| POLISH INFOMATION AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT AGENCY | ||||||||||||
NEWSLETTER October 1st, 2009, Number 142 | ||||||||||||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
INVESTMENTS IN POLAND
FROM THE REGIONS
DID YOU KNOW...?
FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, In this week's Newsletter we inform about new development plans of IBM Polska which were announced at a press conference which was held at the PAIiIZ Information Centre. More information about the event and about the PAIiIZ conference on OECD Guidelines in Multinational Enterprises in the News section. We also recommend to read about new ABB investment realised in Aleksandrów Łódzki within the Łódź Special Economic Zone. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS IBM announces new investment plans in Poland  The IBM new development plans in Poland were announced on September 30th in the PAIiIZ Information Centre. The event was attended by: Marek Łapiński - Marshall of Dolny Śląsk, Rafał Dutkiewicz - President of Wrocław and delegates from the whole region.
During the conference IBM and the Polish government signed an agreement on co-operation in regard of the creation of the new IBM Integrated Delivery Centre in Wrocław. The new Centre (IDC) will provide high-value information technology services to clients headquartered in Europe. Wroclaw was selected as it offers an outstanding combination of technical skills and European language capability that is necessary to meet local, international and global clients' needs. It will join a global network of IBM IT service delivery centres which monitor, maintain and support computer infrastructure and manage IT services for thousands of IBM clients around the world. "We chose Wroclaw as the location for the new centre because it provides a unique mix of linguistic skills, technical talent and an environment which is conducive for business development," said Anna Sieńko, Country General Manager of Poland. "As a globally integrated company, IBM taps into the best talent around the world to help our clients differentiate and transform their businesses."
IBM will expand its workforce in Wroclaw by hiring technology graduates and IT professionals with skills in IT infrastructure and major European languages. It will also be hiring project managers. To support its recruitment program, IBM will work closely with universities in the Wrocław area and elsewhere in Poland to help enhance curricula and better prepare students for opportunities in the information technology industry. The new facility will offer employment to round 2,000 people. The centre is planned to be operational on Spring 2010. OECD Guidelines - conference The PAIiIZ conference on “OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The role of the OECD National Contact Point” took place on September 29th at the PAIiIZ Information Centre. The event was organised in co-operation with the Polish-British Chamber of Commerce and the Responsible Business Forum.
The meeting served as an opportunity to present the role of the OECD National Contact Point and the currently applicable OECD Guidelines. Agata Mężyńska - Director of the PAIiIZ Economic Information Department discussed the principles and benefits which result from OECD Guidelines. The Guidelines constitute the only comprehensive legal document accepted by governments which determines the principles of corporate social responsibility in the activity of multinational enterprises. Enterprises which decide to implement the guidelines acquire trust and prestige among their clients and employees. The guidelines may also contribute to the companies’ business strategy creation as one of the guidelines covers issues connected with sustainable development. The guidelines are thought to be a tool which can effectively encourage companies to observe human and workers' rights, act in accordance with CSR principles and engage in the live of local communities. Their implementation has been supervised in 30 countries by the so called National Contact Points.
The conference was organised in the context of the action “I Implement OECD Guidelines. Responsible Business 2009". In the frame of the initiative companies which will assess the way the observe the guidelines and will declare to adhere to them in the future will be allowed to use the logo of the action for marketing purposes. Information on the companies’ engagement in the action will be promoted by PAIiIZ and other partners supporting the initiative. First companies which filled the self-assessment questionnaires in were presented at the conference. There was also time to discuss observations signalled by the companies and to focus on potential challenges connected with the initiatives. Panellists spoke about the role National Contact Points play in various countries and gave examples of the NCP actions undertaken in Poland. The conference was attended by: Martin Oxley - BPCC CEO, Liliana Anam from CSRInfo, Natalia Ćwik, FOB and representatives of numerous companies like, Irena Piccola from PWC and FOB, Bartłomiej Roch Remisko from Telekomunikacja Polskiej, Anna Ziemiańska-Woźniak from Antalis and Aneta Fita- from SHL. Information campaigns run by National Contact Points and the fact that they often resolve complaints on the lack of CSR principles observance substantially improve CSR standards at enterprises. In Poland the OECD National Contact Point was established in 2001 and has been run by the Polish Information and Foreign Information Agency. (PAIiIZ) World Maritime Day Between September 21-25, all members of the International Maritime Organisation - IMO celebrated the World Maritime Day. This year the exact day in Poland fell on September 24th. The day served as an occasion for the Ministry of Infrastructure to present its plans concerning the development of Polish sea harbours.
This year in connection with the World Maritime Day a special exhibition of marine paintings and antique navigation devices was opened in the seat of Polish Parliament. The opening was attended by the Marshal of the Lower House of Parliament - Bronisław Komorowski, Undersecretary in the Ministry of Infrastructure - Anna Wypych-Namiotko, representatives of the Polish sea industry, parliamentarians and delegates from the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment, Finance and Labour. On a session organised by the Commission for Infrastructure and the Parliamentary Team for Maritime Economy, Minister Wypych-Namiotko presented the guidelines which are to determine the creation of an integrated sea policy, the work scope of the Infraministerial Team for Poland’s Sea Policy, established by the Prime Minister and discussed the state of progress of the works concerning an act on Polish seamen which is crucial for the creation of favourable conditions for Polish boats registration. - The Polish governments has been taking steps to enhance the development of Polish harbours. At the moment modernisation works cover harbour access roads, train connections, water tracks and break waters. We have also initiated the process of sea motorways creation - said Minister Wypych-Namiotko. She emphasised that the modernisation process of Polish harbours and sea transport require dialogue enhancement across various levels and circles. It is enough to mention a project which aims at streamlining administration procedures which needs as many as four ministers to interact i.e. the ministry of finance, health, environment and administration. (PAP, Ministry of Infrastructure) Go to top... 
eCarTec 2009 1st International Fair for Electric Mobility eCarTec will take place between October 13-15, 2009 in Neuen Messe München. CarTech will be the first German event devoted to electric cars.
Polish car makers will jointly organize a stand to present electric car components, research centres and construction offices. Electric car sector ranks among the fastest growing industries. The sector’s development has much to do with safety reasons and national energy programmes realized in various countries. The growing popularity of electric cars can be observed in numerous European capitals where electric vehicles have been used for the purpose of public transport. Many cities decide to organize a net of urban systems for electric car recharging stations. CarTec is geared towards industrial producers and final purchasers as well as towards constructors, designers, producers, sales representatives and big internal transport centres. This is the first event of the kind and size in Europe (www.ecartec.eu) Investing in Poland 2010 Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency and Warsaw Business Journal invite to a press conference „Investing in Poland 2010”, which will take place on October 7th, 2009 in the PAIiIZ Information Centre at 12 Bagatela Street at 10:00 a.m.
The aim of the conference is to present the publication “Investing in Poland 2010”. This new annual publication is an English-language guide to the business environment in Polish regions and the largest cities, prepared by WBJ journalists in co-operation with the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland, the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce, the German-Polish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Netherlands-Polish Chamber of Commerce and the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce. The new title is geared towards businesses and individuals interested in or considering investing on Polish market, as well as international, government and local government institutions with a stake in regional policy. Admission is free. Conference in Polish/English. To confirm your participation please contact Katarzyna Antosik, e-mail: katarzyna.antosik@paiz.gov.pl (PAIiIZ)
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INVESTMENTS IN POLAND ABB: New investment In Poland On Spetember 24th an official opening of ABB new production facility took place in Aleksandrów Łódzki. It’s been 18 years since ABB invested in Poland for the first time.
Although the factory is ABB's 6th production facility located in Poland, this is the first Poland-based factory the concern constructed from scratch. The company envisages further investment. A similar ceremony is expected to take place in the second half of 2010 in a nearby factory producing train tractions components.
- Poland is located in the very centre of the region and is thus the very best investment destination in terms of logistic organisation - emphasised Peter Smits, ABB director for central Europe. - In business terms, this is not yet enough to locate tens of thousands dollars in a given country. The decision has much to do with the qualifications of our local colleagues, both engineers and production workers. Their current achievements testify to the fact that this choice was the best option. The ceremony in Aleksandrów was attended by over 100 guests, among them: representatives from Marshal's Office, parliamentarians and local authorities. There were also delegates from the Łódź Special Economic Zone and companies which desigend and constructed the facility. The Aleksandrów-based factory started production in July and has been manufacturing highly efficient low voltage electric engines. Despite the fact that production was initaited only on one of the three exisiting production lines, the factory has already managed to become a key production centre for the whole ABB engines business. - The facility stands a chance of becoming the biggest electric engine producing ABB facility in Europe - emphasised Fernando Fernandez Lopez-de-Vinaspre. Last week saw also two other facilities with foreign capital opened in the Łódź SEZ. Since September 23rd Procter&Gamble has been producing Olay cosmetics. The factory in Aleksandrów is the biggest plant the American concern constructed in Europe. The facility will offer employment to over 200 people. On September 25th also the Swiss Schraner opened its new facility in Łęczyca. This is not the end of investment projects currently realised in the Łódź SEZ. The SEZ’s management applied to the Ministry of Economy to include new areas in the SEZ. The lots would be dedicated to specific investment projects. This year saw official openings of three production facilities. In Radomsko a modern frosting facility was opened by a Japanese investor - Frigo Logistics. Moreover, the SEZ hosts a newly opened Fujitsu Services IT Centre in which over 500 people fund employment also within the Łódź SEZ a Textorial Park Office Centre was opened in Łódź. (ABB Polska, Łódź SEZ) MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS PLN 130 mln for four Kraków investments PLN 130 mln from EU funds will be allocated to the realisation of four Kraków-based investments: Conteporary Art. Museum, modernisation of the museum of the Home Army, Kazimierz culture centre and the rebuilding of the Surzyckiego and Botewa streets.
The joint value of the four investments exceeds PLN 240 mln. PLN 130 mln comes from EU funds and will be allocated to the projects in the frame of the Małopolska Regional Operational Programme (MRPO). Agreements concerning co-financing were signed by the Deputy Marshal of the Małopolska Region - Roman Ciepiela, President of Kraków - Jacek Majchrowski and representatives of the institutions which will benefit from the funds. (PAP) Symposium on green building On October 16th a symposium on green building will take place in Kraków. The meeting will be organised by the Polish Green Building Council (PGLBC).
The meeting will be a great occasion for companies active in the sector of green building to establish business contacts and to meet Polish and foreign experts in the field of sustainable building and design. PLGBC is a non-governmental organisation which promotes green building in Poland. For more information on the symposium go to www.plgbc.org. (PGLBC) Special Economic Zones - conference The conference took place between September 28-30 in Lublin. It was devoted to the state the works concerning the Act on SEZ. Moreover, current issues connected with SEZs in Poland were discussed.
The conference was chaired by Piotr Wojaczek - President of the Katowice SEZ. The meeting was attended by representatives from all Polish SEZs and by special guests: Rafał Baniak - Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Economy and Sławomir Majman - PAIiIZ President. Participants discussed current issues concerning Polish SEZ and the state of progress in the works on SEZ act. Zones’ representatives analysed examples of to settling accounts of qualified costs and discussed projects of partner agreements to be concluded by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, Special Economic Zones and regions. (PAIiIZ) DID YOU KNOW...? Warsaw to have electric car recharging stations First 114 electric car recharging stations are expected to appear in the city this year.
The stations will be located, among others, near the city's district offices, some metro stations and in special Park&Ride facilities. (PAP, Gazeta Wyborcza) 
Editorial office: Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, 00-585 Warsaw, Bagatela Street 12 Economic Promotion Department, tel: (+48 22) 334 98 15, fax: (+48 22) 334 99 99, e-mail: redakcja@paiz.gov.pl | ||||||||||||
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