Functioning as Poland’s main development hub, the Ministry of Economic Development is responsible for the country’s national and regional economic growth. Pawel Chorazy, Deputy Minister, discusses the main strategic projects the Ministry is undertaking, highlighting the country’s investment opportunities.
European Times: What are some of the Ministry’s major projects?
Pawel Chorazy: The Ministry has created the Strategy for Responsible Development, which was adopted from the Government and came into force in the beginning of 2017. This strategy foresees many projects such as the e-mobility, especially the production of e-buses and e-cars, a segment where Poland has competitive advantage. In order to support the entrepreneurial activities, we have developed the StartInPoland project, which aims to provide knowledge, capital and knowhow for the newly established start-ups. The Ministry also acts towards the regulation of the disparity between the rural and urban areas with the development projects for small and medium sized cities, and stimulates the exchange of ideas and knowhow, developing new services called partnership-urban initiatives.
The European Union and the EU Commission are our main partners in the implementation of the EU cohesion policy, providing more than €80 billion, allocated to different operational programs in Poland. Apart from that, we are currently implementing the projects under the European Fund for Strategic Investments. So far Poland has obtained EIB’s approval for 15 projects, in total worth of about €4 billion. These projects are allocated in the Polish voivodeships, the governmental and the private sector, mainly referring to the development of transport and energy as well as infrastructure and factories, boosting the country’s internal cohesion.
European Times: What are the Ministry’s main challenges?
Pawel Chorazy: The country’s main challenge is to transfer its competitive advantage, from economic success based on low labour cost to the well-educated human capital with huge R&D potential. In this context, the EU cohesion policy provided large funding for the development of R&D centres and modernization of the universities. The Ministry emphasizes the need for improvement of the economic condition in social and territorial sense, in order to solve the unequal development circumstances between the Western and Eastern Poland.
European Times: Why should foreign investors target Poland?
Pawel Chorazy: The foreign investors in Poland mainly focus on the automotive and the aviation industry, considering that one of the best clusters in Poland is the renowned aviation valley in South-eastern Poland. The country offers investment opportunities in the e-mobility sector, the low emission sector and the pharmaceutical sector. In this context, the strategy is to increase the production value, including R&D in the processes.
Poland offers well educated young force, with great agility and entrepreneurial attributes. We are business oriented country which together with the favourable geo-location and determined and ambitious workforce offers highly attractive possibilities for the foreign investors.
