Winter has arrived with a vengeance! But that is no reason to stop travelling around the regions which are one of the engines of Polish growth. Krakow is well known already to large numbers of British tourists. Fewer people know how many UK companies already take advantage of the skilled workforce in the region and the strong academic tradition. They include big names like Shell, BP and Tesco, but there is plenty of room for more.
My visit was designed to strengthen our links with the local authorities in Krakow and the Malopolska region and to identify specific opportunities for British business. I am keen to explore possible collaboration involving local universities and technology clusters. There may also be talented Polish IT entrepreneurs who may benefit from joining the Tech City cluster in London’s East End, which is already Europe’s leading centre for IT innovation. Looking further north Krakow is twinned with Edinburgh which brings opportunities in bilateral trade and culture. I came away from Krakow thinking – Yes! there’s a lot more we can be doing to develop our relationship there.
Friday 27 January was Holocaust Memorial Day and the 67th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. As I stood with survivors and others at the Birkenau memorial in temperatures of minus 10 chilling rapidly despite my thick overcoat, hat and gloves, I could only imagine the life endured by inmates in such conditions, malnourished, maltreated and underdressed. We must never forget. That is why the UK has joined many other countries in providing funds to ensure the long term preservation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.