3rd March 2014 Warsaw, Poland
Lord Livingston’s Central European Diary – Megamission 2014
Poland – A GREAT Business Opportunity – the Minister came to see for himself….and he brought 70 companies with him…
And more to the point he met 200 more while he was here.
I’ve been living and working in Central Europe for 20 years this year and this is the biggest ever show of British interest this region has ever seen!
Yes – GREAT Megamission 2014 – the biggest ever British company roadshow to Poland. We’re serious about business and we’re serious about Poland. There’s some superb business opportunities out here and finally we’ve got the act together and come out here big time.
3 facts I would like to quote in my anniversary year. I’ve always said that Poland is the best, biggest, highest potential opportunity this side of China but the following 3 facts sum it up. Here we go:
(i) The EU Commission thinks Poland will be the fastest growing country in Europe this year
(ii) A British Chambers of Commerce report names Poland as the top global, planned export destination
(iii) Poland is the recipient of €82.3 billion of EU funding in the next EU financial framework
I took time to ask Lord Livingston what he thinks:
“Poland and the whole of Central and Eastern Europe is a major opportunity for British businesses. Some British companies are thriving in Poland but, overall, British business is still significantly under-represented compared with other Western European countries. Poland is a high-growth market and we are committed to supporting British businesses to help realise the potential that exists here. This trade mission is an important step on that journey”,
The British government sees particular opportunities in the following sectors: energy, transportation infrastructure (particularly railways), healthcare, consumer goods, life sciences and security. Britain has an outstanding reputation in each of these sectors and they are all areas of significant growth potential in Poland. The government’s main objective is to establish Innovation Partnerships between Poland and the UK, which support commercial growth.