– We would like to establish in Poland a legal system that will be business friendly and thus also economy friendly. Swiss experience may prove very helpful – said the Deputy Prime Minister, Waldemar Pawlak, during the meeting with representatives of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce held on 25 June 2008 in Warsaw.
The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that streamlining regulations and limiting bureaucracy affecting business in Poland is supported, among others, by the Better Regulation programme. – The Minister of Economy is also coordinating implementation of the Lisbon Strategy which focuses in Poland on three areas: active citizens, innovative economy and efficient institutions – said the head of the ministry. Such initiatives will ensure benefits for not only Polish entrepreneurs but also foreign investors.
In the opinion of the Deputy Prime Minister, Poland can no longer attract foreign investments with low labour costs. – We must search for opportunities to be active players on the global competitive market. Such opportunities are offered by innovative and cutting edge technologies – he said. – Our cooperation can prove fruitful especially considering Swiss successes in this area – he added.
In this context the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned coal gasification technologies. – Taking into account current high oil prices, coal gasification for the purposes of chemical industry and hydrogen production is becoming ever more interesting. If hydrogen cells become generally used, Poland could be a pioneer in this area – he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister also highlighted that Poland needed laws permitting use of alternative fuel in car engines. – Introduction of regulations regarding e.g. hybrid vehicles will pose a large challenge. These laws should favour technologies supporting reduction of fuel consumption – he explained.
The initiatives of Polish government aimed at simplification of economic law were positively evaluated by Bénédict de Cerjat, the ambassador of Switzerland. – Our investments in Poland have reached CHF 4b – he said.In his opinion, also the trade cooperation between both countries is developing well.
The meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister Pawlak was attended among others by: Bénédict de Cerjat – the ambassador of Switzerland in Poland, Jolanta Samochowiec-Mathys – Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, Stanley Bark – The Swatch Group, Danuta Jabłońska – PARP (Polish Agency for Enterprise Development), Małgorzata Wierzbicka – MRR (Ministry of Regional Development), Iwona Chojnowska-Chaponik – PAIiIZ (Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency).
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The Polish-Swiss Chamber of Industry and Commerce comprises majority of Swiss companies operating in Poland. As at present, it has ca. 130 members.