

PM

What are your first plans concerning Polish communities abroad?

We have only just started. Our first official trip will be to Kazakhstan in May. It is a symbolic place for us, due to the history of Poles being deported there by Stalin in the 1940s.

I want the Kazakh Poles to feel that they are important to us. We also intend to keep up good relations with Poles in our neighbouring countries.

PM

The Polonia has a huge influence on how Poland as a brand is perceived. Just look at the statistics I mentioned earlier on. We had a positive balance of trade in 2015. This was mainly through our contacts with the EU countries. I know that the situation with Asian markets is slightly different.

Asian markets want to co-operate with Poland. They highly regard us. I see ambassadors on a regular basis. We usually talk about Poles living abroad, but also about how to improve trade and promoting Poland in their countries. From what I have noticed during our meetings with ambassadors from Asia they are keen to trade with Poland. They see Poland as a serious partner and foothold into trading with Europe. We are talking about a huge market. Poland is a brand yet to be fully recognised in Asia. There is a lot of work ahead of us. This is why we have started creating interparliamentary co-operation groups.

We hope they will help support our foreign policies. Besides Asia, we have to be present in Africa. This is an unidentified market with a huge potential, so we have planned a few trips out there.

PM

WE KNOW THIS IS A MASSIVE TASK AHEAD OF US. WE NEED TO PROPERLY PLAN AND CARRY OUT OUR PARTNERSHIP. WE HAVE ALREADY MADE OUR FIRST STEPS.

I understand all the important offices cooperate with one another. I mean both the ones concerning domestic and international issues?

We have to balance things out. We need to find new markets for our products, but also build on our existing contacts. The President’s New Year’s meeting with the diplomatic corps at the Senate was well attended. We take this as a sign that people want to co-operate with us. Possibly this will guarantee us some business.

• PM

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Our Guest

SUPPORTING EXPORTS

ONE OF THE FIVE PILLARS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Radosław Domagalski-Łabędzki, deputy Minister of Economic Development, sums up the trade mission to India and presents the Ministry’s ideas for exports development in a conversation with Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś.

The latest figures released by the Central Statistical Office (GUS) show that Poland ended 2015 with a surplus of exports over imports. This was the first such result since the change of the political and economic system in Poland. How can the Government support exporters in order to maintain this positive trend?

In mid-February, Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki presented a plan of Poland’s new model of economic development. One of its pillars will be supporting and promoting Polish exports and foreign investments. This is important for at least a number of reasons.

Exports create value added in the chain of goods and offer an opportunity for raising the level of innovation of enterprises and products, for example in view of the need to compete against other international businesses. They also force individual solutions because the product must be profiled in accordance with the requirements of the end user. At the same time, they create new jobs in many sectors, including logistics and marketing. And most importantly, they simply allow our entrepreneurs to earn money because PM

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profitability in foreign markets is usually higher than in the local market.

Support of the State is of key importance to exporters.

The role of the State should be, above all, to eliminate various barriers – from regulatory to customs. The Ministry of Economic Development is working on changes to the law in this area. I would like the Export Support and Promotion Bill to be sent to the Parliament before the summer. The legislative work on the Bill should be completed this year.

Our tasks also include providing entrepreneurs with information about pursuing business activity in foreign markets. Poland has its economic missions in 45 countries.

Each of those countries has its local specificity and business culture. Our resources contain considerable knowledge about these local procedures, for example regulations applying to the formation of companies. And we make use of this knowledge. Our commercial counsellors remain in touch with potential business partners, organise various seminars. From the point of view of companies the cost of obtaining information regarding market entry, in China or

Our Guest

India, for for instance, is rather high. It requires frequent trips, hiring advisers, consulting firms, lawyers. We are able to supply Polish entrepreneurs with this knowledge free of charge, thus facilitating their decision on entering a given market.

For example, during our recent visit in India we talked with the Indian Government officials. We know that they are enacting regulations applying to the functioning of special economic zones where food processing is promoted among other sectors. Polish companies have a lot to offer in this segment. The aforesaid regulations provide for a simplification of the process of establishing a business and offer some tax breaks. Thanks to such initiatives the level of commercial risk diminishes significantly.

THE ATMOSPHERE OF OUR POLITICAL TALKS IS BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE. THIS OFFERS ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR BUSINESS PEOPLE.

Do those special economic zones resemble those we have in Poland?

The basic concept is similar, but the details are bound to be slightly different. As I have already said, every country has its own specificity. Nonetheless, this is a very significant benefit and a change for the better.

PM

You mentioned the recent trade mission to India. Can you summarise it for us?

During the first mission, in mid-February, we held a number of meetings at political and economic level. The meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Gliński and Premier Modi was very well received by our Indian partners who in subsequent contacts made frequent references to the conversation between the two Premiers. They stressed that they appreciated the fact that we had come to their flagship Make In India programme with such a strong delegation containing a deputy premier and two deputy ministers.

Towards the end of February we made a second trip to India and Bangladesh, also accompanied by Polish entrepreneurs.

The atmosphere of our political talks is better than ever before. This offers additional opportunities for our business people. We must find a co-operation formula which will help us turn these good political relations into economic results.

PM

However, there is a huge difference between our trade with other European Union States and the Asian markets. We still mostly import goods from Asia.

It is natural in the global chain of supply that countries in Asia show a surplus. Poland is not the only country with a negative balance of trade with these markets. Of course, there are exceptions,like for example Germany, but this is a completely different scale and profile of the economy.

However, we should strive to achieve a situation where these proportions are in our favour. In order to achieve this we must increase the competitiveness of our industry so that it is able to compete on technology, design, concept and know-how. By competing on price, as is the case now, we position ourselves in the global chain of supply in a region which allows us to make relatively smaller profits. This is exactly the issue stressed by Deputy Premier Morawiecki – the economic growth model based on low labour costs must end, as otherwise we are bound to fall into the middle income trap. We all want to see wages going up, but this PM

cannot be done by administrative methods. Companies must be allowed to earn more money.

Speaking of higher wages, it has been calculated that in order to attain the goals of the Morawiecki Plan, by 2030 we should reduce the 60% plus difference between the earnings of Poles and those who live in Western EU countries.

It is no secret that we are chasing the West. The reasons are obvious. Unlike countries in Western Europe, for many years we could not develop freely under conditions of a market economy. Owing to a relatively high rate of economic growth we continue to reduce this distance.

But there is also another important aspect – the quality of that growth. Until now, wages have been growing at a much slower rate than the economy. We want to improve the productivity of the economy and the efficiency of enterprises and increase wages proportionately. But there must be pressure, and it will appear as soon as we begin to compete in the global market. This is nothing new. Western countries followed that path and we must now follow suit.

PM

Please explain the relation between the Polish Development Fund, referred to in the Morawiecki Plan, and the earlier announcements regarding the establishment of the Export Support Agency?

Both are parts of the same plan. We are seeking means allowing us to generate development and investments. Thus, we are searching for the best technical solution. Premier Morawiecki mentioned of the intention to consolidate the existing institutions and agencies - PARP, PAIiIZ, KUKE, PIR. They should be able to co-operate with each other and implement a single economic programme. Today, for various reasons, these institutions do not collaborate with each other. They have different priorities and their activities often overlap. We want to systematise this and propose new, better solutions.

• PM

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Business&Sports

RATIONAL ROMANTIC The year 2015 was one of the best years in the life of Rafał Sonik. It brought him the first win for a Polish driver in the Dakar Rally, the most difficult rally in the world, his fourth victory in the World Cup, a visit of the Polish President at a Holy Mass organised by Sonik every year on Kasprowy Wierch, and a number of prestigious awards in recognition of his charity and business activities, including the Honorary Pearl of “Polish Market” in the Promoting Social Values category.

This honour was the award for his determination to help others.

Marcin Haber

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Business&Sports

O

n November 6, 2015, during the Pearls of the Polish Economy Gala organised by “Polish Market”, the chapter of the tenth jubilee edition of the Pearls of the Polish Economy award honoured Rafał Sonik for his exceptional contribution to promoting social values. The Honorary Pearl is a special laurel. It is presented to outstanding personalities, institutions whose professional achievements, experience, prestige, ethics and personal values and unblemished reputation allow them to be considered ambassadors of the highest Polish values. This distinction is awarded in the following categories: economy, science, culture, promotion of Polish traditions and national heritage and promotion of social values.

The award was collected by his father, Stanisław Sonik, who made a statement perfectly depicting the idea that had driven the chapter to honour Rafał Sonik: “There is nothing more precious to him than the “whitered” (flag, ed.), and there is no value greater than helping people. He is like that – he hugs everybody. I only hope that he can keep up with this.”

BUSINESSMAN

“Some years ago, a seemingly minor incident in my life allowed me to project how it should look like from then on.

I came across a very interesting press article which led me to a book written by a journalist who had worked for many years in a hospice. This person, encountering the dying on a daily basis, decided to ask them about their regrets. There is probably no more merciless, black-and-white, absolutely true examination of conscience than the one we perform before death, when we die still in possession of all our mental faculties. It turned out that people regretted most their unfulfilled dreams. And this thought has remained with me for the rest of my life.”

Each great story begins with one, bold decision. The same holds true for Rafał Sonik. In his case, it was the launch of famous international brands in the Polish market right after the liberalisation of the economy in 1989. It was thanks to Sonik and his associates that McDonald’s appeared in Poland.

“Following in the footsteps of the then president Lech Wałęsa, who had always wooed the “Generals” – General Motors, General Electric – that is large companies, we asked ourselves the question: Do we want the outside world to come to our Free Poland and do we want this to happen now. Today, this sounds rather trivial, but back then it was pioneering work. For the generation growing up behind the Iron Curtain, McDonald’s, whatever we think of it now, was a symbol of the world on the other side, a global brand. When the first restaurant opened its doors in Warsaw and another in Kraków, we felt part of the world taken away from us by the post-war history of Europe. It was a major capital investment at that time. In a way, we risked 10 million of our own and borrowed funds. If I regret anything, it is not taking an even greater risk and opening several times more restaurants.

Soon after McDonald’s arrival, Sonik brought British Petroleum to Poland, setting up a 50/50 business with this global corporation. Both entities achieved success because soon after entering the market they became leaders in their sectors. The investment decision proved correct. Further brands that his Gemini Holding developed its business operations in Poland included Géant, Carrefour, Tesco, Castorama, Bricomarché and Lidl. One could say that it was thanks to the company formed by them that Poles became friends with modern retail trade. Today, the vision of the company is very precise: “Some 400 international brands work with us and for us. We are in a completely different place of the economic reality. We are partners and not clients. We sell services and goods purchased by international brands, instead of “working for the German”, as the colloquial saying went.

The value of my company’s own investments is approaching two billion zlotys”.

Marcin Haber

QUADBIKE – THE HORSE OF TODAY

After business achievements, another idea appeared in the life of Rafał Sonik. An idea, which, in his own words, had occurred naturally as a consequence of his childhood activities and which in time was transformed into a huge success.

“Sport was something natural for me. I began skiing as a child, played table and lawn tennis, wind-surfed and even joined a cycling club. We used to cycle from Kraków to Zakopane and back. Sport gave me thrills radically different from those offered by business. Decisions taken in my professional activity yielded economic consequences after a year, two or sometimes even after five years. They came in the form of good or bad results, that is profits that were greater than expected, in line with expectations, or lower than expected. This is why I wanted to find a hard and merciless sport, demanding, but offering instant effects.”

The choice went to quadbikes, the horses of today. This is how Rafał Sonik defines a quadbike. Why? Because when driving a quadbike one can experience the same feelings as those accompanying horse-riding. On the one hand, there is contact with nature, often in inaccessible areas, but, above all, something that the car does not offer, a sense of freedom and no feeling of being locked in a “cage”. And a quadbike, just like a horse, rests on four legs, instead of two, as is the case with a motorcycle.

“I bought my first quadbike, but did not start racing straight away. At first, I liked the fact that it was possible to drive this “horse” just about anywhere. This was a way of reaching practically every destination. Soon after I wished to take part in a competition, but it turned out that, although rallies were organised in Poland, there were no regulations adjusted to our vehicles, and, above all, there was a shortage of routes. I found myself at a crossroads. On the one hand, there was my desire for sporting challenges and the joy of being able to do this 365 days a year. On the other hand, there was the need to organise the sport. And then, with a group of colleagues, we came up with the idea of forming an association allowing us to establish co-operation with 3/2016 polish market

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Business&Sports

There is nothing more precious to him than the “whitered” (flag, ed.), and there is no value greater than helping people. He is like that – he hugs everybody.

I only hope that he can keep up with this.

the Polish Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. Together with the PZM we drafted the regulations for quadbikes, mapped out the routes and built tracks. I was among the initiators and founders of ATV Polska, where I was president for 10 years.”

However, the idea to get involved in this sport very quickly turned into something more. ATV Polska not only drew attention to the need to enact sport regulations applying to quadbikes, but also aimed at changing the bad image of these vehicles in the eye of the public opinion. To this end, the Association began co-operating with, among others, children’s care homes. It still organises courses for children designed to prepare them for driving mechanical vehicles on public roads once they grow up. Children can develop the correct habits and behaviours. We try to foster safe and responsible driving habits from the youngest age.

“We gave rides on quadbikes to kids from children’s homes and mobilised the local communities to co-operate in these activities. This way we not only gave the first driving lessons in their life, but also sent a strong message that we were responsible quadbike users-users who do not cause road accidents, those who buy children quadbikes not to let them roam unsupervised, but to train them and turn them into future good, safe drivers. Statistics show that most road accidents are caused by drivers who have had their license for less than seven years. Meanwhile, the quadbike drivers taught by us from early age maintain a clean sheet. The most positive result is that we have educated responsible

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road users. Today parents who talked to us and followed in our footsteps hand over the car keys to their cars to 18 and 19 year olds. […] A quadbike is a modern horse, and because man in his entire history has been strongly attached to a camel, donkey or horse carrying or pulling him, quadbikes are the best continuation of this long history going back thousands of years. It is not the car that is the continuation, but the quad. You should try and see for yourselves.”

The sports career of Rafał Sonik has one common denominator with his business – he succeeds in both. Four World Cups, four podium finishes in the Dakar Rally, and finally, the biggest triumph – his win in the 2015 Dakar Rally.

Rafał Sonik is the only Polish driver who has managed to achieve the top spot in this event. He won at his seventh attempt. However, he always stresses that finishing the Dakar Rally is a huge success in itself and everybody who reaches the finishing line is a winner.

I INVEST IN DREAMS

Thanks to his professional activity, Rafał Sonik was able to fulfil his dreams. Very early on, he concluded that since he had been given such a great privilege, he should share it with others. Philanthropy, a permanent branch of his activity, began in a natural way. Rafał Sonik focuses here mostly on the Siemacha Association – a Kraków-based welfare organisation which has been helping children

Business&Sports and youths since 1993. The idea of Siemacha is expressed in the sentence: “You are worth as much as you give onto others.” Those others are peers, because the gist of the organisation’s activity is education through integration and group co-operation. The Association operates in 30 locations across Poland and every day offers free help to over 2,000 young people. The aim is to equalise social opportunities and create responsible citizens who every day are given a chance to become leaders.

“I have been with Siemacha since 1992”, says Rafał Sonik.

This was a happy coincidence. We had just opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in Kraków at 55 Floriańska Street.

We were told that after one hundred years missionaries were reactivating Father Siemaszko’s centre in the neighbourhood. He was the author of the peer education concept. They needed financial support, so together with Jerzy Starak we decided to get involved. As a result Siemacha was reactivated and today I can say that we have invested in society. I considered the idea brilliant from the word go.

Peer education developed by Father Siemaszko was a concept born out of necessity. In the late 19th century Kraków’s streets were filled with children, often orphans, looked after by Father Siemaszko. He wanted them to return to the righteous path and find their way in life. He arrived at the simple conclusion that for these kids peers and not adults were role models. An adult is like a professor speaking excathedra, whose knowledge we absorb because we have to, but are bored by him and oppose this knowledge a bit.

Meanwhile, if our mate can do something we can’t, we try to learn this to equal them. We are also more likely to accept our friend’s instructions than those offered by an adult.

Father Siemaszko made use of this observation in his method and hit the bull’s-eye.”

Siemacha very quickly became an important project in the life of Rafał Sonik. The 19th century idea of Father Siemaszko has been very effectively adapted to the needs of contemporary Poland. Thanks to the Association, thousands of children in a difficult life situation managed to enter adulthood as upstanding citizens.

“It turned out that we do not have to act as substitute parents of children who face difficulties early in life. We just had to give them a “backyard” of sorts, heated in the winter, air-conditioned in the summer and safe 365 days of the year. A safe place where interesting things happen and where they can find their peers in a completely natural way. A place where they can entertain their interests and passions together. Siemacha has more than 300 personnel members and a budget that allows it to operate at

a level adequate to its goals. We offer children an opportunity to find their own talents and to focus their energy on those talents. Many of our charges become architects, lawyers. They do things they find fascinating and, above all, inspire others!”

The building of the Association’s own children’s home was a milestone in the activity of Siemacha, offering mostly day-time activities. After opening seven family facilities the time had come for a completely new project. However, this was not an ordinary “orphanage”, but a place where the wards are given a chance to remove the bad start deficit once and for all.

“The deficit of feeling inferior, handicapped, established over a number of years. If we look at the clothes or personal objects of children from broken families, we can see that they are inferior to those owned by their peers. Inferior clothes, inferior shoes, inferior schoolbags, inferior books, inferior pens, everything is inferior. We concluded that it was possible to remove this stigma, or at least try to remove it. We experimented. We designed and built a completely new children’s home. But this is no ordinary children’s home, but a home with a swimming pool, fitness club, sports fields, computer rooms, woodwork workshop, 3D printers, horses, and quadbikes, of course,” Rafał Sonik laughs.

Thus, Siemacha has given the wards of the children’s home not just a better start in their adult life, but also a sense of their own worth. These children no longer feel inferior. Their peers come to the facility which also offers day-time activities and use the entire infrastructure. This way both groups integrate, learn how to co-operate and respect each other.

And what links Rafał Sonik, the Dakar driver and Rafał Sonik from Siemacha? The true Dakar drivers have a deeprooted sense of duty to help others. Despite trying to win, in a crisis situation the health and life of another person comes first. Even if rivals get ahead of us and we are losing precious minutes or even seconds. If there is an accident you just cannot drive on, leaving your rival without assistance. Looking from this point of view one could say that the idea of the rally is the vision of Rafał Sonik’s life transferred to sport. Fight for the highest goals, but remember that a human being is the most important thing.

“Because the mirror is our only companion throughout our entire life. If you live your life a good way, then the mirror is your friend – you can calmly look at your reflection.

If you live a bad life, it becomes an enemy and you cannot • stand your own reflection”.

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Business&Sports

“STADIUM”BUSINESS

Jakub Opara, President of PL.2012 Sp. z o.o., talks to “Polish Market”.

What is the current situation of the PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw four years after it was put into use?

Above all, I would like to stress that managing this national arena is a great challenge and responsibility. I am fully aware of this. I would like to reassure those who are concerned about the fate of PGE Narodowy. The goals set by the Minister of Sport will be achieved.

PM

Is the stadium earning its keep?

Let’s put it bluntly – there are few stadia in the world which are able to turn a profit, particularly just after several years of operation. We should remember that the “stadium” business still remains a novelty in Poland. This does not alter the fact that the prospects are bright for the Warsaw arena. Of course, events that use the entire stadium, including matches of our national team, for whom PGE Narodowy has become a true home, are of key importance. But when I speak of the prospects for the stadium, I also mean its activity throughout the year. Consider, for instance, the rental of space to start-ups. We are already talking about 5,000 square metres where up to a thousand people can work and create fantastic things. A lot of people and companies are moving their operations to us, because this place offers them completely new opportunities, a new space where they can pursue their activity. PGE Narodowy attracts creative people who feel that here they can spread their wings even better. Having an office at 1 Poniatowskiego Avenue also means considerable prestige. We can only be glad of that.

PM

PM

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What is your vision for the functioning of the stadium operated by the company you manage?

PGE Narodowy should be a universal place where sport, entertainment and cultural events are organised, but also where office space is rented out and conference rooms, business lounges and restaurants are available. It should be an “organism breathing with many lungs” and I am going to repeat this like a mantra. Organising a dozen-or-so events per year using the entire stadium coupled with renting out some 90% of the office space should guarantee us a profit. One should bear in mind that 2016 is the first year of the sponsorship contract with PGE giving our budget an additional, sizeable cash injection. The Stadium still has considerable reserves. I am thinking here, first of all, of large-scale events, as well as of renting out office space. We are going to make every effort to utilise our resources to the fullest possible extent. And the potential is huge.

Is PGE Narodowy a good place for business?

It is most definitely a very good place for doing business.

Due to its prestige, the Stadium is used for business meeting sand various conferences. We have state-of-the-art office spaces, as well as places for organising elegant business dinners.

PM

What should be done for PGE Narodowy to become a recognisable and prestigious brand not only in Poland?

Wembley Stadium in London was built almost one hundred years ago and has had a little bit more time to earn its prestige and reputation. This is not to say that we do not endeavour to turn PGE Narodowy into a global brand. This goal will be served, above all, by the organisation of major events, including the July NATO summit. I would add to this the PM

Business&Sports

PGE Narodowy attracts creative people who feel that here they can spread their wings even better. games played by our national football team and Rihanna’s concert during her grand European tour. This means that a large group of foreign visitors is going to come for the event.

Will the NATO summit make doing business at PGE Narodowy more complicated?

First of all, I would like to stress that hosting a NATO summit is an honour and a great responsibility. Of course, there will be some disruption to everyday business activity. The Stadium will be closed to normal use for a number of weeks.

This entails a huge logistics operation. We are letting 10,000 square metres of office space on a permanent basis, so we will have to move our tenants elsewhere and to pay them compensation. On the other hand, this is a unique opportunity for promotion. There will be over 3,000 accredited journalists from more than 100 countries. Images from PGE Narodowy and its surroundings will appear in all of the main global news services, from CNN, FOX, BBC, Euronews to Al Jazeera or the Chinese CCTV. There are things that initially cannot be evaluated in monetary terms, but which generate money in the end. I see the NATO summit as a huge prestige and an even greater opportunity. I am certain that we will use it well.

PM

What else awaits us at PGE Narodowy this year?

The “Winter Narodowy”,that is ice rinks, an ice hill and a curling rink, as well as an aerial runway, is behind us. Towards the end of February we hosted world-famous figure skaters who danced on ice to Chopin’s music played live by the outstanding musician Włodzimierz Pawlik. A Lego exhibition PM

runs until March 11, offering such attractions as a 1:1 figure of Robert Lewandowski and an 11-metre long Air Force One, or a 3D oceanarium. On April 22, together with Biznes Boxing Polska, we are organising a charity “White Collars” Boxing Gala. The cause of the event is noble, because the profits from ticket sales and auctions will go to the Akogo Fundation and the Budzik Clinic. In addition, the fighters themselves are going to run a collection prior to the gala. Actors Jan Wieczorkowski and Wojciech Zieliński have confirmed their participation. We continue talks with well-known footballers and stars of show business. In May comes the football final of the Polish Cup, a speedway Grand Prix and a speedway match between Poland and the rest of the world, on August 5 the aforementioned concert of Rihanna, and in the autumn two games of Poland’s national football team as part of the World Cup qualifications. We also want to organise a KSW gala (MMA combat sports), a tennis tournament, and ¼ mile drag racing on the common. Our plans are very extensive.

And what about events where PGE Narodowy is a direct partner?

Here the numbers are really quite high and are going to increase even further. We are co-organisers of our own boxing gala. This is going to be quite an event and I already encourage fans to watch it. We are also working on an offer for people who do sports as roller and longboard skaters. Soon an outlet renting out sporting equipment will be open at PGE Narodowy. It will also be possible to practice for free under the eye of professional trainers. However, we do not focus on sport alone. In August we invite graffiti artists. The Green Zone where it will be possible to relax, opens in the spring.

We will be able to be a partner in these events also thanks to the agreement with PGE, our titular sponsor. The rebranding starts in earnest this year, so that everybody will know that our stadium is now PGE Narodowy. We should not forget that PGE Narodowy is the only stadium in the world with its very own theatre. I invite you to visit our XL Theatre and • to attend other events.

PM

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Space Industry

POLAND IN SPACE Poland’s first satellite PW-Sat was sent into space in 2012. It was built by students of the Warsaw University of Technology. In November 2013 the satellite Lem was sent into space, and in August 2014 Heweliusz followed them up into the orbit.

Jerzy Bojanowicz

WILL THE ESTABLISHING OF THE POLISH SPACE AGENCY POLSA MAKE POLAND MORE ACTIVE IN STUDYING SPACE?

Lem and Heweliusz belong to the international constellation of astronomy satellites BRITE (BRIght-star Target Explorer Constellation). They were built as part of a Polish-Canadian-Austrian consortium including the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Centre and the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Centre alongside the Astronomical Institute from Wrocław University (IAUWr).

In 2010 the Ministry of Science and Higher Education designated PLN 14.2 million to this project. This was the biggest ever grant given for space studies.

It is worth mentioning Polish participation in international space missions. As part of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) project the 6-wheel Curiosity Rover was sent to Mars. On 22 September it examined its first rock. The Curiosity Rover was also equipped with instruments used to search signs of life with uncooled infrared detectors. These were provided by VIGO System S.A. from Ożarów Mazowiecki. Polish scientists from the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and a dozen research and development centres took part in the MUPUS experiment. On 12 November the Philae lander, that accompanied the Rosetta spacecraft, became the first spacecraft to make a soft landing on a comet (67P/Churymov-Gerasimenko). Philae was equipped with instruments for driving penetrators into the comets surface, and temperature and depth detectors.

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Space Industry

Rosetta is the key mission of the Horizon 2000 programme for the European Space Agency (ESA). Poland joined ESA in 2012, after the parliamentary act of September 2014, that entered into force on 7 February 2015, enabled establishing the Polish Space Agency POLSA. Its task is to support the Polish space industry by connecting the business and science worlds and support local entrepreneurs in receiving funds from ESA. It is also responsible for the development of satellite technologies that are to be used in our everyday lives in communication, navigation, monitoring the environment and weather forecasting.

The agency is supposed to help enhance innovation and competitiveness of the Polish space industry. It will also encourage companies from high-tech and IT sectors to engage in new areas of business. In other words, the agency is to stimulate research and development of space technology by companies and to help them adapt to the requirements of this specific industry. POLSA is also supposed to coordinate actions of Polish participants in space studies organised by the European Union, ESA, European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the European Defence Agency (EDA) . Nevertheless, POLSA’s priority is to look after the national security, and the people of Poland, and strengthen its defensive potential by using satellite systems. That is why it should start certain programmes that are aimed at finding new solutions for satellites and radars, and satellite telecommunications that are needed for the armed forces.

MORE ACTIVITY

On 10 July, the Polish Space Agency opened its headquarters in the Gdańsk Science and Technology Park. Prof. Marek Banaszkiewicz was hired through competition as its first chairman. In his opinion, Poland, since it participates in most of the European Space Agency’s missions, has a lot to say in the space sector.

Grażyna Henclewska, the Minister of Economy said that Poland can now actively participate in developing space and satellite technology and create its own hightech industry. “The Polish space sector will be one of the driving factors for an innovative economy and help build an advantage for modern industry. This will create new jobs for highly qualified young people,”she said.

Current Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy Prof. Jerzy Buzek believes that Poland by

joining ESA and establishing its own Agency is opening itself to new opportunities.

“There are almost EUR 2 billion to spend on space research through the Horizon 2020 programme. 320,000 people are currently working on space programmes worth EUR 50-60 billion, this means we are becoming part of this great European programme. There are already over 20 companies in the Pomorze region working in the space sector. They have already worked, or are working, on projects for ESA. POLSA will be tasked with inspiring and co-ordinating activities of the Polish space sector, creating new laboratories and identifying interesting and important solutions. This isn’t easy, as all space activities are scattered among many institutes and companies. The Agency is also supposed to share its know-how so it can be used in other fields of life including science and industry. This will serve as a way to remove barriers that constrain the development of companies, and research and development institutions in the space sector.”

By February 2015 there were two tenders organised for the Polish industry. 143 offers were submitted, from which ESA experts chose 62 projects. They received nearly EUR 11 million, and 80% of this sum went straight to the industrial sector.

SPACE RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITIES

The opening of the headquarters was connected to the signing of the Innovative Research and Maritime Applications of Space (IRMAST) agreement by POLSA, the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone and the Tricity military and technical universities. In December 2015 the prorectors of Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdynia Maritime University and the Polish Naval Academy in Gdynia signed an agreement to create a new course called Space Satellite Technologies. This was mentioned in April 2015 by Gdańsk University of Technology and the Polish Space Agency during the first International Conference on Innovative Research and Maritime Applications of Space Technology. The course takes three semesters to complete, and it will inaugurate in the 2016/2017 academic year. The classes will be run by experts from the Polish Space Agency.

Just to remind you, ever since 2007 Polish students have had many successes at the University Rover Challenge (URC), that is organised in Hanksville, on a desert in Utah (USA), near the Mars Desert Research Station. Always on the podium, and often coming first were Hyperion and Magma 2 (created by Białystok

University of Technology), Legendary Rover (by Rzeszów University of Technology), Scorpio3 (by Wrocław University of Technology).

The Space System team from AGH University of Science and Technology came first at the international CanSat Competition in Burkett (Texas, USA) in June 2015. This is a competition organised for the best academic satellite technologies by the American Astronaut Association, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and NASA.

NOT JUST DATA STORAGE FOR SATELLITES

In December 2015 the Polish Space Agency announced a competition to prepare a preliminary feasibility study for a “satellite system for radar display”. This was won by PZL-Warszawa-Okęcie S.A. It is supposed to determine future users and the exact scope of use of SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellites in Poland. This is all based on analysis of needs for the Polish Armed Forces, national security services, and also national administration and economy services.

The largest enterprise ESA has tasked to Polish partners (worth EUR 2 million) was inaugurated at the Ministry for Economic Development. The project “EO Innovation Platform Testbed Poland” focuses on using data from satellites that observe our planet (Landsat, Evisat, Sentinel). As part of this programme, a special data storage centre will be built. Its aim is to make a more efficient system for quick response to natural disasters, usage of natural resources or monitoring quality and pureness of water, pollution of air crops.

This database will be available to entrepreneurs and scientists. They will also have access to virtual and physical calculation servers.

A consortium headed by Creotech Instruments S.A. is responsible for the first elements of ESA infrastructure in Poland. It will be supported by another Polish company, CloudFerro Sp. z o.o., and the German company Brockman Consult Ltd. In January the Polish Space Agency finished the second edition of the programme “Consulting services for the Polish space industry”. Its aim was to assist micro, small and medium-sized companies develop and introduce innovative technologies for the space industry and support development of new products using satellite techniques. It will also help participate in competitions organised by ESA, especially the Polish Industry Incentive Scheme. So far 6 companies have participated in the consultations.

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Photo: Krzysztof Mystkowski/KFP

Space Industry

Prof. Marek Banaszkiewicz, President of the Polish Space Agency (POLSA) is interviewed by Marcin Haber. He speaks about POLSA, plans for developing the Polish Space industry, and the decentralisation of the agency and its activities.

„SPACE ALWAYS SERVED AS A VALVE STEM FOR HUMAN IMAGINATION” There were many negative comments concerning the creation of the Polish Space Agency. You could hear certain voices claiming that Poland cannot afford to dream about space. Let’s try to debunk this myth. From what we know POLSA co-operates with many powerful partners on the Polish market. These are companies from the IT, aircraft or national security sectors. Please tell me what POLSA’s range of competence?

We have three cores. Our main core is to focus on offering support to the defence and security of Poland. We want to achieve this by guaranteeing that Poland will have access to specialist equipment. This includes Earth observation satellites. The Polish Army has PM

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clearly suggested that this is the technology that will help them provide national security.

Our second core is to support the Polish administration. We want to convince officials and national institutions, that they can profit from using satellite technologies. Fortunately, some institutions know what they want. We focus our energy on Earth observation technologies. Navigation and telecommunication technologies are already way past this stage.

They are present on the mass market. Nobody questions the need to use them. With Earth observation satellites you can measure the levels of air pollution and control shoreline changes. This can be very valuable information for the administration sector. Our third core is to support the Polish Space industry, small and

medium sized companies in particular. It will also help scientific institutes. In an ideal world both sides should complement and co-operate with each other. In general we offer three key services dedicated to the space sector. The first one concerns preparing tender offers to the European Space Agency. ESA projects are much different from those organised in Poland by ministries or the National Centre for Research and Development. We help companies set a reference point for technologies used worldwide. Upon request we advise companies on the technologies they want to introduce, and judge if they are innovative enough for the European market. Last year we dealt with six applications. Our second service focuses on a pilot project for the administration

Space Industry sector. We asked ministries what satellite technologies would make life easier for them?

What’s surprising is that many institutes already have the knowledge and certain ideas. Once we get to know their needs we can come up with an offer of services we can provide them with. So far we have received over 30 applications. Due to a limited budget we could only select five of them. We are slowly reaching to a conclusion with them. This helps us identify our client’s needs. Within the next few weeks we will have an agreement. Our next step will be finding companies that will meet our client’s expectations. The third service that we offer are feasibility studies. They are mainly for the national security sector. We are currently running three processes. The first one has entered an advanced stage. It is a feasibility study of radar satellites.

These radars have an clear advantage over optical satellites. The main one being that their work is not affected by clouds or daytime. The second study concerns observing foreign satellites and space debris from Poland. This is a major factor concerning the strategic safety of the country. The third study is for the scientific project for the ultraviolet satellite.

I remember you mentioning last year that we cannot afford to wait with the construction of an observation satellite. You said that during a conference organised by the Ministry of Defence, which concerned its future strategies. What exactly did you mean? there are many ways of determining whether we can or cannot afford something.

Some people believe we should buy a satellite.

This way we would have one much faster than if we decide to build one. The problem is that once you decide to purchase one satellite, you are tempted to purchase more. Still you have to have funds to buy them. Our market mainly makes low technology products such as household goods, coaches, furniture or food. There is a very small profit margin on these products.

This is why we have to develop high technology. We have to build our own satellites. Even if this would cost us more than to buy one. It would help us gain competence and develop our industry. It will also give us more options in the future. We have to give our university graduates a chance to participate in these enterprises. We need to create for them opportunities. If not, they will travel abroad and do the same things away from home. I am all for taking risks. Of course we will need the help of foreign partners. We have little know-how in certain areas. But we have to try. We have to keep the proportions right. Most of the subsystems will have to be produced in Poland.

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What would be the role of Polish companies?

As you are probably aware, there are a few stages of building a satellite. The lowest is producing components. In theory you can build factories in Poland, that will build satellite components. The only question is will there be a market for them? You can buy these components and allow Polish companies to focus on the next level. That is adjusting these components to serve a specific task. The highest level is integrating all these components into one satellite. This is what I believe we ought to learn ourselves.

PM

You mentioned qualified Polish staff. POLSA supported the Gdańsk University of Technology, Gdynia Maritime University and the Polish Naval Academy to open a new specialist course. It will focus on space and satellite technologies. Is this the first step towards the development of the space industry in Poland?

It is one of them. It is an important one.

Already we have received signals that there is a shortage of qualified workers in the space industry. They are usually snapped up by foreign companies. At the moment there are 300 people working in the Polish space industry. The demand for them is much bigger. Traditionally the educational cycle is based on training a graduate with a degree in mechanical or electronics engineering. They would learn everything about this industry. It is of course a good method. Some universities, such as the Warsaw University of Technology, Wrocław University of Technology or the Łódź University of Technology, have already started preparing students for the space industry. Nevertheless, if we want to have an industry on a European level we need not 300, but 2000-3000 people involved in it. Our calculations show that we need 300 students a year. Of course this is a huge amount in comparison to the size of our market. But you have to remember that some of them will not graduate, and a certain amount will move abroad. Despite what you may think, we actually can benefit from students going abroad. They usually go and work for international institutes. In some way the Polish industry is dependent on them.

PM

But it is only by 2030 that POLSA plans to complete the plans set ahead of the Polish Space Programme. Is it really that easy to predict? Let’s take into consideration the time span and speed at which technologies develop.

This will be 15 years after the creation of the Polish Space Agency. This is a period during which we plan to achieve our goals. You PM

WE HAVE TO GIVE OUR UNIVERSITY GRADUATES A CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE ENTERPRISES. WE NEED TO CREATE FOR THEM OPPORTUNITIES.

normally say that in our industry the lifecycle of a product is 10 years. We gave ourselves a little bit more time. This way we will be able to properly look at our needs and chose the direction in which we want to develop.

I am not at all concerned about the unpredictability of the next 15 years. I am sure that the demand for products in our industry will not run out. Ground infrastructure is almost completely dependent on satellites. Nowadays you can’t imagine what life would look like without the GPS, mobile phone technologies or weather observation systems. We still have new things such as space travel, flights to Mars or other similar stories. All of this is seeming to start running away from us. I remember in 2000, there was a plan to land on Mars by 2020. Today we say it will more likely be in 2035. This is all down to the fact that the costs are huge, and you can’t really estimate the profits. The need for this journey is more about our own curiosity.

Ok, we are down to my last question. Can you tell me what stands behind the idea to divide POLSA into three centres scattered around the country?

The agency’s headquarter is based in Gdańsk. The second centre is in Warsaw. This is because the majority of the military industry is present here, and we tightly co-operate with it. The Rzeszów branch was created to coordinate our actions in the South of Poland. A few important centres like Kraków, Wrocław, Silesia or the Aviation Valley are located here. Rzeszów will also serve as a base from which we can start cooperating with the Ukraine.

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Economy

A VERY PROMISING PARTNERSHIP WITH ESA Paweł Wojtkiewicz, CEO of the Polish Space Industry Association, talks to Marcin Haber about the partnership with the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), the recent progress made, the Polish space industry’s future plans, and the Space Sector Forum.

Almost one year ago we spoke about the Polish space industry. Those were much different times than today. POLSA only started developing its structures. Now it is a fully operating agency with three regional branches. How does the market react to the current situation? How would you rate your co-operation with POLSA? The creation of the Polish Space Agency was a major event for our industry. Everyone agreed on the need to set up an institute like POLSA. We required something that would coordinate the state administration’s efforts in the space sector. Companies and institutes within our industry reacted positively to the news that the agency was established. We hope to receive lots of support from POLSA. This would increase our participation in the European Space Agency’s projects, and other major EU projects. Polish companies expect POLSA to be the body that will help increase our participation in the European Space Agency’s (ESA) programmes and the European Commission’s projects such as Galileo or Copernicus. We expect that POLSA will guarantee cohesion to Poland’s space policy which is run by several different ministries. We are still waiting for the agency to properly structure itself. As you can see for yourself it is still at the stage of employing experts. It is still gaining momentum. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this stage will not last long. For us POLSA is not only an administrative structure. Our companies expect that the agency will hire PM

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experts from certain fields, who will help us in our contacts with ESA. The feasibility study for a Polish earth observation satellite is in its final stages.

What are the views of the space industry?

Are you getting ready to take on this task, or will you wait patiently for the final results of this study?

Our companies are waiting for this process to end. We will see what way things will go. We need to know whether this study will end in ordering a satellite, running a satellite programme, or perhaps both. Our industry really hopes that many Polish companies would be involved in building such a device. Besides carrying out feasibility studies for an earth observation satellite, POLSA has also announced three more tenders for other feasibility studies. These are for a radar satellite, a scientific satellite and a system of tracking objects, including space debris, in orbit. We hope that these feasibility studies will lead to creating new programmes which will guarantee contracts for our companies within the space sector.

PM

What about the projects carried out for the European Space Agency? I know that some Polish companies that belong to consortiums, participate in them. Is this satisfying to you?

From the point of view of an entrepreneur, this is very promising. Especially if you take into consideration that it has been only three PM

years since we joined the agency. Over this short period of time we have proven that Polish companies are capable of pursuing contracts for ESA. The level of consumption of programme funds available to Polish companies has reached 80 to 100%. This is a very good result. This year is the decision making year for ESA. The ministerial council will meet in December. During the session the Polish delegation will be able to renew its subscriptions for certain optional programmes. Our entrepreneurs will recommend raising Poland’s subscription fee for these programmes.

In the past years many companies and institutes could not carry out their projects because Poland has used up its budget.

The Space Sector Forum is about to take place. What are we to expect?

This will be the first industry event since Poland joined the European Space Agency.

During the Space Sector Forum we will present a summary of the last three years of investments in the Polish space sector. At the event we will mainly focus on the future of our industry. The Polish Space Industry Association will present its recommendations for optional and national programmes in which we should participate. We will also take this opportunity to talk about our plans with other entities, representatives of the administration and politicians. The second important part of our Forum will be an exhibition. It will present the achievements of our members in the space sector.

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Smart City

POLAND HAS THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF BIG DATA CONSUMPTION IN THE REGION Juliusz Kornaszewski, Business Marketing & PR/Social Media Manager, Intel Technology Poland Ltd.

SMART CITY Cities are looking for ways to introduce more technology to become “smarter” about the use of limited resources and more flexible in responding to residents’ needs. In Europe Intel cooperates with Barcelona, London and Dublin – these cities use a wide range of smart technologies and solutions. The pilot project is also conducted in San José – it is Intel’s first smart city implementation in the USA. The Smart Cities USA pilot project will give San José residents real-time, local data that can inform their personal decisions. For example, the community will better understand how they can help “Spare the Air” on poor air quality days. When there is a local air quality alert, residents can choose to take public transit, bicycle or carpool to get to work or school and thus reduce emissions and improve air quality.

San José, known as the Capital of Silicon Valley, is installing a network of sensors to create a “sustainability lens” that uses Intel technology to measure characteristics such as particulates in the air, noise pollution and traffic flow. Such measurement data will produce meaningful insights that will lead to improvements in air quality, noise, transportation efficiency, environmental sustainability, health and energy efficiency.

BIG DATA Billions of Internet users and machines connections are causing a tsunami of data. This is a new opportunity for industries and sectors such as telecommunication, medicine, marketing, sport, science, manufacturing automation, energy and transportation.

Intel is engaged in the Big Data projects focused on medicine and cooperates for example with The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). The collaboration includes a multiphase research study using a new big data analytics platform that detects patterns in participant data collected from wearable technologies used to monitor symptoms. This effort is an important step in enabling researchers and physicians to measure progression of the disease and to speed progress toward breakthroughs in drug development.

According to our study conducted in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, Poland has the lowest percentage of Big Data consumption in the region – the solutions are used by only 18 percent of businesses in our country. However, this technology is developing very fast and the pop• ularization of Big Data solutions is only a matter of time.

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Smart City

DIGITISATION

THE MAIN FACTOR IN A COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT

A

conference concerning the “Development Prospects of Digital Poland 2016-2020” took place on February 18, at the Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG). Amongst the panellists were Minister of Administration and Digitisation Anna Streżyńska, Rector of Warsaw University of Technology Jan Szmidt, and a representative of Asseco. The conference was attended by members of the private sector.

The conference was organised to present plans for the digitisation of Poland prepared by the public administration.

The keynote was delivered by Minister Anna Streżyńska. The newly appointed minister criticised the current development of projects carried out by her Ministry. She also made an account for recent activities by saying that since the general election her office focused on the settlement of accounts.

This was caused by the mid-term review of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). In her opinion reports show that we cannot be happy with the distribution of funds under the previous MFF. Streżyńska spoke positively about developing regional and local networks. They are supported under the Operational Programme Innovative Economy. The Minister was mainly critical of four projects from the axis 7 priority. Two of these projects are important in terms of the existence of a digital society. These are PL ID and P1, the latter relates to eHealth. Despite addressing those four projects, the Minister mentioned that there were many more poorly executed, too expensive or dysfunctional projects. Besides closing and settlement of the previous MFF the Ministry has added a new axis that will give the programme a bigger boost. She also pledged to completely reconstruct the Digital Poland programme. Strzeżyńska spoke about the progress made in introducing new bills, including the so-called “Mega Bill,” which is an important factor in the digitisation of Poland. The “Mega Bill” is at the final stage of proceedings by the Standing Committee. Minister Streżyńska also stated her concerns over ignoring dangers of cybercrimes. Since 2012 the Ministry of Administration and Digitisation has been responsible for this field. “We want to show how responsible units should work in regard to cybercrimes. We need to cooperate with similar units abroad.” said Streżyńska. The Innovation Council was formed through an interdepartmental agreement. It focuses on the most important points in

Morawiecki’ s Plan. Digitisation is a strategic aspect of economic development in Poland.

The representative of Asseco was much more optimistic. From the point of view of the software industry, Poland is at the right stage of development. He added that Polish IT specialists are highly regarded by foreign businesses. “The time of the Polish plumber has come to an end. Now is the time of the Polish programmer”, said the Asseco representative. Competing with services in the global market is not enough to compete globally. You have to have an end product. This is the next step you have to make. He encouraged entrepreneurs to take a look into Polish start-ups and help invest in the technologies they are developing. In his opinion, this is the best way to keep high technology in Polish hands.

Next was Vice-President of Orange Polska Piotr Muszyński.

Since taking over Telekomunikacja Polska, Orange has become the biggest landline telephone operator in Poland. It is also a leading mobile phone operator and Internet provider. Muszyński mentioned projects his company carried out during the previous MFF. Orange participated in two regional projects that received a 35% and a 50% level of funding.

Both projects met their deadline dates. Despite this, Orange came across certain difficulties. It was easy to prepare a project, but the problems came with delivering their services to the end client. Despite planning and building a regional network, only a small percentage of households were connected to it. There is a lack of rational approach to broadening the coverage to reach the minimum level of connectivity of 70% households in rural areas.

Prof. Jan Szmidt, the rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, focused on other aspects of digitisation. He pointed out the needs of digital education to prevent digital exclusion. It is important for the country’s development, besides providing Internet services to excluded areas, to teach the people in those areas how to use computers and the Internet. Prof. Szmidt joined in on praising Polish software engineers. He said that there is an increasing number of university courses focused on training world class IT experts.

The conference served to present the government’s plans for the future. It created an opportunity for business, science and administration to meet. This will serve to create a • joint policy for the development of Digital Poland.

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Regions

INVEST IN REGIONS, INVEST IN SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES The second European Congress of Local Governments will take place in Kraków between May 4-5, 2016.

The event is organised by the Eastern Institute. The main partner and host city of the congress is Kraków.

Ewelina Janczylik-Foryś

T

he importance of regions is growing.

Not only on a domestic, but also on a European and international level.

You can see more and more regions and cities co-operating with one another. This is because they are the ones that care most about business. Therefore, it is important to create a platform for the regions and local governments. They need a place where they can exchange views and opinions. The Congress of Local Governments is a step forward. The organisers expect 1,200 participants.

Among them will be leaders of regions, representatives of local administration and government officials. They will be joined by representatives from the world of culture, NGOs, businesses and journalists from Eastern and Central European countries.

The congress will consist of 60 events built around three main topics. The first one will be dedicated to economy, the others to the environment and society. They will be divided into different programme blocks. These will be related to public finances, regional development, managing public administration, political marketing, waste disposal, recycling, public healthcare, education, social policy and tourism. There will be many panel discussions, reports, workshops and lectures. The congress will end with an official gala. It is an excellent opportunity for Polish and Central European local governments

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to meet. They can exchange views on issues such as improving spending the EU structural funds. The congress will also serve as an opportunity to share experience and build relations with other regions. The European Congress of Local Governments is a showcase for Polish cities and regions. Let us hope it will start new business relations.

Since 1999 Poland has been divided into 16 regions called provinces (voivodships), the largest of them being Mazowieckie, and Opolskie the smallest. Two provinces have a coastline: Pomorskie and Zachodniopomorskie. There are also six mountainous provinces: Małopolskie, Podkarpackie, Dolnośląskie, Śląskie, Świętokrzyskie and Opolskie.

Poland is a country of uncounted possibilities. It has a lot to offer, both to domestic and foreign investors. What can attract investment are the Special Economic Zones.

The are 14 Special Economic Zones in Poland scattered around the country. Their role is to encourage companies to invest in the region by offering them preferential conditions. These come in the form of tax relief, or free assistance whilst preparing sites for the investment project. The Special Economic Zones are very successful. Therefore, it has been decided that they will be preserved for another decade, until 2026. This means they will continue to attract new investors, and create new jobs.

In 2015, the Special Economic Zone in Katowice issued 31 business permits, and in exchange received an equivalent of PLN 1.05 billion in investments. The investors will create 1,000 new jobs. The Economic Zone in Łódź attracted 13 new investors, who declared to invest PLN 558 million, hire 481 people and keep 1,193 existing jobs. Last year 25 companies invested in the Wałbrzych Special Economic Zone. 16 of them were new investors who had just joined the WSEZ. The other nine are companies that decided to expand their business. They invested a total of PLN 973 million, creating 1,209 jobs. The Pomeranian Special Economic Zone handed out 15 permits, created 44 new jobs and kept 2,600 jobs. The investments there were worth PLN 380 million.

There were 8 permits issued in the Suwałki Economic Zone which created 250 new jobs, and PLN 150 million spent on investments.

The above are just statistics from a few selected economic zones. They do sound impressive, though. These figures speak for themselves. They prove their opponents wrong since it has been worth extending the existence of the Special Economic Zones until 2026.

However, we should also ask the following questions: What next? What will happen after 2026? How can we attract investors? There is a good place to talk about this and other issues. That place is the European Congress of • Local Governments.

Economy

LUBUSKIE VOIVOIDESHIP’S PATH OF DEVELOPMENT Elżbieta Anna Polak, Marshal of Lubuskie Voivoideship, talks to “Polish Market”.

Thanks to funding from the European Union, Lubuskie Voivoideship has excellent road and rail links going in every direction.

What else is needed for the region to develop?

Improving transport and telecommunications is, indeed, our priority. The same can be said about sustainable territorial and social development. Our vision is clearly mapped out: we are building a competitive and innovative region, a “green land of modern technologies”. Apart from roads and motorways, we have built our Science and Technology Parks. Now, the time has come for transferring knowledge to business, for these centres to work with entrepreneurs. We need better paid, highly specialised jobs, changes in vocational training. The business community is complaining of workforce shortages! We need not just wise academics, but also highly qualified workers for the factories which appear in the region in ever-increasing numbers. Our region is popular among investors. This is due not only to the investment sites on offer (2,000 hectares) and good transport, but the entire social infrastructure. We look after our cultural heritage, have revitalised castles, palaces, churches and theatres. We invest in education and health care, thus creating good living conditions. Lubuskie is, above all, the wine-producing traditions undergoing a revival, the wine and mead route and our vineyard in Zabór owned by the local government. Tourist attractions include unique buildings on the Cistercian Route, fortifications and our nature: national and landscape parks, such as Park Mużakowski and Geopark entered in the UNESCO list.

PM

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Is the fact that foreign investors are eager to locate their firms in Lubuskie due to its

geographical location, or are there also other factors at play?

We certainly benefit from our geographical location, but this is not the main condition of economic development. We are a “window to the West”, our slogan is “Lubuskie warte zachodu” (“Lubuskie Worth Your While”). This region is the most open and tolerant in Poland.

And we have this in writing. Certainly, foreign investors feel here like in Europe. Predictability and a good climate for economic development is conducive to entrepreneurship. Economic promotion of the region is based on the activities of the Investor and Exporter Support Centre. Professional and goodhearted support for business quickly brings benefits. For several years now we have seen an increase in the number of companies established in our region, which translates into a higher GDP and income tax revenues. Economic development has been effectively supported by the EU funds. This capital is well invested, economic indices are increasing and our surveys confirm the results.

What sort of money are we talking about when it comes to the support for businesses in the 2014-2020 financial period?

Based on the Territorial Contract, which is an agreement concluded between the central government and the province authorities, we estimate that the amount will be PLN 12 billion. Under the Regional Operational Programme (ROP) alone, we are going to receive EUR 960 million. We have set out areas of smart specialisation and priorities. It is impossible to finance everything. We are interested in bio-economy, transfer of environmental technologies to business, investments PM

in health and quality of life and the development of traditional, albeit innovative industries. Just this year the ROP provides PLN 100 million for research and innovations, PLN 80 million for the development of the SME sector, PLN 30 million for the development of services for SME, PLN 27 million for investment sites and PLN 24 million for environmental protection, social infrastructure, labour market and vocational training.

As of 2020, Lubuskie will have to cope without the EU support and develop by dint of the strength of its own economy?

We cannot waste this historic opportunity! We have clear priorities, money and know-how to do this. We have already shown in the current financial period that we are able to effectively invest the EU funds. We even received a special award of PLN 240 million for this. The local government creates conditions for development, but decisions regarding investment outlays in companies which create jobs are made by entrepreneurs. For this reason we need a dialogue and good communication during the implementation of our strategy. Having a goal is not enough. You must also know how to reach that goal. We have strategies, sector programmes and know how to act in a partnership. But we must be flexible and respond quickly to changes. Not everything is up to us. We have to closely follow changes in macro-economic, global potentials. And react to them! At this stage, investments in human capital and regional, smart specialisation are a priority for the regional economy. Only then, after 2020, Lubuskie will be that “green land of modern technologies”. • PM

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Regions

KIELCE

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he city of Kielce, located in the Świętokrzyskie Region, enjoys a strategic location in Poland. It is situated at the geographical centre of Europe, at an equal distance from major Polish cities. Kielce offers the same highly skilled and professional workforce and business environment as its more established neighbours, but with competitive office prices and salaries.

The 200,000 residents of Kielce benefit from an excellent education system, with 10 higher education institutions and 30,000 enrolled students.

Park (www.technopark.kielce.pl) offers a dynamic environment for companies, with an Innovation Centre and a Technology Incubator to support growing businesses at each stage of their development. KTP is in a process of implementing ‘Startup Platforms for new ideas’ – a project dedicated to start-ups that will be financed under Operational Programme Eastern Poland. Starachowice Special Economic Zone (www.sse.com.pl) offers companies tax exemption, a competitively priced commercial property site and free assistance in dealing with formalities.

‘A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING CITY OF GROWING REGIONAL IMPORTANCE’ (FORBES)

BESPOKE SUPPORT FOR INVESTORS

Traditionally the area around the city of Kielce has been a stronghold for limestone and metallurgy production, but in recent years the service sector has become increasingly important to the local economy. Kielce is now known as Poland’s second city for business conferences due to the success of Kielce Trade Fairs (www.targikielce.pl). Targi Kielce calendar comprises 70 events - trade shows, exhibitions and 700 conferences, including PLASTPOL Poland’s most international trade show and the world famous MSPO which is ranked third among Europe’s defence industry expos.

Numerous BPO companies have relocated here in the last few years, benefitting from Kielce’s highly motivated and trainable workforce.

ONE OF THE TOP LOCATIONS IN POLAND The JLL reported Kielce as one of the top eight locations for business start-ups and investment in the country. Kielce Technology

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The City of Kielce Investor Assistance Centre offers individual support and information to investors, detailing the incentives, funding and grants available. Investors can receive EU funding to support initial investment activities and the development of innovative products and services. Available locations for business are gathered on one website (mapa.invest. kielce.pl). Each offer includes current photos of the property - both ground and aerial, as well as advanced panorama photographs and access to Kielce Geoportal webpage. There is also municipal support available for SMEs via a regional guarantee fund and a regional loan fund.

KIELCE: SMART CITY Kielce has developed Urban Geographical Information System that includes: On-line Spatial Data Server, Geoportal Kielce and Idea Kielce – a Platform for Active Communication between residents and authorities. The solutions introduced in Kielce have been recognized in several competitions. In 2012 the project “GIS Based Management City” has been honoured

in the Smart Cities Awards and was among the finalists of the category Project Award at the leading event for smart cities, Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.

KIELCE: A BUSINESS HOTSPOT OF THE FUTURE Kielce is an important cultural centre, a picturesque regional hub for tourism and a thriving location for the growing service industry. The city is proud of one of the most successful sports clubs: VIVE Tauron Kielce the best Polish handball team, Cup of Poland winner and the participant of the Champions League and a football team - Korona Kielce.

With a wide range of funding and tax incentives available, now is the time to join other successful investors and relocate to Kielce. • For more information, contact Kielce Investor Assistance Centre www.invest.kielce.pl/en +48 41 3676 571 +48 41 36 76 557 e-mail: coi@um.kielce.pl

RZESZÓW FOCUS ON SUCCESS

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zeszów is a dynamic city for young and entrepreneurial people. It is one of only a few Polish cities that has a growing population.

Rzeszów is a major hub for numerous industries such as aviation, chemicals, trade, construction, services and IT. The capital of the Podkarpacie region is perfectly located. The international airport Rzeszów-Jasionka has regular flights to major business centres like London, Dublin, Oslo or Munich. The A4 motorway connects Rzeszów with many other important European cities. It is only a 90-minute drive from Kraków. The city can boast a few successful universities. These include the Rzeszów University of Technology, Rzeszów University, University of Information Technology and Management, or the University of Law and Public Administration. This makes recruiting young and qualified employees for the BPO/SSC/ITO/R&D industries easy. Just look at the degrees Rzeszów’s educational institutes have on offer. You will find courses in computer sciences, economics, finances, accounting, law and logistics. You can also get a degree in English studies, national defence or civil engineering. The Rzeszów University of Technology is a very innovative place.

Let’s just start by saying that it is the main centre for training civil aviation pilots. You

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can always fly higher, as there is a course in aeronautics and astronautics. Had enough?

They also have a Centre for Innovation and Transfer of Natural Sciences and Engineering Knowledge, and a Centre for Microelectronics and Nanotechnology.

Rzeszów also pays a lot of attention to developing outsourcing services. It actually promotes itself to the outside world as a city friendly towards BPO/SSC companies. There are plenty of investment packages that offer many benefits to investors. This is why the commercial construction business is booming. The city has over 100,000 square metres of office space. The class A office building SkyRes Warszawska itself has 20,000 square meters. It is located near the city centre. There are many more buildings that offer office space: Karowa Office, Conres, City Center, Center Park, Panorama, Capital Park, Plaza and Pasaż Rzeszów. Due to the growing market, developers are planning further investments.

The city and region are home to many world known companies. Let us mention the biggest names: Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów, ICN Polfa, Hamilton Sundstrand Poland, Nestle Nutrition, Asseco Poland, MTU Aero Engines, Borg Warner, Zelmer BSH (Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte), Sanofi-Aventis Ltd. Company, D.A.Glass, Deloitte, Mobica Limited, and PwC.

The city’s fast development is mirrored by its high places in national and international rankings. The Europolis report by the Schuman Foundation is a good example. Rzeszów came second in the report among cities building on their innovation potential. The authors of this report actually named it the “capital of high-technology”. This is because it was the only city that created and constantly developed its strategy of becoming a high-tech hub. Let us name another report. Smart City looks at the smartest cities in Europe. It is a multinational project by the Vienna University of Technology (Austria), Delft University of Technology (Netherlands) and Ljublana University (Slovenia). The project focuses on comparing 70 medium sized European cities. Rzeszów came first among the cities in Poland. In 2015 the city and its Mayor Tadeusz Ferenc received an award from the Centre for Analysis and Dialogue “Think Tank”.

The award was for creating an innovative city of the future in a fast growing area. Finally, according to the Metropolis report by PwC concerning cities in Poland over a 10 year period, Rzeszów had the largest GDP growth.

The city has huge innovation potential. It has an excellently prepared public space. On top of this it meets the demands of a modern and entrepreneurial society, that is looking • for a balance between work and life.

Tadeusz Mazowiecki Bridge, Rzeszów, photograph by T. Późniak

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THE RZESZÓW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION ON HIGH LEVEL

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he Rzeszów University of Technology is South-Eastern Poland’s largest technical university. It is known for offering a high level of education connected with high quality scientific research. It is a leading innovation hub for the Podkarpackie region. The University has to its name 70 patented inventions and utility models. Moreover, it has another 110 solutions just waiting to complete the patent registration process.

These are significant inventions. If you need any proof, just look at the long list of domestic and foreign awards. The University has won awards at fairs in Geneva, Seoul, Brussels, Sevastopol, Cluj-Napoca, Warsaw, and many other locations. Just to help your imagination, we will let you know that in the years 2010-2015 the Rzeszów University of Technology received nearly eighty awards.

Here is a list of the most recent awards: • • • • •

• •

IWIS 2014 (Warsaw) Technicon-Innowacje Fair 2014 (Gdańsk) Brussels Innova 2014 (Brussels) Kompozyt EXPO 2014 (Kraków) XXII Exchange of Polish Inventions Awarded at World Exhibitions in 2014 (Warsaw) Geneva Inventions 2015, Intarg 2015 (Kraków).

Some of the award-winning inventions are already being manufactured and introduced into the market. The Rzeszów University of Technology was one of the twelve universities to receive an award in the Innovation Incubator competition. The competition was organised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. This helped broaden the University’s activities in the area of transfer technology.

In 2014 alone, the Rezszów University of Technology provided 300 different services.

These were mainly for manufacturers. The University co-operates on a regular basis with big companies such as Pratt & Whitney Rzeszów S.A, BorgWarner Poland Ltd., and Hamilton Sundstrand Poland. It also works with small and medium-sized companies.

The Rzeszów University of Technology is part of the Centre of Advanced Technologies Aeronet–Aviation Valley consortium.

Its role is to design and examine various devices. These include the construction of airplanes and their engines, aviation ICT and avionics systems and materials engineering.

It is also responsible for modern production methods used in the aviation industry and aerodynamics.

The University’s Research and Development Laboratory for Aerospace Materials is a science and research facility. It provides all the necessary equipment. The laboratory is certified by the National Aerospace Defence

The students of the Rzeszów University of Technology have yet again succeeded in the University Rover Challenge (URC) for Mars Rovers.

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Contractors Accreditation Program (Nadcap) to study materials characteristics. Nadcap is a global organisation that sets common standards for running special processes and standard research procedures in the aviation, space and defence industries. It also sets regulations for the industries mentioned.

The Rzeszów University of Technology teaches its students how to practically use their innovative ideas and the students are doing exceptionally well. In fact, they are winning award after award in the world’s biggest competitions for space and satellite technologies. The students of the Rzeszów University of Technology have yet again succeeded in the University Rover Challenge (URC) for Mars Rovers, the competition which is organised in the US every year. In the latest 2015 edition, the Legendary Rover Team came first. Back in 2014 the representatives of the Rzeszów University of Technology were third.

The Rzeszów University of Technology offers you courses in Aeronautics and Space Technology. They are organised by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics. They serve to train future experts for the aviation industry. Graduates should also find employment in other industries connected to the aviation and space business. The graduates of the courses will develop both the skills and knowledge that are needed to be designers and pilots of aircraft. Rzeszów can literally teach you how to fly!

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SMART SPECIALIZATION

AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE POMORSKIE’S INNOVATION PERFORMANCE Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of Pomorskie, talks to “Polish Market”.

What is regional smart specialization? What would be Pomorskie’s priority areas of smart specialization?

Smart specialization means concentrating public support in areas that are economically most promising and using as much private capital as possible in the process. When it planned the European Union’s financial framework for 2014-2020, the European Commission asked all member states and regions to select such areas and develop them further. Because Pomorskie had already incorporated the principle of selectivity and concentration in its Pomorskie Regional Development Strategy 2020 back in 2011, the idea was not completely new to us. It just so happened that the European Commission made selectivity and concentration part of the smart specialization approach. Additionally, the European Commission made us aware of the huge potential involved in developing ties between various sectors of the economy and looking for synergies among them. Our early experience already shows that such creative inter-sectoral mixes with products and services using solutions from various sectors, may significantly enhance the innovation performance of the region’s economy.

We have chosen strategic development directions for the region’s economy. We want to concentrate public support on areas of smart specialization such as offshore and port logistics technologies, interactive technologies in an information-intensive environment, eco-efficient technologies in construction, the production, transmission, distribution and consumption of energy and fuels, and medical technologies to address lifestyle diseases and ageing. We have decided that these are the areas where our region is most likely to grow and compete in the international arena.

Our focus on selected areas of smart specialization means in practice that we will be combining our various resources and assets to create new services and products. We will be trying to become even more effective in finding untapped technological niches to be filled by Pomorskie businesses working together with universities. Innovation is mostly about searching for and filling promising market niches. We will be supporting our businesses and scientific communities in finding market niches, including technological ones, in selected areas of smart specialization. This will enable us to “impose” development PM

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directions in specific spheres and technologies. Our goal will be to help Pomorskie businesses and research centres to identify and explore as many niches as possible.

Why did Pomorskie follow a different path in identifying its areas of smart specialization compared to other regions?

Our aim was to choose smart specialisation areas by working closely with the economic and scientific communities rather than doing desktop research. We invited business and research partnerships to come forward with their ideas, a sort of a competition. The concepts were assessed in an interactive dialogue engaging accomplished international experts from outside our region. The decision to identify areas of smart specialization in a bottom-up process was a deliberate move on the part of Pomorskie. While European Union funding strengthens the focus on smart specializations, that’s not everything.

It is specific people and businesses, their ideas and commitment, that put even the most professional expert opinions to the test. The process we conducted ensured a strong engagement of different communities, including businesses, which are best prepared to identify market needs and exploit market opportunities. This is exactly what we wanted to achieve.

With the active involvement of nearly 400 businesses in the smart specialisation selection process, I believe that our ambitious goal, which is for the region to become truly competitive economically in international markets, will be achieved.

Broad consultations, detailed debates, multilateral partnerships and agreeing on key solutions for the region are gradually becoming Pomorskie’s trademark.

PM

How important is smart specialization for the development of Pomorskie and its future?

I believe that in a few years, or 10 years, perhaps, the areas of specialization we have chosen together will become the real driving forces behind changes to the economic image of Pomorskie. They will become those spheres of economic activity that generate high income from the sales of innovative products, services and knowledge. Our priority is to enhance Pomorskie’s competitiveness by looking for unique fields of economic activity that are consistent with the specific assets of the region.

PM

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The key to success is partnership and cooperation, the basis for achieving economies of scale and synergy.

We are determined in our choice because we believe that money invested in areas with the biggest potential will support the region’s economy and help us achieve one of our strategic goals: a per-capita GDP growth in 2013-2020 higher than the EU average. The key to success is partnership and cooperation, the basis for achieving economies of scale and synergy.

Is smart specialization an opportunity for broadening the cooperation between science and business?

We can already see positive change in the intensity and quality of cooperation between science and business. I am convinced that new ideas and partnerships for innovative business ventures are emerging as a result of the numerous meetings and discussions we had during the smart specialization process in Pomorskie. I believe that in this way we are contributing to Pomorskie’s economy, helping it make the shift from being a subcontractor and imitator to an innovative knowledge-based economy. Public support is now perceived as a mobilizing factor that accelerates projects without having to initiate them. This means that public money is now seen as a supplementary source of funding for projects that are based on business rationale and an understanding of business risk.

PM

What next for smart specialization? What are the challenges and opportunities for the region?

We definitely still need the bottom-up platform for cooperation in individual areas of smart specialization. We invited our business and scientific partners to sign Pomorskie Smart Specialisation Agreements. The Agreements define, among PM

others, the terms and conditions for supporting each area of specialisation with public money. These Agreements have already been negotiated and signed. However, this is not the end of the process of looking for specific ideas with a high innovation and implementation potential. One way to ensure systematic cooperation are Smart Specialisation Councils. Set up by the signatories of the Agreements, the Councils will include business, science and business support organisations, including clusters. The tasks of the Councils will include making sure that the agreements are up-to-date and revised to address new horizontal actions. Intensive work is now underway to prepare these actions. Horizontal action means projects or groups of projects that have a significant economic impact and are in the long-term interest of a considerable number of partners.

I am convinced that in a few years’ time thanks to our actions the region will become globally recognised - maybe as a producer of floating vehicles with alternative, perhaps electric engines? I believe that we can creatively contribute to developing technologies that will solve the energy storage problem.

I hope that by combining the competences we have in the field of energy, construction and information technology, we will be able to offer unrivalled “intelligent houses” and control systems for public space. I also believe that our region will become a leading centre for high technology. We can create innovative products and services that can serve the health services.

The ageing population of Europe is waiting for such solutions.

I hope that we will be able to successfully use these and other market opportunities, some of them still unidentified, • to stimulate the growth of Pomorskie’s economy.

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90

GDYNIA IS YEARS OLD

Photo: President of Poland Andrzej Duda during the celebration of the 90th anniversary of Gdynia receiving its city Charter. Archives: Gdynia City

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n February 1, 2016 citizens and friends of Gdynia celebrated the 90th anniversary of Gdynia receiving its city charter.

The official celebrations started at the Polish Sailor’s Monument in Kościuszko Square.

Representatives of the municipality, region, the Office of the President of Poland and also local people from Gdynia were present.

A ceremonial meeting of the Gdynia City council in the presence of the President of Poland was the focal point of the celebrations.

President Andrzej Duda during his speech mentioned the rich history of the city and the impressive speed at which Gdynia developed. “In the name of the Republic of Poland I would like to offer you (Mayor of Gdynia Mr. Szczurek – ed.) our sincere congratulations and I wish you further and successful progress. I wish you all the best, and I request that together with the chair of the

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council you will pass my sincere congratulations on to everyone who alongside you have helped build this success. Here I have in mind the council workers, local activists and NGO workers whose hard work can be observed in this city. I wish the people of Gdynia, I wish Gdynia and Poland many more decades of dynamic development. I sincerely believe that in ten years time, at the centennial of Gdynia receiving its city charter we will see an even prettier, and even happier city than today. This is what I wish you the most,” said Andrzej Duda.

“It was here in Gdynia, where Poland’s dream of having access to the sea came true.

But it wasn’t only the dream of a city that brought people here, but also their own dreams, to build their companies and careers. Brave and entrepreneurial people came here, people who had the courage to push forward changes, to build this modern city and seaport,” said Mayor of Gdynia Wojciech

Szczurek. “We have to be aware that we are responsible to report about the time we have been given. We have important tasks ahead of us. We have to rebuild the city centre, invest in the port, roads and rails. We have to finish the construction of the Gdynia-Kosakowo airport,” he added.

This event also served as an occasion to present Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Medal for the Outstanding Services to Gdynia. The medals were handed out to prelate Edmund Wierzbowski, Andrzej Boczek and Małgorzata Sokołowska.

The chair of the Gdynia City Council, Zygmunt Żmuda-Trzebiatowski, also presented the annual “Czas Gdyni” awards for the best investments in Gdynia. The main award in the category Architecture went to the builders of the Enter office building. The investor of this building was Ekolan Gamma, and it was designed by Tomasz Janiszewski BJK Architekci. A commendation was passed on to Tomasz Janiszewski BJK Architekci and Invest Komfort for the project and construction of the Silver House building on Zygmunta Augusta Street. The “Czas Gdyni” award in the Investment category went to Vastint Poland for the Gdynia Waterfront office and hotel building in the city centre.

Bank Pekao S.A. has created a special card with Gdynia on it to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Gdynia receivery its city charter.

Since July 2015 Pekao S.A. has given its clients the opportunity to have personalised bank cards. There are a few dozen images that you can choose from of cities, animals, hobbies, lifestyles. Each card can feature a different picture.

The image of Gdynia that is on offer features one of the best known places in Gdynia, and is a birds’-eye view of John Paul II Street.

The City of Gdynia co-operated on this pro• ject.

GROWING GRAIN AND FEED POTENTIAL AT

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T.Urbaniak / ZMPG-a S.A.

GDYNIA PORT Seven million tons per year – this is the combined grain and feed handling capacity which Gdynia Port is to reach by the end of 2018!

However, even today Gdynia is a leader in terms of handling this shipment group, both among Polish ports and the Baltic Sea ports.

T

hat is confirmed by the volume in March of last year of 506,000 tons of grain and feed and the overall results of Gdynia’s terminals in this segment for the entire 2015, totalling 3.7 million tons. This result is the effect of the work of three terminals: Morski Terminal Masowy Gdynia (Maritime Bulk Terminal), OT Port Gdynia and Bałtycki Terminal Zbożowy (Baltic Grain Terminal). Investments in the development of the port’s potential dedicated to this type of shipments proved crucial from the point of view of ensuring efficient handling of the growing volume of shipments. They are an example of the excellent co-operation between the management of the port in Gdynia and the operators of the transhipment terminals which has resulted in a significant increase of the storage space set aside for grain and soya meal.

The grain and feed warehouse with a capacity of 60,000 tons was built at Nabrzeże Śląskie (Silesia Quay) by ZMPG-a S.A. at a cost of PLN 26 million and commissioned in May of last year. Its lessee, Morski Terminal Masowy Gdynia Sp. z o.o. has invested a similar amount into outfitting the warehouse with transhipment equipment and installations. A similar facility has been built and outfitted in co-operation with the Baltic Grain Terminal, increasing the storage potential of the terminal by another 30,000 tons.

The current storage capacity of Port Gdynia with regard to grain is approximately 275,000 tons at a time. The highest daily transhipment rate is 15,000 tons onto a ship and the annual transhipment capacity stands at 5.5 million tons.

The reconstruction of Nabrzeże Szwedzkie (Swedish Quay), carried out and completed last year by the Port Authority, was a necessary supplement to the extension of the storage and cargo handling potential. It enabled the wharf to handle the largest PANAMAX class vessels with a draught of up to 13 m. The wharf has been modernised so that, once the approach to it has been deepened, vessels with a draught of up to 15 m may dock there. OT Port Gdynia terminal has just acquired a vessel post of such parameters as well. The Port Authority has just obtained an occupancy permit for the reconstructed part of Rumuńskie Nabrzeże (Romanian Quay). A deep water post is also being designed for the Baltic Grain Terminal where a reconstruction of Indyjskie Nabrzeże (Indian Quay) is planned by the Port Authority in the coming years.

After the planned deepening of the port to 16 metres all three terminals will be able to receive vessels of the post-panamax class with a draught of up to 15m.

The port road system, modernised using the resources of ZMPG-A S.A., supported by

the EU funds, has successfully passed the difficult test of handling such a large volume of goods. The appropriate preparation of the road system and the recently extended network of port car parks (approximately 600 parking spaces) are necessary elements for the development of handling of this commodity group because grain and feed are mostly transported in-land by road.

The increase of the grain and feed storage potential of the port in Gdynia will be continued thanks to last year’s purchase last year by ZMPG-a S.A. of a 2 ha plot from Stocznia Remontowa Nauta situated at the Silesian Wharf.

At this site in 2018 ZMPG-a S.A. will commission a new warehouse with an estimated capacity of 50,000 tons, constituting another element of the grain and feed base operating at MTMG – Maritime Bulk Terminal Gdynia.

Currently, the contractor is being selected for the demolition of the dilapidated buildings on this location and work on the conceptual design of the new storage facility is continuing.

Moreover, as of the end of 2016, MTMG will increase its grain and feed storage space by further 45,000 tons thanks to the commissioning of two light-structure warehouses.

The cargo handling capacity of Port Gdynia with regard to products grain and feed is to increase to 7 million tons per annum by the end of 2018. This plan is not only realistic, but is already under implementation.

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Smart City

EXPO MAZURY

B

usiness tourism is a specific industry. The trends are set by ultramodern centres operating in the MICE industry. One of them is Expo Mazury. It is one of the biggest tradecongress centres of northern Poland.

Expo Mazury is a place where many ideas meet. It is a place where people can get a fresh insight into the exhibition and conference industry. The venue is relatively new on the map of conference venues in Poland. This gives it an upper hand in introducing innovative event formats. The venue has fantastic organisational facilities. It gives the users nearly unlimited possibilities in terms of organising meetings, trainings and seminars.

The restaurant can serve 800 people. It has a Businessman’s Club. There are also six conference rooms equipped with high-tech audiovisual and multimedia systems. The technical solutions allow to divide the conference space in any way it is necessary. We are talking about just a part of the space where one can organise their conferences. The multipurpose function of the centre makes it easy to organise concurrent events. Expo Mazury’s potential was noticed by Rafał Rosiejak, who has recently joined the team. The newly appointed Director of the Congress Centre previously held a similar post at the PGE Narodowy Stadium in Warsaw.

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“I would like the Clients and Guests of Expo Mazury to always feel comfortable here. I hope that all their expectations will be fulfilled.

Our conference-fair team is working hard.

We want the biggest Conference Centre in the region to become an important venue in our trade,” said Rafał Rosiejak about his plans for the Centre located in Ostróda. “I am sure that we have a task to complete in a very short period of time. This place has the potential, and so does the team,” he added.

What is important about Expo Mazury is its location. It lies in the heart of the Mazury region, in Ostróda. The possibilities for active leisure and recreation are a game changer. Expo Mazury is one of the few venues that can offer business meetings and leisure at the same time. This is why Expo Mazury has started its Mazury Business Network programme.

The idea behind MBN is to create a network of businesses in Mazury that will help organise the whole stay for people travelling to Mazury. This will help you book train tickets, rent a car, food and accommodation and organise extra activities without leaving home.

“Mazury is a region with a huge potential.

We know that together we can make it even better. This is how we came up with the idea for the Mazury Business Network,” says Rafał Błachowski, a Board Member of Expo Mazury. “We want to offer our Clients and Guests

a completely new solution, both in terms of fairs and conferences. We want to combine business and leisure. This way we can freshen up the format of fairs. It will allow people to connect on many different levels. Meetings are not everything. You also have joint memories.

That is why we organise many extra events. We have the facilities to do so. We can organise concerts, sporting events and festivals.

The new concept of the fair is already being implemented by Expo Mazury in the upcoming events. Among them are Pro Defense (June 2-5, 2016) – the first pro defence fair in Poland. The fair is accompanied by the Congress of Pro Defense Organisations from Poland and NATO member states; it is followed by numerous trainings, workshops and shows.

The second edition of Asia Trade Know How, (September 22-24, 2016) will take place in Ostróda. It is a unique fair and conference event that takes a holistic approach to business relations between Poland and Asia. There will also be other events that have proved to be successful in the past such as Energy Expo Arena and the International Furniture Fair.

•

For more information on Expo Mazury visit www.expomazury.pl.

Intimate holiday and tourist resort, picturesquely located on the Krutynia trail, surrounded

by Masurian woods and the river

www.nowymost.pl Holiday-tourist centre ”PERŁA KRUTYNI” in Nowy Most phone/fax + 48 87 423 60 45 mobile: +48 605 046 605 e-mail: rezerwacja@nowymost.pl

9TH EDITION OF INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF ECONOMIC AND SCIENTIFIC INNOVATIONS INTARG® 2016

POLISH INVENTIONS AWARDED IN 2015 AT INTERNATIONAL INVENTION SHOWS

XXIII GIEŁDA WYNALAZKÓW 23RD MARKET OF INVENTIONS

2000 sqm • 300 INVENTIONS • AWARDS • CONFERENCES • B2B MEETINGS

“From Idea to Profit”

Under Honorary Patronage of Jarosław Gowin, Polish Deputy Prime Minister, Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education

LOCATION / AIM / MISION • •

•

• • • •

exciting the process of modernizing economy through promotion of innovations and inventions, creating the platform for direct contact, cooperation and meetings between the representatives of the world of science, industry, economy and business, as well as execution of implementations and commercialization of innovative and R&D projects, International Conference Centre - newly opened, modern building with attractive location in the very heart of Katowice, close to famous Spodek exhibitors form 10 countries, including research and development units, innovative enterprises from SEM sector and large enterprises, producers and offerors of innovative products, technologies and market services, business environment institutions, entities supporting or cooperating with science...

Agenda of the Event includes: Presentation of inventions and innovative products, goods, services Relevant workshops, Conferences, Business meetings and Evaluation of inventions and innovations by the jury in the framework of INTARG Innovation Contest Award Gala for INTARG Invention Contest and presentation of medals, diplomas and Awards to laureates Leader of Innovation and Silesia’s Innovator Award Galas Announcement of results of Young Inventor contest.

Exhibiting Categories: Natural Environment (ecology, environmental protection etc.); Engineering/Industry (metallurgy, chemistry, electricity, electronics, energetics, mechanics, automation, material science, civil engineering, transportation, agriculture, food industry); Medicine, Nanotechnology and Biotechnology; Safety; IT; Everyday Facilities; Design; Young Inventor

Coorganizer: Katowice City Hall

Honorary Patronage Jarosław Gowin, Poliah Deputy Prime Minister, Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, President of Polish Patent Office, President of Main Council of Research Institutes, President of Federation of NOT Scientific-technical Associations

Program: •

•

•

Location: Conference Centre in Copernicus Science Centre: 1st floor. Entrance from module B (left side from the main entrance) from the side of ul. Wybrzeze Kosciuszkowskie

Exhibitors: Scientific institutes, technical universities, innovative companies, small and medium size companies, individual and young inventors.

Subject: interdisciplinary exhibition (ecology, chemistry, biology, medical techniques, electronics, IT, mechanics, health and safety at work, civil engineering and many others) Offer: products and technologies advanced in the research and development process or ready for application and commercialization, awarded in 2015 at international stage

Aim: •

Honorary Patronages: Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Science and Higher Education, President of Polish Patent Office, Manager of National Centre for Research and Development, President of Polish Agency of Enterprise Development, President of Main Council of Research Institutes, President of Polish Federation of Engineering Associations FSNT–NOT, President of Polish Chamber of Advanced Technologies, Marshall of Silesia Voivodship, Mayor of Katowice

June 14th to 15th, 2016

International Conference Centre in Katowice Registration: in order to participate in INTARG please contact us EUROBUSINESS-HALLER ul. Obroki 133, 40-833 Katowice e-mail: intarg@haller.pl; tel.:32 355 38 00; www.intarg.haller.pl

March 24th , 2016, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. – Official opening of the event with the participation of exhibitors, invited honorary guests and media.

Program: 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. merited creators shall be awarded with diplomas and stratus, 3:00p.m. to 4:30 p.m. visiting the exhibition, 4:30 p.m. cocktail party ( Auditory room and 1st floor in Copernicus Scientific Centre) March 25th, 2016, 10:00a.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Nauka dla Gospodarki/ Science for Economy – day open to all visitors, free entry.

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promotion of scientific achievements: innovative technologies, products, goods and services launching research and economic cooperation between science and business commercialization and implementation of scientific achievements

March 24th and 25th, 2016

in Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw Organizers: Eurobusiness-Haller, www.haller.pl; e-mail: e.wolczyk@haller.pl Stowarzyszenie Polskich Wynalazców i Racjonalizatorów, www.polskiewynalazki.pl; e-mail: spwir.agnieszka@gmail.com

NAJWIĘKSZY ORGANIZATOR TARGÓW W EUROPIE ŚRODKOWO-WSCHODNIEJ The largest trade fair organiser in Centraland Eastern Europe

OD 95 LAT DZIAŁAMY Z PASJĄ I WSPIERAMY PASJE BIZNESOWE We have been working with passion and supporting business development for 95 years

ROCZNIE 1100 000 GOŚCI TARGOWYCH I KONFERENCYJNYCH Z 82 KRAJÓW ŚWIATA 1100,000 trade fair visitors and conference participants from 82 countries of the world per annum

IMPREZY TARGOWE DLA WSZYSTKICH SEKTORÓW GOSPODARKI Trade fairs for all sectors of the economy

MECENAS MIĘDZYNARODOWEGO KONKURSU SKRZYPCOWEGO IM. H. WIENIAWSKIEGO, JEDNEGO Z NAJBARDZIEJ PRESTIŻOWYCH KONKURSÓW SKRZYPCOWYCH NA ŚWIECIE Patron of the International H. Wieniawski Violin Competition, one of the most prestigious violin competitions in the world

Smart City

BENEFIA

UBEZPIECZENIA CREATES NEW HORIZONS IN THE MOTOR INSURANCE MARKET

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n 2015, Benefia Ubezpieczenia began its operations in a completely new format.

In November 2015, the merger of two insurers: Benefia TU S.A. VIG and Compensa TU S.A. VIG resulted in the formation of Benefia Ubezpieczenia. Its main task is to develop distribution channels considered a priority by the entire VIG Group, i.e. channels utilising new sales technologies. This merger was possible thanks to the considerable trust among the partners built in recent years, which is now bearing fruits.

The Company enters the year 2016 with its goals set high, but also with a very precise plan to attain them. The most important goal now is to make the fullest use possible of the competitive advantage offered by the implementation of new technological solutions.

Benefia Ubezpieczenia intends to further strengthen its position in the new distribution channels while continuing to seek out new tools facilitating the sales of insurance, and not just motor insurance.

Currently, Benefia Ubezpieczenia sees the biggest growth potential in close co-operation with one of the biggest mobile network operators who pre-installs an insurance sales application in mobile phones sold at its showrooms and who will also help launch and

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promote the application in its mobile app store.

The estimated reach in 2016 is approximately 0.5-1.5 million new users.

An equally strong emphasis will be placed on the continuation of co-operation with Neptis in the Yanosik.pl application, and with other such partners offering the company an opportunity for significantly raising the awareness of the Benefia brand among the customers whose awareness of the brand until now has been weak or non-existent. Benefia Ubezpieczenia sees its place wherever drivers are present, i.e. both in navigation products or even in products that allow drivers to pay for parking or for using a toll motorway. Current trends of changes in the automotive market and the development of new technologies which make it possible to monitor the behaviour of drivers (“pay as you drive”) are bound to significantly alter the approach of insurers to the valuation of accident risk (third party/comprehensive insurance).

More emphasis will be put on the behaviour of drivers behind the wheel at a given time and not on the claims history and the age, sex, car make, engine, etc. In time, the current parameters will be replaced by new ones. Benefia Ubezpieczenia together with Neptis have implemented an innovative risk assessment process known as UBI (Usage Based Insurance). Users of the

Yanosik application may already check out the insurance products of Benefia and purchase a policy where the rate depends on the behaviour of the driver (e.g. respecting speed limits). Benefia Ubezpieczenia will continue with determination the development of innovative solutions to be able to more precisely estimate the risk of an accident and present to the customer the adjusted product that is the most suitable.

Another partner offering considerable hopes for sales development is the entire group of companies linked to a postal services giant, which already has extensive experience in selling insurance, and where Benefia Ubezpieczenia may be one of the insurance companies offering its products.

Benefia also plans to successively expand the range of products offered by SMART by adding further risks, e.g. household or tourist insurance.

In the opinion of Benefia Ubezpieczenia, ensuring effective achievement of all the goals set for 2016 requires continuous development of new sales channels, both in the traditional and the mobile/online market. Speed and effectiveness in this regard will give the company considerable competitive advantage • for many years to come.

SZANSA I WSPARCIE DLA PRZEDSIĘBIORSTW 5 KWIETNIA 2016, WARSZAWA Organizatorzy: Informacje: www.polishmarket.com.pl/konferencja-restrukturyzacje Rezerwacja uczestnictwa: info@polishmarket.com.pl

Innovation

UN PROCUREMENTS ARE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE EXPANSION OF POLISH BUSINESS National and international procurements are not only the way of spending public money or buying goods and services but also a tool that could, with the right policies and diplomacy, strengthen national business.

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ach year UN spends more than USD 17 billion on goods and services, and this amount is still rising. It is a vast, diverse and dynamic market. Unfortunately, Polish investors do not participate in it, although they would have a chance to cooperate with trusted and solvent clients. UN Procurements are most popular with Italian, French, Chinese and Russian companies.

Participation in the UN Procurements is a chance for the Polish companies to expand their services or export their goods on new markets. In 2014 Polish companies, institutes and universities delivered goods that collectively costed only USD 1.2 million, which accounted for only 0.01% of the total value of the procurement market. This places Poland in 170 the position out of 194 countries. Until 2015 there were only 43 Polish companies that won tenders in this system. It can be disappointing, as knowing the potential of Polish companies, one knows that they can compete worldwide by offering lower prices and deliver good quality goods and services.

From the surveys, it is clear that 79% of small and medium companies are unfamiliar with the procurement process. Polish companies do not take part in the projects that are financed by either UN or the World Bank, although public administration attempts to organise training on this topic.

It is an enormous market, however, and it is necessary to start discovering new opportunities. For example, one of the Polish companies supplied the medical equipment needed in the fight with Ebola virus. Not only price, but also quality make Polish products competitive on the market. Also, the relative proximity of Poland to the areas affected by a humanitarian crisis (as for example Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey) is a factor that can cut logistic costs. Equally important are the cultural

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Łukasz Kolano, Deputy Director UN Secretary General Initiative Global Compact Poland similarities and a good record of the economic cooperation.

However, it is important to remember, that the Polish procurement market is open to an international competition on fair grounds, being a part of the EU procurement market. As it is impossible to discriminate or apply regional preferences, quite commonly, foreign companies win Polish tenders, as they have better experience and greater potential. This is understood by the countries that participate in procurements longer than Poland. Disproportion between the amount won by the foreign companies on the Polish market and the procurements won by Polish companies on the EU market is unfavourable for Polish companies. We cannot avoid the international competition but we can specialise in it.

UN PROCUREMENTS

The United Nations System consists of the United Nations funds and programmes such as World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and specialised United Nations agencies, especially World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) or the World Bank (WB).

Informally, banks such as Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Caribbean Development Bank and Inter-American Development Bank are also a part of the system.

The participation in the UN Procurements is relatively easy. An online UN Market Place platform has been established, where new information about new procurements continuously appear. All legally operating companies, whose products have reasonable price to value ratio, can participate in the proceedings.

Thanks to the system, companies can sign contracts for goods and services with a partner that not only is solvent but also is obliged to pay within 30 days.

UN eagerly buys a service or goods, which are for example well-made or technologically advanced, for a product to be available on a market where such technology is absent. Basically, all goods and services can be a subject of procurements. Even food such as apples, or medical supplies and technologies. Goods and services from the medical sector make up to 21% of the UN Procurements, transport 16%, agriculture and food 11%, building and engineering services 11%, administrative and management services 10% and petrol 4%.

PROCUREMENT PROCEDURES

The procurement system is based on transparent procedures. During registration investors choose a level that describes their price range. There are 3 levels – basic level with USD 40, 000, level 1 that is up to USD 500,000 and level 2 with more than USD 500, 000. Procurements most commonly are placed in a form of Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation to Bid (ITB). Besides, procurements can be placed through an Expression of Interest (EOI) and if the value of the contract is high they can be placed with the Invitation to Negotiations. The process depends on the value of the contract as well as on the goods, however it all works according to the principle – the lower the value of the contract the less formal procedure.

UN Secretary General Initiative Global Compact Poland encourages Polish companies to register on the UN Market Place platform, be a part of the UN Procurement system and do not miss the opportunity to expand their business beyond polish borders.

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13-14 kwietnia 2016 r.

Hotel Westin Warszawa

Konferencja Energetyczna EuroPOWER

SPOŁECZEŃSTWO ∞ ENERGETYKA ∞ GOSPODARKA

wielka gala

LIDERZY świata energii PARTNERZY STRATEGICZNI

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+48 22 379 29 11

Economy

POLAND 3.0

MADE IN POLAND

Angelika Jarosławska, President of Cluster World, Member of the Board of the National Cluster of Innovative Enterprises, Project Coordinator of POLAND 3.0

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OLAND 3.0 is an integrated programme aimed at connecting Polish rivers, highways and railways into one multimodal transportation platform.

The transnational project POLAND 3.0 involves the integration of all multimodal modes of transport in logistics centres along the Oder River, within the corridor connecting the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea via the Danube, Oder and Elbe, and the construction of the largest logistics centre Gorzyczki – Vernovice with an area of 500 hectares.

The Transnational Logistics Centre Gorzyczki – Vernovice will be located at the continent’s unique intersection of all of the major trans-European transport routes: the A1 motorway, E-20 waterway, the LHS broad-gauge railway line linking Poland with the Far East, and the second trans-European railway corridor, in close proximity to the airports in Katowice, Ostrava and Kraków. The Centre is expected to create approx. 75,000 new jobs, handle approx. 790,000 containers a year, impact 12.5 million people in the region and have a worldwide range.

Another element of POLAND 3.0 is giving back due importance to inland waterways in Poland. In order to make economic use of inland waterways it is necessary to change the approach to navigation in Poland towards one which is innovative, comprehensive and capable to involve various stakeholders.

Owing to a community of interests, POLAND 3.0 was jointly developed by the country’s key water management specialists, Oder ports, companies that see an enormous business opportunity in the navigable Oder, business

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operators associated in clusters, people living on the Oder for whom flood security and new jobs are of primary importance, local governments, municipalities, specialists in ecology, transportation and logistics, designers, as well as the Council of Captains, which for years has strived to reinstate Polish rivers as freight routes.

At each stage, the programme is consulted with specialists, MEPs and experts on European funds, so that it fits in with the most important European funding strategies. The project was given the patronage of Prof. Jerzy Buzek.

The project is implemented, among others, through companies associated in clusters, i.e. initiatives integrating business, science and local communities. The new economic policy is aimed to change the structure of the European economy by adapting it to the phase of development where knowledge and innovation play a decisive role in stimulating economic and social development. Doubtless, an increasingly important tool for supporting knowledge-based development is clusters as far as they respond to the need to organise modern entrepreneurship. Companies operating in the same industry and region which get together in clusters find it much easier to fight for new markets and enhance their attractiveness. There are many foreign examples proving that numerous means strong. Clusters successfully operate around the world and develop regional markets. Thanks to strong cluster organisations, regions such as Upper Austria or Catalonia manage to achieve excellent economic results.

The National Cluster of Innovative Enterprises, one of the initiators of POLAND 3.0 and the largest cluster organisation in the country, is an

association acting supra-regionally, bringing together enterprises and institutions from entire Poland. Its aim is to develop innovation and strengthen competitiveness of regions and the whole Polish economy. As a constantly growing umbrella body of Polish clusters, it effectively pursues the objective of boosting innovation of companies associated in the cluster, and thus helping them achieve a permanent competitive advantage. This is evidenced by numerous successful projects and the ever-growing number of members. By joining forces, clusters and related grassroots initiatives have the ability to push through the solutions necessary for the Polish economy.

Revitalisation of the inland waterway transport in Poland will not only benefit transport but will also serve many other purposes: flood protection, hydropower, ecology, water storage, tourism... examples can be multiplied. Still, the potential of waterways in Poland is used to a minimum extent, despite the fact that this mode of transport is among the cheapest and most environmentally friendly.

Integrated in the multimodal transport network, inland waterways are complementary to other forms of transport, often being also the only option for bulky cargo shipment. The lack of possibility to access cheaper inland transport and handle large, heavy loads is a development barrier to many Polish businesses, leading them to relocate abroad, for example to our western neighbours, who successfully use barges to carry up to 240 million tonnes of goods a year.

The European Union promotes inland waterway transport as an essential link in the transportation system, and facilitates its integration

Economy

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Economy into a multimodal supply chain. In accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission, 30% of road transport has to be transferred, i.a. to waterways by 2030. The EU is willing to subsidise the development of transport corridors, funding up to 85% of the investment project.

The inclusion of the Oder in the European system of waterways, a project called the Danube – Oder waterway and, more broadly, connecting the Baltic Sea and the North Sea with the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Basin, is the largest marine project in Central Europe.

The Oder Waterway plays a key role in transcontinental shipping connection between the Baltic Sea and the Danube Basin. Linking the above-mentioned arterial shipping line with the broad-gauge railway from/to the Far East is a project of pan-European interest, as it will serve countries in Europe and beyond - Japan, North and South Korea, China, Mongolia, Russia and Ukraine. The round-trip rail shipment of goods will be one-third shorter compared to maritime transport (from approx. 30 days to 10 days). According to preliminary calculations, each year 750,000 containers and other goods can be carried this way in both directions.

Polish exporters generate capital inflows, which creates room for the development of SMEs that cater for the needs of local communities.

Therefore, drawing patterns from strong economies, we should create suitable conditions and

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the kind of business zone in which small businesses will be able to grow into medium ones, and medium businesses build up and transform into large ones. Let’s look at the western countries that attend to their domestic businesses with such a care as if in an incubator. Rather than overproducing law, they are creating better conditions for private investment.

The project is a coherent economic plan that involves creating a business zone with attractive investment areas and comprehensive financial, legal, marketing, HR services offered by domestic firms, and thereby the promotion of Polish technological thought and innovations. By using the country’s available resources, it will allow to build the business hub of Poland and an attractive area for investors from all over the world – on terms dictated by Polish companies.

The programme is based on proven global patterns, enabling to develop new forms of competitiveness in the domestic economy.

Instead of further relying on low labour costs and skilled workforce, which have so far represented our competitive advantage and attracted foreign investors, we should start to use the resources we have, promote our transit regions located at the heart of Europe, our local enterprises, human capital and Polish innovative thinking to be able to develop economically, while getting closer to the prosperous EU countries.

Consistent projects, spread over many years, like POLAND 3.0, allow responsible and strategic planning of economic development. While giving a sense of stability to Polish entrepreneurs, they also provide means to work out appropriate education paths (our market is still characterised by a divergence between the needs of employers and the educational curricula), and then to train the most sought-after specialists, resulting in innovations, new technologies, and advancing the Polish technological thought.

These are in fact the driving forces behind the economy. POLAND 3.0 should not be seen as a matter of success of one company, or a number of companies. This is a business opportunity for a vast amount of Polish enterprises.

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New Silk Road aims at Poland Just 63 km of a broad-gauge railway from Sławków South station to the Logistic Centre in the Polska 3.0 programme is necessary to make the Center the only such point in Europe that connects routes, e.g. the A1 Motorway, broad-gauge railway from the Far East, river waterway (incl. river port) and a convenient connection via motorway with the largest cargo airport Pyrzowice-Katowice with over 500 ha of development area within the Special Economic Zone. If we include the freight corridor no. 5, which joins the Baltic Sea with the Adriatic Sea, we get an incredibly interesting mix.

Economy

3/2016  polish market

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Infrastructure

CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

GETS A SECOND BREATH AWAITING EU FUNDS

In the early December of last year, the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways signed contracts for road projects with European Union funding exceeding PLN 8 billion. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the utilisation of the new pool of the European funds earmarked for infrastructure development. The construction market in particular is looking forward to an improvement in the economic situation in connection with the new tranche of the EU subsidies. Despite the expected 6% growth, this sector saw a slowdown due, among others, to the decreasing number and value of public contracts in 2015. The new funds will benefit mostly infrastructural construction, mainly roads and railways, as well as public utility projects. However, experts say that a clear increase of activity in the sector will only materialise in the second half of 2016. This may indicate that the rate of growth of the building industry in Poland is to a large extent dependent on the speed of the distribution of external funding. Analysts warn that excessive reliance on the EU finances and the absence of a development vision may destabilise the Polish market in the future. Therefore, the next tranche of the EU money should act as a stimulus for improving organisation and finding sources of additional growth for Polish construction firms.

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Infrastructure

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n the 2014-2020 EU financial period Poland has over EUR 82.5 billion to spend under various European programmes and funds. The value of the Infrastructure and Environment programme alone exceeds EUR 27 billion, with a large chunk of these funds to be invested in the coming years in road, rail, air or shipping projects, as well as those involving the construction of public utilities such as schools, hospitals, cultural facilities, municipal housing and water economy. Part of this money will end up in regional operational programmes managed by provinces.

The current pool of the EU funds, greater than in the previous round, offers hope for boosting the construction sector, which is still struggling with many fluctuations in the economic situation. Although the Polish market is considered a growth leader in Europe and belongs to the fastest developing markets, the forecasts are rather cautious.

“The EU funds will remain the backbone of the sector’s growth. They are eagerly awaited since the 6% growth in the construction market forecast for the end of 2015 proved much smaller. This was due, among others, to a very small increase of sales in road building which at the end of the year reached just 2-3%, and also to the decreasing prices of building materials and a very significant regression in the area of public contracts seen over the last 12 months. Despite this, compared with other European countries, the Polish construction sector is doing very well, due, among others, to housing developers who have been posting record sales results,” observed Mariusz Sochacki, Polish partner of Euroconstruct from PAB-PCR&F Institute. The Polish Construction Research Agency (PAB) is among the 19 institutes operating within the frame of the international Euroconstruct organisation, which specialises in analysing the condition of the building market in a number of European countries.

Last year, 37,316 notices of public contracts awarded in the construction sector were published in the BZP (the figure for 2014 was 46,536) with the total value of PLN 23 billion (PLN 30 billion in the previous year). The number of contracts fell by 19.8% and their value by 23.3%. The political situation in Poland and the election of the new government is also an important factor affecting development. According to pre-election remarks made by Andrzej Adamczyk, the current minister of infrastructure and construction, there is going to be a review and an adjustment of the existing transport policy, especially aimed at improving the competitiveness of the railway system and verification of investment programmes in the area of road and railway construction. According to Mariusz Sochacki, this may slightly delay the award and performance of new infrastructural contracts. Moreover, it is difficult to predict at this time what the economic and infrastructure development strategy of the new government is going to be.

SLOW RECOVERY On the other hand, according to Euler Hermes, last year (between October 2014 and October 2015) the number of bankruptcies, also among construction firms, decreased by 30%.

The implementation of large projects is conducive to business development and stabilises the situation of the largest players, translating also into better financial liquidity of

their subcontractors. However, according to experts, European subsidies on their own are not a guarantee of any long-term revival in the market.

“Nevertheless, these funds were a very important source of financing driving Poland’s construction sector in the period of the collapse of the European market in the years 20082013. Thanks, among others, to external funds the value of our market in 2014 reached EUR 43 billion. We find ourselves near the top in Europe mostly thanks to the rate of growth in construction output being much higher than in the remaining EU countries, achieved by dint of absorption of the EU funds. However, it is necessary to think what is going to happen once the external sources of financing construction in Poland dry out, warns Mariusz Sochacki. “Today, the situation of the sector in untypical. On the one hand, we observe growth stagnating at a level of 2-3%, accompanied by a decline of employment in large firms. On the other hand, we see growing wages and improving financial results of construction companies. Despite fluctuations, the Polish construction market is not moving towards a recession, and we expect to see a dynamic upturn as early as the second half of 2016”, added Mariusz Sochacki.

GROWTH – YES, BUT SUSTAINABLE According to market analysts, one of the factors determining the rate of growth of firms in the construction market in Poland is their ability to find growth drivers other than the EU funds. Periods of economic upswing which can be used not only to maximise profits, but also to reinforce companies internally and prepare them for a future without external co-financing, are a good time for such a search.

Firms should utilise the period of prosperity for implementing innovative solutions, both in the area of technology and management. We are talking here, above all, of tools which can be helpful in projects preparation and execution, such as Building Information Modelling, drones or laser scanning. Obtaining know-how, particularly with regard to BIM, may be very important. In April 2016 a directive comes into force recommending the application of this technology in public contracts in the construction segment.

On the other hand, the new tranche of funds from the European Union may also be a source of threats. We are already talking of a contractor’s market and not an investor’s market and of the forthcoming price war or a dangerous lowering of the quality of projects by investors competing in tendering procedures on price. According to experts, low quality of workmanship may be a derivative of insufficient supervision by the public investor, which can be eliminated using appropriate procedures.

Responsible actions taken by firms and the public sector may have a beneficial effect stabilising the situation in the market. A greater degree of trust, co-operation and mutual exchange of good practices in management may help reduce the threats connected with managing external funds. Careless policies and irresponsible conduct on the part of businesses may lead to a wave of bankruptcies caused by payment backlogs or to market distortions due to a significant lowering of the investment standards. Therefore, a synergy of actions and a sustainable approach to the ways of uti• lising the EU funds are necessary.

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Infrastructure

HUMAN HEALTH AND LIFE ARE OUR MOST IMPORTANT VALUES Krzysztof Andrulewicz, President of Skanska SA, tells “Polish Market” about his company’s fantastic financial results in 2015, a responsible approach to projects, and core values of his company.

2015 was a good year for Skanska. You earned PLN 470 million before interest and taxes (EBIT). Was that a special year for you, and how did you achieve such a good result?

We are talking about the consolidated results of the whole Skanska group in Poland. We achieved them through three areas of our activity. We are general contractors, commercial and residential developers. Our consolidated income was PLN 5.5 billion and our EBIT was PLN 470 million. This gave us a better financial result than in 2014, as we had a profit growth of 18%. This is very satisfying for us, and proves that we are growing in Poland. Last year was very specific for general contractors in Poland. The previous EU Multiannual Financial Framework had ended, and funds from the new one had not yet been allocated. On top of this the growth of the whole construction industry by the end of last year was a lot smaller than expected.

For us it is about the projects we choose. At Skanska we are always selective. We look at risk factors, our competition, and available resources. We will not just jump on every single project that is out there on the market. We want to act responsibly, not only towards our shareholders, but also towards our business partners. This does not mean that we will not be competitive. Just last year we carried out over one thousand projects and received PM

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contracts for nearly another thousand. We have regional branches and try to expand their professional competencies and develop their business line. That is just what we did last year. We created a regional branch in Białystok and expanded the one in Olsztyn.

We try to be more competent in our big construction projects. This is because we want to be present in every sector of the market.

You mentioned responsibility. By the look of your projects, you seem to have taken a different approach to the construction business. Skanska builds responsibly. You care about the environment. Why? Currently we are building the Mickiewicz Estate in Warsaw. It will be the first BREEAM certified development in Poland. It is a high standard estate, in a prime location. We use only high quality certified materials for its construction. In terms of commercial development, we are a leader in introducing energy saving solutions. Our projects receive the highest LEED certifications: Gold and Platinum. This means our commercial buildings meet the highest environmental standards.

We have been exchanging our know-how with Skanska branches in other countries to get to where we are.

PM

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The National Labour Inspectorate has recently praised you for your responsible

approach to health and safety issues on your construction sites. Do you have any internal procedures?

This is one of our top priorities. We are talking about operational activities that share a common ground. Our values are the common ground. They define everything and this is how we try to do things. Our values focus on caring about lives, ethical actions and being transparent in our teams as well as looking after our customers. When talking about caring for human lives, we have two basic elements. We care for people and the surrounding environment. Our top priority is the safety of everyone participating in our projects.

This took years to develop. You have to realise that the construction industry is a difficult industry. Statistics show that the risk of a dangerous accident occurring is higher than in mining. That is why we are even more proud about the distinction given to us by the National Labour Inspectorate. We received it for the high health and safety standards on our construction sites. Since 2010 we have been working on safety issues as part of the Safety in Construction Alliance (PBB). PBB is an organization of 10 of the largest general construction companies in Poland. As part of a group, we have a bigger chance to change the market. There is more power in a group. One company, even ours, will not be able to make changes on its own.

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Infrastructure

WE ARE A LEADING COMPANY ON THE EUROPEAN MARKET Leszek Jurasz, President and General Director of Zetkama Group, in an interview with Marcin Haber talks about the main aspects of the company’s business, its development over the years and sustainable approach to the environment.

For many years you have been providing components for such innovative industries as, for example, power, heat and gas sectors, shipbuilding and the gas and automotive industries. How have your customers’ requirements changed over these years and how do you adjusted to them?

Today we are already a large capital group with a capitalization in excessof 600 million PLN. Our business, which we started several decades ago in the field of industrial valves, is based today on three main segments. The first one is the automotive segment. This segment consist of three of our companies, which provide primarily components and subassemblies for the production of cars and trucks. The second one is the segment of industrial automation and valves for which where we offer solutions for our industrial partners, among others: power industry, heating, metallurgy, air-conditioning, water supply and the aviationindustry. We also design large gas supply lines for the widely understood gas industry.

The third and very important segment of our business is the segment of fasteners, that is to say simply bolts and nuts. Of course, what I say is simplification because the range of our products is very wide. We annually produce nearly 15,000 tonnes of fasteners for many industries, among others: construction, mining, the railways and the automotive industry. We supply these components mainly to markets of Western Europe.

PM

And how has your production process changed over the years?

The development of our business somehow naturally forces us to make changes both in the technology, manufacturing as well as in the broadly understood approach to the business. The requirements of our customers are very high. In each area of our business we have our own construction offices and engineering facilities, on the basis of which we create assemblies, components and finished goods. We have our own design solutions for some products – especially in the area of industrial valves.

Over the years our group has invested a lot of resources in the implementation of innovative manufacturing technologies. We have proceeded to a number of innovation projects for which we used external financing. We have implemented modern organizational standards. We are a supplier for very demanding customers in more than 70 countries across the world, and our main markets are Germany, Italy, the Benelux countries, Britain and many non-European nations, including Egypt, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Iran, China, the United Arab Emirates, Republic of South Africa and United States.

Among our customers are the automotive industry leaders such as Toyota, Volkswagen and BMW. Introduction of modern standards of operation made us a compny with high qualification taday. Our customers emphasize that we are at the forefront of PM

“western” companies. Our big advantage is an offer value for money, which makes us grow year-on-year for the last 15 years.

You also try to show an innovative approach to running a business in the area of environmental protection. How has this been demonstrated your business?

We have modernized some of our processes which were quite a burden on the environment. First of all I mean, foundry process and some of the processes associated with the production of fasteners – mainly large chemical processes. In recent years, we have made very significant investments in these areas. Their effect is the total elimination of the chemical process in the fastener factory Śrubena. We use in this place other technologies which have no adverse impact on the environment. Similarly we have done in our foundry, which has been completely modernized. We used modern solutions, some of them as the first company in Europe, They caused that we have significantly reduced dust and emissions of harmful compounds into the atmosphere. Currently, we are preparing another investment project that will make our foundry neutral to the environment. We have also set aside a large amount of money for reducing noise produced by our plants. We are making all these changes not only to benefit the natural environment, but also to raise work comfort for our employees.

• PM

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Infrastructure

THE BIGGEST EXPERIENCE, THE BEST PROFESSIONALS THE BUILDING RESEARCH INSTITUTE (ITB)

Marcin M. Kruk, PhD, Director of the Building Research Institute (ITB)

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he Building Research Institute has been supporting the development of the Polish construction sector for more than seventy years. We are a leading research institute linked to the Ministry responsible for the construction sector in Poland. The ITB’s main activity is research and development in the scope of: • mechanical resistance and stability, • safety in case of fire, • hygiene, health and the environment, • safety and accessibility in use, • protection against noise, • energy economy and heat retention, • sustainable use of natural resources.

The R&D activities are conducted under national and international research projects.

Recently, we have participated in the following: Building Lifecycle Energy Saving Integral

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Learning (BLESIL), Healthier Life with Eco-innovative Components for Housing Construction (H-House), Smart Elements for Sustainable Building Envelopes (SESBE), Benchmarking and mainstreaming building sustainability in the EU based on transparency and openness from model to implementation (OPEN HOUSE), Multi-stakeholder, Cross-sectorial, collaborative long term Research & Innovation Road Map to overcome technological and non-technological barriers towards more energy-efficient buildings & districts (BUILDING UP). So far the ITB has been a partner in dozens of research projects including those carried out within Framework Programmes, Horizon 2020, Erasmus+ and many others.

Highly qualified experts recognized in Poland and abroad, provide large-scale and technically complex investigations of construction works. Having extensive experience and knowhow, we collaborate on implementing the most important construction projects in Poland: residential, commercial and industrial buildings, skyscrapers, sports facilities, tunnels, airports, cultural and sacral buildings, etc.

With the ITB expertise in mining areas we can make a comprehensive assessment and propose recommendations to secure structures of buildings and to ensure safety of its users.

We are proud of our solid reputation as an experienced testing and innovative centre guaranteeing quality and reliability of its works. At the ITB Testing Laboratories we take part in creating innovative construction technology and techniques. The accreditation scope (PCA Accreditation Certificates: AB 023, AC 020, AC 072, AP 113) encompasses a wide range of testing and certification procedures specified in the Polish standards and EN, ENISO, ISO standards as well as other technical specifications. Our clients benefit from our long-standing experience in the construction sector comprising the following scope of tests:

mechanical, chemical, physical, fire, acoustic, thermal, biological, electrical, electronic, electromagnetic, radiochemical and radiation, non-destructive, and tests in the field of environmental engineering, etc.

Thanks to state-of-the-art and unique laboratory facilities, we offer high precision tests including: • geotechnical properties of building soil, • concrete and related products, • acoustic and thermal insulations, • components of building structures (made of metals, reinforced and prestressed concrete, wood etc.), • fasteners and fastening systems, • lightweight partitions and glazed elements including windows, doors and curtain walls, building hardware, • sanitary systems, • fire automatics and signalling systems, electrical systems, • waterproofing products and products for protection against corrosion, • finishing materials and products.

Moreover, using defined simulation models and scenarios based on customer specifications and preliminary studies we can help to prevent and solve problems and predict properties, impacts and support the development of high-performance construction technology.

Throughout our history, the Institute has formed long-standing partnerships with construction stakeholders enabling to develop the ITB reference documents: Technical Requirements for Execution and Acceptance of Construction Works, Designing according to Eurocodes, Scientific Studies, Guidance as well as new test methods for construction products and technologies.

We work as a skilled team to meet market expectations and to strengthen a direct link • between science and business.

Infrastructure

Science and expert Knowledge for the conStruction of the future

ReseaRch and development Safety

national and inteRnational pRojects

constRUction investigations

Quality

testing of constRUction pRodUcts and stRUctURes in the accRedited gRoUp of testing laBoRatoRies Durability

innovation and KnoWledge dissemination eURopean technical assessments, national technical appRovals and Recommendations

environment

ceRtification in eURope and asia Comfort

Building Research Institute, 00-611 Warsaw, ul. Filtrowa 1, phone: 22 825 04 71, fax: 22 825 52 86, instytut@itb.pl

www.itb.pl

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Powerful Businesswoman

Nurture

IS NOT A FOUNDATION, BUT A“SOCIAL BUSINESS” Monika Jabłońska, the President of Nurture the World, and a social entrepreneur, talks to “Polish Market” about her undertakings.

Nurture the World operates in the USA, Brazil and, as of recently, also in Poland.

Is there any interest in the firm’s products in our country? How do the Poles respond to this initiative?

Nurture the World in Poland has been developing at its own pace. Through the Internet and without any aggressive PR or marketing we have been reaching increasing numbers of people. The number of those interested in the Nurture the World project in Poland and the project’s appeal have been growing and our products are becoming ever more popular. The winning appeal of Nurture prompts people to help and join the project. We receive many interesting ideas, advice, and warm words of encouragement and support. On the other hand, we continue to educate them by stressing that Nurture is not a foundation, but a “social business.” This takes some explaining. Nurture sells many different products. We care deeply about their high quality while helping many in need. Buying one of our products the customer not only supports the Polish economy -Nurture manufactures its products in the local markets, also in Poland- thus contributing to a reduction of the number of unemployed, but also promotes our products and services domestically and abroad, helps finance meals for children because some of the income generated by the sale of every product is donated to a school feeding program- in Poland, for example, we work with the Polish Red Crossand supports local farmers -school canteens buy products from local farmers to prepare meals for their pupils. Our work benefits everyone involved and our beneficiaries constitute a significant group. One can join in the good endeavour simply by buying Nurture’s products. The effect of this project, its potential, and the amount of good that Nurture PM

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brings with itself are huge. I look into the future with great optimism and put my faith in Poland and its people.

Your project supports organizations that are working to end child hunger in different countries. It also involves well-known show business personalities. What can you tell me about your activities in Poland?

Nurture the World supports various organizations set up to combat hunger among children. The principle is simple. If we sell our products in Poland we also assist Polish children, in Brazil – Brazilian, in the USA – American, etc. We cooperate for example with the World Food Programme and support the Polish Red Cross in Poland. However, we want to expand our operations to include further countries and institutions as well. We sell products, Nurture branded products, and a limited line of products designed especially for Nurture by famous show business figures. Part of the income from the sale of each product is donated to finance meals for school children. Our products are available to individual customers. In March of this year we are launching our new project called “Nurture Business”. We welcome companies, businesses, shops, banks, corporations, etc. to join it. This facet of our endeavour involves Corporate Social Responsibility. We offer businesses custom-made products for inside and outside use. We shall make available for their customers and employees a special edition of products with the partner’s logo, for example, bags, T-shirts, ecofriendly notebooks, calendars, sports clothing and many others, thus involving them in our global project and in helping people in Poland.

PM

five lunches. Are there also other ways of supporting your initiative?

The current Nurture line includes various products, not only bags, but also T-shirts, bracelets, gadgets, etc. Soon other products and nice surprises will be on offer. While setting up Nurture I wanted to reach a wide group of customers in Poland and in the world and create a whole range of products for everyone.

We will bring out the new Nurture products gradually and slowly and build the brand in a well thought-out way. Currently, you may support us by buying Nurture products and following Nurture the World Polska on social media. We also invite businesses and corporate partners to work with us. I say again that we are not a foundation and we do not accept any donations.

Do you think that Polish society is ready for this level of understanding of “social business”?

Poland is a country with many highly intelligent, educated, and talented people. We often hear about successes of Poles here and abroad. This also means that the potential of the Poles and the level of openness of our society to new economic phenomena are huge.

All we need is a sincere willingness to act. We receive numerous signals from the media, our partners and other associates in Poland telling us that we are moving in the right direction and should continue our activities. This is also a positive sign indicating that social business is welcome in Poland and has a considerable chance of success, just like in the USA. • PM

Currently, Nurture products are available from mustache.pl

PM

The message is simple – thanks to every bag purchased children in need receive

Soon, the Polish Nurture the World website will come online at http://nurturetheworld.com/pl/

Design

WOMEN IN AN INNOVATIVE ECONOMY Alicja Adamczak, PhD, President of the Polish Patent Office

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nnovation based on knowledge and the practical application of the outcomes of R&D work is one of the pillars of the modern economy. Developing creativity and innovative attitudes is a challenge for society as a whole, and a prerequisite for gaining competitive advantage and commercial success on domestic and foreign markets. In the processes conditioning economic growth it is impossible to overestimate the role of women, which is particularly apparent in the progress made by many developed countries. Their policy is focused on utilising the potential of women actively participating in socioeconomic life, and primarily operating in the science and business sectors. The remarkable successes of women are especially notable in industries requiring creativity, advanced skills and precision, and often sensitivity and consistency in solving technical and organisational problems.

The experiences of many developed economies (e.g. Germany, France, Sweden, Finland) which have reached a high technological level demonstrate that utilising women’s intellectual potential in science and business has a positive impact on the GDP level, which in turn contributes to society’s wellbeing. Specialised studies clearly show that using the potential of women brings

considerable development opportunities.

According to the report of the Digital Agenda for Europe, evening out the number of women and men in technological companies in the EU would contribute to an increase in the EU’s total GDP by approx. EUR9 billion. It was also found that the rate of return on equity varies according to whether the company has been managed by a man or a woman.

Companies managed by women record a 35% higher rate of return. The results prove that Poland has a considerable potential due to the very high number of female graduates and academic staff members, accounting for approx. 50% of academic personnel in total.

It is worth pointing out that many women in Poland are awarded doctoral degrees, with over 40% of the degrees belonging to women, for whom acquiring knowledge and skills is a way towards development and professional fulfilment. The data point to the importance of utilising women’s potential through their increased involvement in innovative activities and of recognising the value of the intellectual property created by them. It is particularly crucial to facilitate broadly understood education in creative industries, which create space for creative and professional activity. To ensure sustainable economic development it is essential to provide women and men with equal access to all levels of professional careers

in science and business, which is one of the basic conditions for the efficient operation of an innovative and competitive economy.

The Polish Patent Office has for years emphasised the issues associated, with women’s valuable contribution to inventions, in particular in the area of modern design, which plays a special role in improving the quality of life and in the development of innovative economy in Poland and abroad. This year’s conference, dedicated to social innovation in industrial design, will be a significant contribution to developing cooperation between designers and producers aimed at simplifying the everyday life of people with health- or agerelated dysfunctions or limitations. It is also important to provide these people with an opportunity to use their creative potential, which can serve the whole of society. This subject matter also encompasses the legal protection of design as industrial property and the issue of raising social awareness of the economic role of design. The increasingly important achievements of women and their high potential in the field of designing utility products make this subject a matter of particular relevance to many communities, including women active in the fields of business and design, or planning to undertake such activities.

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Events

POLISH FURNITURE TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM!

The furniture sector is one of the most important Polish industries and a solid pillar of our exports. In the global ranking of furniture manufacturers Poland currently occupies the sixth place. The furniture industry consists of 25,000 manufacturing plants of varying size employing a total of 160,000 workers. This is the fourth largest segment of the economy in terms of export value.

It is estimated that in 2015 the value of Polish exports in this area reached almost EUR 9 billion. Owing to the fact that timber has always been our major asset, not to say a flagship product, and is sold by a single state-owned institution (Lasy Polskie – Polish Forests) our timber and furniture sectors enjoy good conditions for development. We are also strongly developing our design.

Polish designers effectively compete for a prominent position in the international market and have scored numerous successes.

Maciej Proliński writes about the strong position of our furniture industry.

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he Polish furniture industry belongs to the leaders in the ma nu factu re and export of furniture in the world. Official statistical data collected from individual countries show that in recent years Poland advanced from 10th place to 6th position in the world in the production of furniture in value terms (according to the data available for 2014).

The recently published “Polish Furniture Outlook 2016” report is a source of information about the changing furniture sector.

The report presents comprehensive data regarding production results of the furniture industry in the previous year and contains forecasts for 2016. It also analyses economic indicators and describes trends in business sentiment. In 2014 the value of furniture exports exceeded EUR 8.6 billion, i.e.

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Events approximately PLN 36.6 billion! Since 2010 furniture exports have increased by over 40%! And since the establishment of the Polish Chamber of Commerce of Furniture Manufacturers (OIGPM; 1996) whose mission is to actively promote Polish furniture domestically and globally, furniture exports have grown nearly nine-fold!

In the global ranking of furniture exporters Poland is just off the podium with a 6.3% share in the market, only slightly behind Italy and Germany, and in front of the Americans. China is the unquestioned leader.

“We do not complain about the crisis in the sector. Europe owes its largest investment projects and the biggest orders from the timber industry to Poland. For some years now we have been strongly developing our own design and we must now work hard to ensure that both Polish furniture and Polish manufacturers gain a strong position in the international markets. The sector is increasingly well organised and knows that it must build its own brand. Therefore, our most important task is building the Polish brand of furniture which is better in terms of quality, price and design than the furniture offered by other makers. And our product range is very wide: from popular products for everybody to furniture designed for offices and hotels. The sales of upholstered products are also growing fast. Our main trading partners are in Europe, but the American market is also very attractive, as well as the Arab countries where we can compete with Chinese furniture on quality and with Italian or German products on price”, says Jan Szynaka, president of the OIGPM and the owner of the Szynaka Meble Group. According to the estimates contained in the “Polish Furniture Outlook 2016” report, last year the biggest increase of Polish furniture exports – by more than 20% - was to Romania, Slovakia and the USA. “Furniture means technology, design and brand” says Przemysław Trawa, president of Poznań International Fair (MTP), the most recognisable exhibition organizer in Poland.

“Not only the manufacturers, but the entire business environment should work on building the brand. Participation in various fairs is an important element of promotion”, adds Przemysław Trawa.

The international Meble Polska 2016 Furniture Fair is scheduled to be held in Poznań on 8-11 March 2016. It will be attended by the largest Polish manufacturers. Meble Polska, which since 2010 has been organised in the B2B format, is the most important furniture sector fair in the country. “Meble Polska is the only event in the world where the offer of the main Polish furniture makers are presented in such a comprehensive way. Everybody

who wants to successfully trade in furniture made in Poland simply must come here. International furniture contracting in Poznań is the most effective form of promoting the sales of Polish furniture abroad. Thanks to an extensive marketing campaign conducted for a number of years in the key foreign markets we have managed to build a positive image of this fair as a global centre for contracting the output of the Polish furniture industry. As a result wholesale and retail furniture distributors from approximately 50 countries come to Poznań every year because for them Meble Polska is a permanent fixture in their calendar of meetings. Last year, the exhibition was visited by over 20,000 traders, with over 30% of them being professional visitors from abroad” says Przemysław Trawa.

Józef Szyszka, director of Meble Polska Furniture Fair, says: “At present, increasing the number of visitors is not the priority for the organiser. This year, the team organising the fair has focused more on inviting to Poznań the key furniture buyers from the most important markets who have the largest purchasing potential”.

The fair is accompanied by two events dedicated to interiors fit-out and design: Home Decor and arena Design. The former is addressed to designers, interior architects, wholesalers and distributors operating in the fit-out and interior design sector. The latter is dedicated to the latest trends in Polish and world design. This year, the special guest of arena Design will be Inga Sempé, a famous Paris designer collaborating with such manufacturers as Ligne Roset and Alessi.

The diagnosis was made in a report drawn up in 2015 by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) that design in Poland still faces considerable obstacles. The market remains difficult because design is treated above all as an element of marketing, while modern design needs effective organisation, considerable outlays and a comprehensive development vision. However, in recent years the production of furniture created

by Polish designers has been increasing and the designers have been receiving the most prestigious awards and distinctions all over the world. There is no question that the international situation plays into the hands of Polish design. The number of festivals, exhibitions and fairs is growing. Polish designers are beginning to actively participate in these events, often with great success.

This was attested, for example, by the latest edition of the prestigious Red Dot Awards, known as the Oscars of design, which have been awarded for 60 years. In 2015, Poles received as many as 12 of them! One award went to Pelican armchair created by Przemysław Stopa for Profim, another to The Island

(Wyspa), i.e. a sofa which can be transformed into an armchair (designed for Profim by ITO Design) and to Balans – a modern decorative lamp by Piotr Jagiełłowicz created for Aquaform. The company Meble VOX too has reasons to be happy. Its “Spot by VOX” bunk bed for children has been given the prestigious iF Design Award 2015. The designer of the award-winning collection is Wiktoria Lenart.

Co-operation of the Institute of Industrial Design (IWP) or regional design centres with businesses and designers in the Polish market is also important for the development of the sector. A network of sorts is slowly being created, and the design festivals held in many Polish cities and promoting relations between them prove that collaboration between these communities brings about economic benefits and demonstrate achievements in this field.

Since 1993, the IWP has been organising the only independent design market monitoring in the country, i.e. the “Good Design” competition. The contest is addressed to those whose decisions determine the economic and cultural future of our country. Invitations to the event are sent to manufacturers, distributors, service providers and design studios whose products and services have been recommended by the Institute’s experts as meeting the requirements of good design.

The aim of the Institute is to trawl the multitude of products available in the market in search for the best of them. Not just designer fireworks, not just “exclusive design”, but products that are well designed, modern and innovative, with prices the average Pole can afford. One of the conclusions of the last finals of the contest was that we are beginning to define innovation through industrial design.

The “Usiądź po polsku” (“Sit Down Polish-style”) exhibition organised as part of the 2016 European Capital of Culture project also demonstrates that design in Poland has an interesting history and that our market continues to change, develop and mature. Until the end of the year in Wrocław one can see dozens of the best examples of chairs, armchairs and seats designed in Poland and manufactured by Polish firms in the years 19412014. The exhibition includes products of our best designers, among them Tomek Rygalik, Malafor Studio, Tomasz Augustyniak, Wanda Telakowska and Roman Modzelewski. Many became symbols of their times and received numerous prizes, including the aforementioned Red Dot Award. “The selection of models shows the diversity of Poland’s post-war furniture industry, both in the area of experimentation and serial production. The collection of pieces awarded the Red Dot attests to the high position of Polish design in the international arena” – states the website of the European Capital of Culture.

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Culture

INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR WARSAW 2016 - FIRST INTERNATIONAL FAIR FOR 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY ART IN POLAND

The International Art Fair 2016 will take place at Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy Stadium, on April 7-10. It is the first art fair ever to be organised in Poland on such a grand scale. Among the exhibitors will be well known artists from Poland and countries such as Great Britain, Switzerland, Belarus, Ukraine, Germany, Austria and Romania. They will present numerous paintings, photographs, and also modern design.

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he IAFwarsaw is a four day event. The first two days are dedicated to collectors, interior designers, architects and people from the world of business.

On the following two days the PGE Narodowy will open its doors to the general public. A few dozen artists, handpicked by a select council chaired by the fair’s curator Małgorzata Miśkowiec, will present their artwork to the public. IAFwarsaw is going to be an interesting review of what is going on in the world of modern art.

“We hope that by organising the fair on such a large scale, we will help develop an interest in Polish and European modern art. Our visitors will be able to learn about galleries and artists who have rarely been present, or even nonexistent in our market. We will also exhibit works of Polish artists such as Igor Mitoraj, which are currently exhibited in foreign galleries”, says Beata Roszkowska, the director and creator of the International Art Fair Warsaw 2016.

“IAF Warsaw 2016 will definitely stand out in terms of its offer. We are the only fair in Poland that connects visual art with design. Besides paintings, sculptures, and photographs, we will also present modern design and manufacturing.

Some of those are created by well-known Polish artists such as Oskar Zięta and Tomasz Rygalik. I would also like to mention that the interior of our art fair is designed by an architecture power couple Marlena and Marek Happach, from the H2 Happach studio,” adds Małgorzata Miśkowiec, IAFwarsaw’s curator.

•

The opening hours for IAFwarsaw: April 7 (Thursday) 13:00 – 20:00 April 8 (Friday) 10:00 – 20:00 April 9 (Saturday) 10:00 – 20:00 April 10 (Sunday) 10:00 – 17:00 Photo culture is a strategic partner for IAFwarsaw 2016.

The fair is also supported by cultural institutes such as: BWA Tarnów, J. Tarasin City Art Gallery of Kalisz and Atlas Sztuki Gallery from Łódź.

For more information concerning the IAFwarsaw please visit: www.art-fair.pl 3/2016 polish market

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Cultural Monitor

CINEMA ADDRESSING THE ISSUE OF FREEDOM (AND

ITS LIMITATIONS) PLUS JAZZ, THE MUSIC OF FREEDOM, ARE THE MAIN TOPICS OF THE MARCH EDITION OF CULTURAL MONITOR. THE ALBUMS ARE RECOMMENDED BY MACIEJ PROLIŃSKI. “The Decalogue” - directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski - Released by TVP - BD&DVD

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3 March 2016 will be the 20th anniversary of the death of Krzysztof Kieślowski, one of the most important representatives of auteur cinema. TVP brings back a digitally re-mastered series of television dramas directed by him in the 1980s and called “The Decalogue”- ten episodes, each filmed by a different cameraman, including Witold Adamek, Edward Kłosiński, Sławomir Idziak, Piotr Sobociński and Jacek Bławut, starring a host of Poland’s most important actors. Individual stories reflect the Ten Commandments. But Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, co-author of the screenplays gave them a form acceptable to every viewer, regardless of their religious beliefs. However, Kieślowski, focused on metaphysics, appears to see and experience it primarily in terms of human relationships. A close look at one’s own life, often through the prism of another person, contains the key to understanding his entire artistic journey. “Be careful. Other people live next to you. Whatever your actions, they affect not just you, but also those who are close or not so close, or even someone whose presence you don’t even foresee,” he said in one of his interviews. This is exactly what we observe in these one hour-long films, which continue to be screened and admired all over the world.

Jerzy Stuhr, who appears in “The Decalogue 10” once made this poignant observation while talking to me. “During my lifetime there were undoubtedly two exponents of the universal language of Polish art in the discipline which I represent. One was in the theatre. He was Tadeusz Kantor, who staged a play about his home village entitled “Wielopole” and made his small, provincial world near Tarnów famous all over the world. The other was in the cinema. I am talking of Krzysztof Kieślowski who made 10 films about the Stawki Estate in Warsaw and the people living there. His “Decalogue” is understood everywhere in the world”. Years after the premiere, we watch the series with the same reflection. My favourite episodes are undoubtedly: 1, 5, 6 and 10, that is parables about God, death, love and things. Things which we continue to believe are immortal, more than God, love or death...

“11 Minutes” - directed by Jerzy Skolimowski - Released by Kino Świat - DVD

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he latest film by another well-known Polish director is not far removed from the aforementioned “Decalogue”. People today believe more in their “5 minutes of fame” than in the last “11 minutes of their life”...

And the latter is brilliantly told by Skolimowski. We meet in his movie a selection of Varsovians whose lives and passions interleave with each other. An unexpected chain of events seals their fate in just eleven minutes.

The cast includes Wojciech Mecwaldowski, Andrzej Chyra, and Richard Dormer, born in Northern Ireland. In the 1960s, Skolimowski – director, screenwriter and actor, made a number of films in Poland strongly marked by his individualism, such as “Ręce do góry”, “Bariera”, “Walkower” and “Rysopis”. All of them told universal stories of people “entangled” in the 20th century – their reckoning and desires. In his new movie the old master again tells us something important about us. It is worth listening to his voice and memorising it well. The thing that continues to endear the film to me is that Skolimowski treats Polish audiences in the 21st century just like he treated them in the 20th century. He does not prompt anything. Scenes from this work become sheets recording moments and at times rather volatile moods. They are also an excellent counterpoint to their era and attest to the huge originality of their author.

“Grain of Truth” - directed by Borys Lankosz; “King of Life” - directed by Jerzy Zieliński - Released by Agora - DVD

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wo movies which differ greatly in terms of style and mood. Polish popular films. The former is an atmospheric noir crime story, a screen adaptation of Zygmunt Miłoszewski’s novel about Prosecutor Szacki who is conducting an investigation in Sandomierz into the strange murder of a respected civic activist. The latter is the directing debut of an experienced cameraman behind many Polish and foreign films. This light-hearted movie is a story about an employee of a corporation and his relations with his family and the surrounding world.

One day, these relations undergo a complete change. The former film provides a healthy dose of thrill, even if watched in the comfort of one’s own home. The latter is an altogether pleasant and painless experience. And the participation in these adventures of one of our best actors, Robert Więckiewicz, adds even more flavour!

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CM – March 2016

Cultural Monitor

Włodek Pawlik - “America” - Released by Pawlik Relations - CD

T

he great Polish jazz pianist and composer, Włodek Pawlik, a 2014 Grammy winner, with his trio (double bass player Paweł Pańta and drummer Cezary Konrad) pays homage to the homeland of jazz and also summarises his long and diverse musical career. The album includes pieces recorded for the first time, as well as those already released. There are also compositions from the soundtracks: “Rewers” directed by Borys Lankosz and “Wrony” by Dorota Kędzierzawska. We also have two jazz interpretations of works by Polish composers: the last mazurka by Chopin and Paderewski’s Nocturne. The album is full of dynamism, good energy and lyricism. We encounter excellent music at every step of the way! The tone is noble and there is no shortage of fire. Thanks to “America” we can see Pawlik as an extremely versatile composer and pianist with enormous sensitivity, great intuition and his own sound signature.

Janczarski & McCraven Quintet - “ Travelling East West” - Released by For Tune - CD

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his album bears the name of the quintet which means that it does not belong to the group of records where the leader’s compositions are played by the band. The album was recorded by five musicians with four of them contributing at least one piece each. Apart from the leaders of the project – the young Polish saxophone player Borys Janczarski and the drum legend Steven McCraven – pieces were composed by the pianist Joanna Gajda and the trumpet player Rasul Siddik. Interestingly, the leaders make no effort to dazzle with their technique and often allow their illustrious colleagues to improvise. In summary: this is international jazz that bridges generations. Quite melodic, dancing, sometimes with ethnic notes, but always underlined with a “rough nerve” in the best meaning of this term. If I were to compare the album to something in the history of this music I would say it reminds me of the works by the great Pharoah Sanders!

“3275 kg Orchestra “ – Released by Bemowskie Centrum Kultury – CD

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his is probably the only such orchestra in Poland, i.e. a 30-strong ensable of instrumentalists, composers and sound and visualisation creation artists. It was set at the Bemowo Culture Centre which is both the lair and the manager of the band. Its name denotes the weight of the entire orchestra including the grand piano... The musical character and direction of the orchestra is shaped by the experiences of all its musicians and their fascination with ethnic music and jazz in its many varieties, as well as experimental or classical music.

As far as I am concerned, their first album is the hit of the year. This is a set of compositions which combine formal and sound experiments with artistic energy and musical ferment, as well as melody! Polish musicians, led by Maciej Trifonidis Bielawski, know very well where to find the canon of jazz and where the current fashion comes from. But they give all this their own, inimitable treatment. Listening to their music evokes various associations in me, including Alex Band, the classic exponents of Polish popular music, and Young Power, a symbol of the great Polish jazz avant-garde. But, above all, I hear here the ideas and sounds from Warsaw’s Bemowo of the 21st century!

Stryjo – “A Vista Social Club” – 2 CD; “Progressive Baroque” – CD – Released by Nowa Brama Pro Musica

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he last of today’s recommendations are linked by the name of Nikola Kołodziejczyk – a young but already respected jazz pianist, composer, conductor and arranger, a graduate and currently a lecturer at the Katowice Academy of Music. The double album of Stryjo, a classic jazz trio (Nikola Kołodziejczyk – piano, Maciej Szczyciński – double bass, Michał Bryndal – drums) brings us a set of pieces improvised during a jam session.

In these stylistically coherent recordings the band shows us what the freedom of this music really is and demonstrates solid playing skills, excellent understanding between band members and an individual approach to the themes played. They do equally well in atmospheric compositions and fast numbers. They control their energy with a degree of sensitivity rarely seen in this country. “Progressive Baroque”, in turn, is an hour-long suite written by Kołodziejczyk for 15 instrumentalists. A baroque-jazz band made up of such instruments like: suka, sarangi, viola da gamba, violin and baroque cellos, trumpet and the aforesaid Stryjo jazz trio. The addition of folk instruments played here by Marta Sołek, a student of Maria Pomianowska, gives the composition yet another dimension. Listening to this musically more restrained proposition I thought that the music of Kołodziejczyk is, above all, a part of his life’s journey and develops beautifully along its progress. Recent years have brought us works of absolutely sublime beauty. The more often I listen to them the more beauty and melancholy I hear. They are the most wonderful things, right after silence. Absolutely not progressive!

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Culture

EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE

LET’S GO!

On January 15-17 Wrocław celebrated the inauguration of its European Capital of Culture Programme (ECoC). The programme itself is made up of projects and around 1000 artistic events including festivals, concerts, and other attractions that will take place within the city’s borders. “The European Capital of Culture” is the most important event in the post-war history of this city” said Rafał Dutkiewicz, the Mayor of Wrocław. We would like to offer our congratulations to the mayor for receiving such an honourable title. We have reported many times on what Wrocław has to offer the world in cultural matters, and this is why, due to it being granted this title, we are jumping for joy.

Maciej Proliński

“

Awakening”, the impressive Opening Ceremony, was directed by Chris Baldwin, who is the Curator of Interdisciplinary Performance for the ECoC Wrocław 2016, an artist who has directed many outdoor events across Europe. The Opening Ceremony took place on January 17 in four districts of Wrocław. Thousands of people took to the streets to be part of one of the most spectacular parades the city has ever seen. It was also an interesting artistic form of presenting the history of Wrocław and its citizens. To put into perspective the size of this project, just take a look at the numbers – over 1,300 artists, 200 choristers, 50 soldiers, 30 light installations and 30 gigantic puppets. “Awakening” is part of Baldwin’s “Quartet Flow” project. The project consists of 4 spectacular events that tell the story of Wrocław’s cultural identity, and are to engage the people of Wrocław. The first of these events – “Bridges” (June 2015) in which 22,000 people participated was the largest one-day performance in Europe. The second part of this project is “Awakening”. On June 11, 2016 on the banks of the river Oder we will witness concerts and plays. The finale of the “Flow Quartet” will be “Heaven” which is the Closing Ceremony for the ECoC Wrocław 2016.

During the 3 day long grand opening of the ECoC Wrocław 2016 over 100 different cultural events took place. The most important of them were the exhibition of works by the legendary Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida, and the exhibition “Made in Europe. 25 years of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture –Mies Van der Rohe Award”, which gave us the opportunity to look at the best pieces of world architecture. For three days the ECoC also hosted the project “Mercouri/Xenakis”, which consisted of an exhibition, concerts and performances dedicated to

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the works of Iannis Xenakis, a legendary Greek architect and composer, and Melina Mercouri, a Greek actress, minister of culture, and initiator of the ECoC. The programme for the ECoC Wrocław 2016 covers 8 fields of culture: architecture, film, literature, music, visual arts, theatre, performance and opera. There are more than 400 projects consisting of nearly 1000 artistic events. The film part will cover events such as a special edition of the T-Mobile New Horizons International Film Festival, or a special project “Film Operas” carried out by renowned European directors. In December Wrocław will host the European Film Awards. One of the main musical projects is “Singing Europe”, which is a meeting held in July and August by a few dozen choirs from Europe with global opera stars including opera and oratorio concerts. In the ECoC 2016 programme a large opera show based on Spanish musical traditions is planned.

The most important music project will be “The Spanish night with Carmen – Zarzuela Show”

– a performance based on a concept by Ewa Michnik, directed by Waldemar Zawodziński.

Wrocław will be the only city that will be visited in February by the Italian composer Ennio Morricone. Wrocław will also see David Gilmour’s “Rattle That Lock” tour kick off. The legendary rock star will play alongside an orchestra under the baton of Zbigniew Preisner, who has composed orchestrations for two of Gilmour’s albums, and the outstanding pianist Leszek Możdżer. Visual arts will consist of various exhibitions. The National Museum in Wrocław is planning an exhibition entitled “Wrocław’s Europe”, that will show the works of one of the most famous Wrocław artists at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries, Bartholomeus Strobel. On the other hand, the project “Wrocław from the Back Yard” will be an attempt to bring back life into some forgotten and derelict parts of the city via contemporary artistic interventions. We can also find out about the latest trends in European art at the Young European Art Biennial in July. •

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Culture

INTERACTIVE CASTLE A special website for the Royal Castle in Warsaw is being created. It is part of the project called “Platform of Knowledge – the museum, scientific and educational portal for the Royal Castle in Warsaw”. Besides images from the Royal Castle archives, the website will also feature news from its history and history of art studies. The educational side of this project is to focus mainly on multimedia museum lessons. It will also contain teaching materials for every level of education.

The third side will be a virtual guide around the museum collections and archives.

These activities, which begin on July 1, 2016, will last until the end of June 2019.

Maciej Proliński

T

he project is part of the Digital Poland Operational Programme, that is organised by the Digital Poland Project Centre. The project’s goals include increasing access to cultural resources, digitizing the cultural resources of Royal Castle in Warsaw, improving the digital quality of the online resources, and improving access to the current online resources.

“Our aim is to broaden access to everything that makes up the Royal Castle. That is the building, the museum, and the group of people who protect its heritage. This project is carried out on many different levels. The most important things in promoting knowledge of the Castle and its resources are the digital knowledge platform and the interactive museum portal of the Castle” said the acting director of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Przemysław Mrozowski.

A poll asking people about the Royal Castle’s new website shows that users require simple, clear, and economic solutions. According to plans over 9,000 digitalised objects with descriptions in English and Polish will be published on this website.

“We will present museum objects that are richly represented in the Castle from nearly every discipline: from painting, sculpture, graphics and furniture to archival objects, which due to their nature are kept in storage and cannot be accessed by the public on a day

to day basis. Our users are pupils, students, teachers, scientists, representatives of professions connected with preserving cultural heritage, collectors, tourists and simply culture lovers,” said Aldona Modrzewska, the director of the project for the Digitisation of the Royal Castle in Warsaw collections.

In her opinion, the resources have a huge potential that can be used in the scientific, cultural and even administrative sectors.

They have a big historical, scientific and artistic value for both Polish and international culture. It is worth noting that all of the presented objects are fully inventoried and have a huge educational value. This means that they can be useful for amateurs, as they are properly checked in terms of copyrights. “We hope that the platform will be popular with our users.

We intend to reach 20,000 page views in the first year since launching,” says Modrzewska.

This project will start on July 1, 2016, and will finish on June 30, 2019.

The project will cost more than PLN 5.2 million.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw owns over 50,000 exhibits and over 100,000 archival units. The digitising of its resources has taken over 5 years and has been divided into a few stages. During stage one, in the years 2012 – 2013, a photographic workshop including a scanning station for archival documents was created. Apart from this, the collections

went through a conservation process, a digital repository of the collections was created, the glossary of the electronic stock list was systematised. Also the ICT infrastructure was modernised. On top of this a pilot programme for digitisation of the collections with procedures and instructions for this process was created.

During the second stage of this project the digitisation of the collections and the development of technical infrastructure were continued. This was to serve the main goal, which was improving the accessibility to digital archives. The final task will be to integrate all of the materials that have already been uploaded on four different portals of the Royal Castle (main site, educational site, commercial site, and page dedicated to the collections) in to one, modern and easy to operate platform. • Photo: Terrace in Madrid; Józef Pankiewicz (1866-1940), Royal Castle in Warsaw

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BEET

HOV

EN

A N D OT H E R

M A ST

E R S!

“Beethoven and New Directions”. This is the theme of the 20th edition of the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. It will take place on March 12-25, 2016 in Warsaw. The festival will feature Polish and global classical music stars.

The patron of the event was Totalizator Sportowy.

Maciej Proliński

T

he first edition of the Festival took place in 1997. It was an instant success. The Festival became an important fixture in the Polish and European cultural calendar. Every year the programme changes. It presents many interesting, and different achievements of European music. The Festival also enables us to see what inspired the composer of the 9th Symphony and how his music inspired composers from later periods. The Festival allows us to see where his music is now, in the present European culture.

“The 20th anniversary edition of the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival is one of the biggest and most important music events in Poland. The Festival always takes place the week before Easter. It promotes the greatest homegrown and foreign artists. They present in front of Polish audiences masterpieces of classical music. It will not be different this year. Fans of classical music are up for a treat. You have to remember this is an anniversary! Year by year we reach out to new audiences who would spend time between Luzern and Salzburg, where similar Easter Festivals take place. We present a healthy form of cultural snoberry. Just take a look at the concert halls around the world.

75% of them are made up of middle-aged, middle-class people. In Poland the situation is completely different. Our audiences mainly consist of students. We reach out to them. But no matter what, every audience demands top-class

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orchestras, soloists, and even more so powerful debuts,” says Elżbieta Penderecka, the organizer of the Festival.

The anniversary edition of the Festival will open with a concert at the Warsaw Philharmonic. The Warsaw Philharmonic soloists, orchestra and choir will be conducted by maestro Jacek Kaspszyk. They will perform Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy for piano, choir and orchestra and the famous Symphony No. 9. The main stars of this year’s Festival are two great orchestras: Tonhalle from Zurich (first time in Poland!) including virtuoso pianist Yefim Bronfman, and the NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg under the baton of Krzysztof Urbański, and a legendary baritone Thomas Hampton. Apart from those two orchestras, some world-renowned string quartets will take the stage. These include the Emerson String Quartet, Shanghai Quartet and Szymanowski Quartet. The programme will feature: Straus, Mahler, Szymanowski, Bartók, Dvořák, Stravinsky and Shostakovich.

Jerzy Maksymiuk will conduct the Santander Orchestra. It is made up of the most talented young Polish musicians. The orchestra will perform Shostakovich’s 4th Symphony. The young Polish piano virtuoso Szymon Nehring will play Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini”.

As tradition has it, the Festival also gives stage to little known or forgotten operas. This year we will see the concert versions of two

one-act plays. The first will be Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Riders to the Sea”, the second Gustav Holst’s “At the Boar’s Head”. Just like in previous years, Łukasz Borowicz, a renowned Polish conductor, is responsible for the Festival.

The grand finale will take place on Good Friday. Krzysztof Penderecki’s “St Luke Passion” will be performed that day and the composer himself will conduct the orchestra. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the premiere of this masterpiece. Penderecki while composing was thinking about the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Poland. This composition marks the beginning of Penderecki’s oratorio and cantata series in which he clearly refers to late Romantic aesthetics. Since then, the composer started reaching out to universal themes.

He used themes that are fundamental to European culture. This lead to Penderecki becoming an important part of 20th century music. Over the many years he has created different types of music, from medieval chorals to avant-garde music. If I were to use one word to describe his music I would say... Unpredictability. Perhaps this is the reason why his music attracts younger crowds.

•

NDR Orchestra; mat. Ludwig van Beethoven Association

Culture

VERITABLE, COLOURFUL MUSICAL FEAST! Christoph Eschenbach, a legendary conductor, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, one of the most famous orchestras in the world, appeared on February 19, 2016 at the stage of Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera in Warsaw. The programme of that unique concert included works by Beethoven, Dvořák and Penderecki. The artists had come to Poland for the first time at the invitation of Elżbieta Penderecka, President of the Ludwig van Beethoven Association and Director of the Beethoven Festival. The patron of the event was Totalizator Sportowy.

Maciej Proliński

T

he National Symphony Orchestra of Washington (NSO) is one of the most respected American symphonic ensembles. While maintaining its exceedingly high artistic standards, it performs over 150 concerts per year, playing both classical and popular music. The NSO regularly participates in events of national and international importance, including performances for ceremonial state affairs and official holiday celebrations (Memorial Day, Independence Day). In addition to these activities, the Orchestra members develop education programmes and give charity performances. The Orchestra was founded in 1931, and since 1986 its principal performing venue has been the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The career of Christoph Eschenbach, born in Wrocław, began in 1951 when he won the Steinway Young Pianist Competition. He studied the piano in Cologne, and then in Hamburg, where he began conducting studies. His mentors included George Szell and Herbert von Karajan! For the last six seasons maestro Eschenbach has been music director of the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

Apart from Christoph Eschenbach and his Orchestra, the great hero of the concert at Teatr Wielki in Warsaw was also an outstanding German cellist of the young generation, Daniel Müller-Schott, who had caused a sensation at a tender age of 15 by winning the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1992. He played his first concert in Poland exactly 10 years ago at the National Philharmonic. On that occasion he performed next to Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin) and Andre Previn (piano), playing Mozart’s trios for piano with those famous musicians.

It was Mutter who recognised his great talent. Müller-Schott became a scholar of her foundation and was able to complete his studies under such celebrities like Walter Nothas or Mstislav Rostropovich.

The concert in Warsaw attracted crowds of music lovers (all seats were filled). Everybody was interested to see how the musicians from Washington would acquit themselves compared to other American orchestras, from Chicago, Philadelphia or Boston, considered among the best in the world. It must be said that the Polish audience were treated to a performance by excellent musicians, making up a cohesive whole and able to benefit a lot from the huge experience of their conductor.

That could be heard not only in the stylish, solid interpretation of the beautiful, nostalgic melody of “Adagio” for strings from the 3rd Symphony of Krzysztof Penderecki, but also in the juicy rendition of Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous 7th Symphony in A-minor, filled with colours and rhythm. The cohesion, discipline and sound of the Washingtonians meant that it was possible to listen to the orchestra with the same high level of interest from the first to the last minute of the performance.

Daniel Müller-Schott gave a very interesting interpretation of Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B-minor op. 104. In the interpretation of the young German, the concerto which found favour with Brahms himself (“Had I known that the cello was capable of such things, I would have written this concerto myself!” – he apparently said), and the tender Adagio in particular, was imbued with a truly hot feeling.

No wonder then all the artists received a standing ovation that was so long that they finally decided to give an encore. That too, was a piece by Beethoven: “Prometheus,” a seldom played overture, performed with great clarity and timeless musical charm and taste. •

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Photo: Bruno Fidrych, Ludwig van Beethoven Associacion.

Culture

Culture

HE WHO IS

MUSIC! On 9 April 2016, there will be 80 candles lit up on one of Poland’s most prominent conductor, composer and pianist, Jerzy Maksymiuk’s birthday cake. The anniversary of his birth is a good reason to organise a concert in his honour. Exactly one month before that day, at the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera in Warsaw there will be a a concert by Nikolai Demidenko and the Orchestra of the Teatr Wielki-Polish National Opera under the baton of the birthday man himself. The repertoire will consist of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 Op. 73, and Sergey Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 Op. 27. May this jubilant occasion serve to remind us of the great artist, who received “Polish Market’s” Pearl of Polish Culture in 2013, and a reason for us to offer him our best wishes. All the best, Maestro! Let the Music in you never go silent – wishes the “Polish Market” team!

Maciej Proliński

M

aksymiuk’s career, his concerts, his records, and his personality, have always inspired to speak out against dividing music. Maestro Maksymiuk is music in person. Purifying.

Multidimensional. Transcendental. Live...

Born in Grodno, he has three degrees in music: piano, composing and conducting.

In 1961 he was awarded first place at the Paderewski Piano Competition in Bydgoszcz, but he decided to leave the piano and become a conductor. In 1972 he set up the Polish Chamber Orchestra (POK), which many music critics have claimed to be one of the best orchestras in the world. Under his baton the POK gave concerts in many places around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Proms, Wiener Ferein, and of course in Poland. In 1984 the orchestra was succeeded by the equally famous Sinfonia Varsovia.

At the peak of his career in 1984 Maksymiuk took over for 13 years as chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in Glasgow, and toured with it on multiple ocassions around Europe. He recorded 100 albums for EMI, Hyperion, Naxos and many other record companies. Many of his albums received prestigious awards including the Wiener Floetenur for his and POK’s interpretation of Mozart in 1982, and the Gramophone Award for “Best Concerto of the Year” in 1992 for his recording of “The Confession of Isobel Gowdie” by James Macmillan, or

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his piano concertos of Nikolai Medtner (soloist Nikolai Demidenko, 1995). He has always promoted contemporary music.

Maksymiuk is one of the founders of the Polish Society for Contemporary Music. He has performed for the first time 200 contemporary compositions. As an act of recognition of his honours Strathclyde University in Glasgow honoured him with the title Doctor of Letters.

Always with the same drive, curiosity, love for music and perfection, he studied the secrets of the greatest, those from the canon. What canon? “Mozart is no. 1. If there is a God then this genius is proof he exists.

But maybe alongside Chopin... nobody had such imagination of the piano keyboard as Chopin. No 2 will be Bach and Beethoven.

No. 3 is Russian music: Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Stravinsky. No. 4 will be French Music – Debussy and Ravel. What about no. 5? Let’s wait for a while”, he has recently told “Polish Market”.

Maksymiuk is one of the most persistent propagators of Ignacy Jan Paderewski’s music. For many years the Maestro has claimed that Paderewski’s “Polonia” is the best symphony that we can find in the Polish 19th century music literature. He played it frequently and always would play the full concert and has recorded it three times. “I don’t know a second composition that in such an easy and obvious way would lift up our patriotic spirits”, said Maksymiuk.

The monumental, almost one and a half hour long symphony, created over 100 years ago to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the January Uprising, was performed at the National Opera during a special concert on 4 June 2015. The event was co-organised by “Polish Market”. It reminded us of Paderewski, a composer full of pomp and great maturity, a believer of harmony of sounds, with full awareness of composing and technical discipline.

During the Jubilee Concert at the National Opera on 9 March 2016 canonical compositions will be played that would seem to be familiar over the course of the years. The main soloist will be the renowned Russian pianist, a well known figure at concert halls around Poland – Nikolai Demidenko. Critics often admire his terrific technique connected with his musical vision. Maksymiuk says: “I have recorded for Hyperion two piano concertos by Nikolai Medtner alongside Demidenko and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, which Demidenko himself proposed, for which we received the Gramophone Award. I personally believe these concertos are fantastic, so we have a similar kind of sensitivity. I am very happy that we are meeting at my Jubilee Concert at the Teatr Wielki. Bearing in mind the fantastic pianistic abilities of Nikolai Demidenko, I recommended that he played Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5. And I will conduct Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2. This year will pass for me under the sign of this com• poser.”

For many years the Maestro has claimed that Ignacy Jan Paderewski “Polonia” is the best symphony that we can find in the Polish 19th century music literature.

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Photo: Mirosław Pietruszyński

Culture

Culture

MEDALS

OF THE ACADEMY OF POLISH SUCCESS KRZYSZTOF SKIBA, President of the Board of SKOFF Sp. z o.o., for long-standing achievements in innovative lighting technology Agromasz Zakład Metalowy, President JANUSZ GRUSZCZEWSKI, for dynamic development of the production of agricultural machinery and successes in creating a distribution network in Poland and abroad JAROSŁAW HORODECKI – Ekomech-System, for innovative solutions for system panels – car parks Mayor of Radom KAROL SEMIK, for his long-standing contribution to the building and dynamic development of the city Mayor of Kołobrzeg JANUSZ GROMEK, for his longstanding contribution to the building and dynamic development of the city

Laureates of the GOLD MEDALS OF THE ACADEMY OF POLISH SUCCESS

T

he Academy of Polish Success has yet again rewarded members of the business, culture and sport communities. Twenty one medals were presented during the Grand Gala held at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. Ryszard Konwerski, one of the founders of the Academy, said that the awards demonstrate Poland’s success story. Over a period of more than 15 years since its foundation the Academy has presented in excess of 500 medals.

“By setting up the Chapter we wanted to show the success of Poland in all walks of life.

We promote especially those who achieve great things in very small places. We seek people from little homelands. We are very successful in this endeavour and it makes us very happy, indeed,” - said Ryszard Konwerski.

Professor Henryk Skarżyński, President of the Academy of Polish Success, explained that the main aim was to support those who succeed, who can boast of achievements and should, therefore, be noticed. “All this is done to give success a different image. We want success to be present. We want to be able to enjoy it, argue about it and benefit from it,” he said.

The Professor is convinced that Poles are people of success, that we are highly creative. Usually, this is noticed abroad, not so much here.

The Super Hero of the Polish Economy award was presented for the first time during the gala at the Royal Castle. It went to the Tubądzin Group, manufacturer of ceramics. The award was collected by Mirosław Jędrzejczyk, president of the board of the Group. According to

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him, everybody can succeed. We just have to forget about our complexes.

“I have never been ashamed of living in Poland, of being a Pole. I have never felt inferior to firms which are our rivals in the Polish or European market. The most important thing is to get rid of unnecessary complexes because we really can do great things,” he said.

Twenty one gold medals and medals with a diamond were presented. The latter were received by: Kazimierz Nycz, Metropolitan of Warsaw, Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, Professor Andrzej Rottermund, museologist, and Józef Hen, writer and journalist.

GOLD MEDALS OF THE ACADEMY OF POLISH SUCCESS PAULINA SOKOŁOWSKA – musician, for exceptional achievements and popularisation of music in Poland and abroad JULITA SOKOŁOWSKA – musician, for exceptional achievements and popularisation of music in Poland and abroad

Mayor of Ozarków JACEK SOCHA on the 200th anniversary of the incorporation of the town WARSAW UNIVERSITY – Vice-Rector, Professor ALOJZY NOWAK, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the University WARSAW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY – Rector, Professor JAN SZMIDT on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the School Professor ZBIGNIEW ŁUKASIK – Rector of the Kazimierz Pułaski University of Technology and Humanities in Radom, for outstanding organisational and teaching achievements Professor JANUSZ OLEJNICZAK – pianist, teacher for outstanding artistic achievements

GOLD MEDALS OF THE ACADEMY OF POLISH SUCCESS WITH A DIAMOND CARDINAL KAZIMIERZ NYCZ, for his outstanding contribution to social dialogue.

Laudation – Professor Henryk Skarżyński Film with a statement made by Cardinal Nycz ARCHBISHOP ZYGMUNT ZIMOWSKI – Chairman of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers. for outstanding services to the sick and needy in the world Laudation – President Andrzej Wodzyński Film with a statement made by Archbishop Zimowski

JAN KACZMARCZYK – Drogi i Mosty company, for his personal contribution to the building of roads and bridges in Poland

Professor ANDRZEJ ROTTERMUND, for outstanding achievements in Polish Museology

Dr ANTONI KUBICKI, owner of Arłamów Conference and Hotel Centre for outstanding achievements in the development of Polish entrepreneurship and tourism

Józef HEN, for his outstanding contribution to Polish and European literature

LOYD S.A., President BARTOSZ KACZMARCZYK, for active presence in the labour market, in particular, vocational activation of the disabled Professor PIOTR MONCARZ, Professor at Stanford University (USA), for 15 years of building a platform for exchanging experiences between the economy and the academic world in Poland and the USA

Laudation – Professor Adam Koseski

Laudation – Ambassador Dr Witold Rybczyński

SUPER HEROES OF THE POLISH ECONOMY THE TUBĄDZIN GROUP – for long-standing achievements in Poland and Europe in developing the production of Polish ceramics.

President MIROSŁAW JĘDRZEJCZYK

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Food Industry

STRATEGY OF PRO-EXPORT DEVELOPMENT OF THE AGRIFOOD INDUSTRY Mieczysław Twaróg, President of the Board of the Association of Polish Exporters

T

he Association of Polish Exporters pays considerable attention to the analysis and assessments of expert opinions regarding the strategy of pro-export development of the Polish economy, including the export strategy of the agri-food sector, to be discussed during the 4th Congress of Exporters of the Agri-Food Industry on March 10, 2016. It pertains, among others, to their activities pursued under the current conditions. It should be stressed that the opinions of entrepreneurs are dominated by a constructive tendency towards initiatives designed to boost exports which are the driving force behind the development of the agri-food sector. The aim is to seek solutions for implementation by the Association of Polish Exporters, which has some 300 members from all sectors

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and regions and co-operates with more than 5,000 companies. The annual Congresses of Exporters of the AgriFood Industry provide a forum for discussing the realities of Polish exports among competent groups consisting of 120-150 persons. The positions worked out during these meetings are immediately communicated to the Ministry of Economy, Foreign Affairs and to Province Marshals and both Houses of Parliament and other institutions. Another opportunity for such discussions will be provided by the 4th Congress of Exporters of the Agri-Food Industry dealing with the utilisation of EU funding in the development of Poland’s agriculture and agri-food exports in 2014-2020.

A position setting out the offensive leading to further growth of agri-food exports this year and in the coming years will be adopted at the 4th Congress. The “Strategy of pro-export

Food Industry development of the Polish economy” based on the existing assessments and positions of the real sector of the economy has been drawn up on the initiative of the Association of Polish Exporters. It is compatible with the activities of government departments, including the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Agriculture. It should be stressed that, next to internal demand, exports are among the main drivers of economic development. This is the case in Poland and in other countries. But it is exactly for this reason that it is necessary to look after this engine with particular attention. This applies to all levels – from the government and its ministries, to administration and local authorities, because those who are engaged in the actual exports, i.e. companies, do not have to be encouraged.

All it takes is creating the best conditions for them. This is the purpose of the policy of pro-export development and, over a longer perspective, the strategy of pro-export, pro-innovation and pro-environment development of the agri-food sector and the Polish economy. In order for it to respond to the interests of the country and the needs of exporters, it should answer at least two questions: which sectors should be developed with exports in mind and which geographic directions will be preferred in the near future? The suggestions contained in the aforesaid strategy of the Association of Polish Exporters take into account the answers to these questions. The sector priorities include, among others, branches of the agri-food industry. As regards geographic priorities, the Strategy mentions the European single market, the Arab States, Eastern countries, i.e. China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan as well as Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, RSA, Argentina, Mexico, Chile and the USA, and also prospective markets, such as Algeria, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Exporters point out, and the Association of Polish Exporters concurs, that it is necessary to improve systemic solutions in the overall pro-export policy, with regard to the export supporting instruments, including promotional support and other measures affecting the development of exports. I will name just a few. And so, when it comes to the system of the pro-export policy in the area of the agri-food industry, there are proposals for a more effective institutional structure acting on behalf of proexport development of the economy, and servicing export transactions. As regards the financial aspect, more effective instruments supporting agri-food exports, including promotional support, are called for. When it comes to other means of stimulating the development of exports, one should mention simplification of the procedures increasing access of companies to credit and export insurance, as well as steps aimed at providing indirect support, also by using EU funds, and at improving the business environment to facilitate commencing commercial activity, tax formalities, obtaining permits, employment conditions, the audit system and the operation of foreign enterprises. There is one other important aspect of promotion in foreign markets, i.e. supporting the activities of Polish diplomatic missions. They are particularly helpful and useful to small and medium-sized enterprises and those who want to establish co-operation with a partner in a specific market for the first time. The scope and quality of the information

held by Poland’s Embassies is extensive and high. The opinions of Polish exporters regarding their activity are positive. Good examples include our diplomatic missions in Shanghai, Washington, Berlin, Paris, Prague or London.

A few Embassies require an injection of staff and funds, especially in countries considered to be our priority and prospective export destinations. The ministries overseeing these missions should take a closer look at this issue and the conclusions would come. They should also consider the effects of diplomatic service economisation, in particular, from the point of view of the professionalism of its personnel.

Finally, based on numerous talks with many exporters, I would like to stress that there is justified belief in the possibilities of developing the economy and its export sector. Poland has a large and attractive range of export products and its share, exceeding EUR 178.7 billion in 2015 and possibly EUR 190 billion in 2016, is and will remain a confirmation of this claim. Our exports are diverse and meet the interest and quality requirements of foreign customers. It is not by accident that some 70% of our exports goes to the EU markets. This also holds true in the case of agri-food products. Even at this time demand for many of our goods abroad, including food products, remains at a reasonable level. Moreover, the EUR/PLN and USD/PLN rate of exchange may become an additional stimulus for our exports. This also means that the labour costs in Poland make our country an attractive investment location. Under the current conditions some foreign companies have been announcing plans to launch production and invest in Poland.

This also means that exports will increase. Therefore, if the strategy of pro-export development of the economy assumes that the value of Polish exports is going to increase until the year 2020, then taking into account all the conditions and factors presented by me, this is a feasible task. The support offered to exporters by the Association of Polish Exporters, the government, State and local governments serves this purpose.

It should be declared with satisfaction that Polish exports have been growing for the last 26 years. In 2015, the rate of growth reached 7.8%, EUR 178.7 billion, including food exports worth in excess of EUR 25 billion.

It should be stressed that the strategic objective of the Association of Polish Exporters is increasing exports and achieving EUR 250 billion by 2020, including agrifood exports of over EUR 40 billion. It should also be pointed out that the driver of Polish exports is and will be the developing markets, with the EU Member States, prospective and Eastern markets remaining the main partners. In 2016 the Association of Polish Exporters will take very active steps aimed at maintaining agri-food exports at the optimum level, so that it is the driving force behind the development of Polish agriculture. To this end, the 4th Congress of Exporters of the Agri-Food Industry will define the objectives and directions of actions aimed at ensuring that agri-food exports meet the expectations in the years 2014-2020.

Thus, the chances and possibilities of achieving the optimum development of agri-food exports will continue to be effectively supported by the Association of Polish Exporters.

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Food Industry

FROM A HUT TO SUCCESS. DAIRY Happy goats

PRODUCTS FROM HAPPY GOATS

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he Year of the Goat has just ended (according to the Chinese calendar). So, maybe we should take a look at products which have been gaining popularity of late, i.e. goat milk and cheeses and other dairy products made from it. And not only elsewhere, but also in Poland.

According to the latest studies, cheese was being made in the region of Kujawy 7,500 years ago. In the eastern part of the Carpathian Mountains the Vlach shepherds began producing goat cheese in the 15th century.

Today, finding dairy products made of goat milk, including organic, is not difficult.

At FIGA Family Organic Farm in Mszana simple methods are used to make the traditional Wallachian fresh and smoked cheese plus 14 other organic types (ten of then have been added to the List of Traditional Products). All offer original, milky flavour achieved thanks to the use of unpasteurised milk and old recipes. Organic butter and cream is also made here.

FIGA Family Organic Farm – a family business established 20 years ago by Waldemar, Tomasz and Wawrzyniec Maziejuk, member of the Polish Ecology Association, has 130 ha of grazing land on the border between the Beskid Niski and Bieszczady Mountains, one of the areas with the purest nature in Poland. Milk from their herd of 300 happy goats is processed with great care and attention on site:

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The Maziejuks

“For us goat cheeses are our life,” said Wawrzyniec Maziejuk. “Not only because we like to eat them. We like making them. Goats are wonderful creatures and by producing goat cheeses we also help people with cow’s milk intolerance. You simply cannot describe this taste in words – he continues his story. – bryndza cheese, which I consider the queen of cheeses, Farmers cheese, ideal with red wine, or quark, served with raspberry syrup – they all offer

Food Industry a fantastic culinary experience. However, as far as I am concerned the crux of the matter is that goat cheese aficionados are great people, curious about the world, with lots of interesting things to say. We make up quite a large family and understand each other without words,” he concludes.

Scientists classify goat milk products as functional foods for a good reason. It is appreciated for its nutritional values: easily absorbed proteins containing all the necessary amino-acids which the human body does not produce. Then there are vitamins: A, D, E, C, B and also B13 (orotic acid affecting circulation, improving memory and concentration); lots of mineral salts, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, easily absorbed iron, vitamins and folic acid. It is recommended for people with cow’s milk intolerance who cannot digest lactose contained in cow’s milk. Many consumers value it because goat cheese is easy to digest. This is due to the fact the goat fat is better emulsified and digested more easily. The presence of caprylic acid improves mood and increases immunity.

Hand-made cheeses are known as farmstead cheeses and the number of small and larger dairies of this sort in Poland is estimated at 600 – 1,000. Only some of them have received organic production certificates. Figa is among this elite group. Its products are known not only in Poland. Visitors to the BioFach International Fair in Nuremberg and the USA or the SIAL Canada Fair in Toronto, the second-largest producer of goat milk, have opportunities to taste its cheeses!

Goat products (especially organic) have become luxury goods also in view of their sophisticated culinary uses

Wallachian goat cheeses

“The growing interest in these products is due, among others, to various television shows dealing with cookery or ecology, and to the fact that people increasingly travel the world, including Europe, and get to know other flavours,” • said Wawrzyniec Maziejuk.

Farmstead goat cheeses

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EASTER COMPETITIONS OF PROCESSED MEAT UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE POLISH ASSOCIATION OF BUTCHERS AND MEAT PROCESSORS Bożena Skarżyńska

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or more than 10 years the Association has celebrated the nationwide Easter Competitions of Processed Meat. This event coincides with a regional certification of Easter processed meats typical of the region of Wielkopolska.

For five years these competitions have been held under a series of promotional activities carried out by the Association under the slogan “Easter – Meaty Holiday – Polish Tradition”.

The quality of products submitted for assessment at the competition has been outstanding this year. In any case, so believes Celina Nierodkiewicz who has served on a number of sausage competition juries for years and has had ample opportunities of comparison. The other jurors echo her and observe that Krotoszyńska smoked bacon and raw sirloin have been the undisputed leaders among the meats of Wielkopolska this time.

“The hams delighted us with their flavour.

All of them presented a high level of craftsmanship,” emphasizes Celina Nierodkiewicz.

“Krotoszyńska sirloins were just beautiful and had the looks. They made my mouth water with their appearance, aroma and taste. It is a sheer pleasure to assess such products.”

The specificity of the Easter competitions is that the jurors play two roles – of the

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experts and consumers. For manufacturers the consumers’ assessment proves to be of paramount significance. After all, those are consumers that choose the flavour of meats which suits them best. It is their culinary taste that guides the technologists in pursuit of taste adequate for Easter processed meats.

A long-time member of the Poznań expert jury, Father Tadeusz Magas, chaplain of butchers and meat producers and a butcher by his original profession, is a connoisseur and gourmet of meat products. “Apparently, the very professional elite is now present in our regional market,” remarks Father Tadeusz Magas. “Excellent products reached us for assessment. I do appreciate the efforts of producers and I believe that it takes skills and talent galore to make those cold cuts.

I do hope that they produce equally good processed meats every day for their customers.

At times, the managers of meat plants happen to approach me with the question of what they will gain from the competition? Well, I tend to respond – both the participation and certificate distinguish them and elevate their good work, dedication and talent.”

Professor Włodzimierz Dolata, chairman of the expert jury supports this view: “We assessed very well prepared products. Sirloin, Krotoszyńska smoked bacon and Wielkopolska ham roll stood at a high level. The meats

notified to the Wielkopolska certification and products examined in a number of groups in the Easter competitions exhibited good or very good quality.”

They could be tasted during individual stages of the “Easter – Meaty Holidays – Polish Tradition” series. Aside of the competitions, this year’s series has also featured the presentations at the Old Market in Poznań during the Easter Fair; a ceremonious finale of the competitions under the Easter Processed Meats Meetings; Easter tables and dishes promotion addressed to the young audience at the Educational Fair and a promotional meeting for media people in the editor’s office of • the Polish Press Agency.

Food Industry

THE FOOD INDUSTRY IS MEETING IN WARSAW AGAIN! The 3rd International Food and Drink Exhibition WorldFood Warsaw will be held on 19-21 April 2016

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orldFood Warsaw is an international business event.

Companies dealing with production, distribution, promotion and sale of food products will participate in the fair and a wide selection of milk products, meat products, sweets, snacks, cereal products, beverages, fruit and vegetables as well as food additives will be presented. There will be also separate areas dedicated to alcoholic beverages and organic food.

The event gives you a chance to establish new business contacts and develop the already existing ones, to evaluate the market demand and track global trends. B2B meetings with the representatives of the key retail chains, numerous conferences, seminars and discussions on industry-relevant topics are an important element of the agenda. During the last exhibition, the representatives of companies such as Auchan, SPS Handel, TOPAZ,

Organic Farma Zdrowia and EkoWital took part in the trade talks.

WorldFood Warsaw provides a great opportunity to promote the Polish food brand and present foreign companies. The location is favourable to both Polish and foreign participation and makes it possible for Warsaw to become a global food centre.

The WorldFood Warsaw exhibition has become a permanent item on the calendar of the Polish and international food industry fairs.

The last edition attracted nearly 200 exhibitors, i.e. twice as much as the first one, and the number of professional visitors exceeded 3 thousand.

It should be emphasised that 94% of the last edition visitors were the decision-makers such as company owners, officers and managers as well as experts. Most firms taking part in the fair state that their presence at WorldFood Warsaw has contributed to improved sales results. The participants appreciated

the business talks, meetings with representatives of the largest retail chains, promotion in the media and a rich programme of diversified events.

Participation in WorldFood Warsaw has a number of benefits : • • •

•

• • •

a rich programme meeting high level experts opportunity to enter into cooperation with attractive domestic and foreign partners meetings with representatives of retail chains, embassies, institutions serving the agricultural and food sector inspiring conversations promoting companies and products food tasting.

•

The next edition of WorldFood Warsaw will be held on 19-21 April 2016 at Warsaw EXPO XXI Centre.

On-line registration: worldfood.pl

WorldFood 3RD International Food & Drinks Exhibition

Connecting your business to the world

19 – 21 April 2016 EXPO XXI, Warsaw, Poland

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Finance

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Chemical Industry

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Economy

BENEFIA CREATES NEW HORIZONS IN THE MOTOR INSURANCE MARKET

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n 2015, Benefia Ubezpieczenia began its operations in a completely new formula.

In November 2015, the merger of two insurers: Benefia TU S.A. VIG and Compensa TU S.A. VIG resulted in the formation of Benefia Ubezpieczenia. Its main task is to develop distribution channels considered a priority by the entire VIG Group, i.e. channels utilising new sales technologies. This merger was possible thanks to the considerable trust among the partners built in recent years, which is now bearing fruits.

The Company enters the year 2016 with its goals set high, but also with a very precise plan to attain them. The most important goal now is to make the fullest use possible of the competitive advantage offered by the implementation of new technological solutions. Benefia Ubezpieczenia intends to further strengthen its position in the new distribution channels while continuing to seek out new tools facilitating the sales of insurance, and not just motor insurance.

Currently, Benefia Ubezpieczenia sees the biggest growth potential in close co-operation with one of the biggest mobile network operators who pre-installs an insurance sales application in mobile phones sold at its showrooms and who will also help launch and promote the application in its mobile app store. The estimated reach in 2016 is approximately 0.5-1.5 million new users.

An equally strong emphasis will be placed on the continuation of co-operation with Neptis in the Yanosik.pl application, and with other such partners offering the company an opportunity for significantly raising the awareness

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of the Benefia brand among Customers whose awareness of the brand until now has been weak or non-existent. Benefia Ubezpieczenia sees its place wherever drivers are present, i.e. both in navigation products or even in products that allow drivers to pay for parking or for using a toll motorway. Current trends of changes in the automotive market and the development of new technologies which make it possible to monitor the behaviour of drivers (“pay as you drive”) are bound to significantly alter the approach of insurers to the valuation of accident risk (third party/comprehensive insurance). More emphasis will be put on the behaviour of drivers behind the wheel at a given time and not on the claims history and the age, sex, car make, engine, etc. In time, the current parameters will be replaced by new ones. Benefia Ubezpieczenia together with Neptis have implemented an innovative risk assessment process known as UBI (Usage Based Insurance). Users of the Yanosik application may already check out the insurance offer of Benefia and purchase a policy where the rate depends on the behaviour of the driver (e.g. respecting speed limits). Benefia Ubezpieczenia will continue with determination the development of innovative solutions to be able to more precisely estimate the risk of an accident and present to the Customer the adjusted offer that is most suitable.

Another partner offering considerable hopes for sales development is the entire group of companies linked to a postal services potentate, which already has extensive experience in selling insurance, and where Benefia Ubezpieczenia may be one of the insurance companies offering its products.

Benefia also plans to successively expand the range of products offered by SMART by adding further risks, e.g. household or tourist insurance.

In the opinion of Benefia Ubezpieczenia, ensuring effective achievement of all the goals set for 2016 requires continuous development of new sales channels, both in the traditional and the mobile/online market. Speed and effectiveness in this regard will give the company considerable competitive advantage for many • years to come.