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30 country business network stages unique conference to address Central Europe business opportunity with one voice
By Izabela Niewinska, BPCC Events Co-ordinator and Caroline Cook, BPCC Marketing Manager
The British Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC) on behalf of the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe (COBCOE) organised a highly prestigious, one day executive forum in London on 25th March focused on Central Europe and its place in the modern world. The event gathered participants from all over Europe to listen to an excellent line up of government and industry experts address the opportunities of Central and Eastern Europe and how to access them. We were honoured by Rt. Hon Caroline Flint MP, UK Minister for Europe, UK & Commonwealth Office, Gordon Bajnai Minister for National Development and Economy from Hungary, Milan Hovorka, Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, H.E. Dr Ion Jinga Rumanian Ambassador to the Court of St. James, H.E. Iztok Jarc Slovenian Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Yavor Kuyumdjiev Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy from Bulgaria and Counsellor-Minister Krzysztof Trepczynski, Economic and Commercial Section, Embassy of the Republic of Poland.
Talking from a Polish perspective Trepczynski commented: “As we see from the recent trade figures there are many opportunities for British Polish bilateral trade and investment. Poland is particularly well positioned on EU trade routes; our well qualified and entrepreneurial people make excellent partners for British companies looking to expand their activity in our attractive country. There are many opportunities.”
"Poland is a landmark of economic opportunity in Europe. Over the last 10 years the country has developed three times faster than established EU markets. In the current environment critical business decisions need to be made faster than ever. It is very important that the full potential of the country as a high potential, progressive business destination is appreciated. Poland is ranked 2nd in Europe in terms of progress made towards reaching the Lisbon targets; the country is a leading future global R&D destination and a superb nearshore outsourcing and manufacturing platform for global corporate,” commented Martin Oxley, CEO British Polish Chamber of Commerce.
The forum was opened by the president of COBCOE Howard Rosen and was followed by a session on CEE economies and the attractiveness for trade and investment from the UK. An extremely interesting point in the programme was Offshore Manufacturing and Offset Programmes in CEE led by John Rossall from BAE Systems.
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During the conference we had four break-out sessions which focused on real estate, private equity, offshore manufacturing and R&D structural funds in Czech Republic and Poland, which were conducted by John Duckworth, Jones Lang LaSalle, Mark Corbidge, Doughty Hanson & Co, John Rossall, BAE Systems and Dr Otakar Fojt from the British Embassy in the Czech Republic and Magda Gajownik from the British Embassy in Poland respectively.
Sponsors of the event, Jones Lang LaSalle launched a report soon before the event: Onshore, Nearshore, Offshore: Unsure? A Central European Perspective. Despite a raft of recent negative news on Eastern European economies, Jones Lang LaSalle’s new report provides a welcome positive view to occupiers by outlining the attractiveness of CEE markets towards landlords or tenants over the next three years.
John Duckworth, Managing Director Jones Lang LaSalle CEE commented: “Set against a backdrop of global recession, the CEE region, though impacted, will continue to attract corporate investment. Whilst the region has a highly educated, skilled and multilingual labour pool and lower labour costs than Western Europe, real estate developers active in CEE understand the constantly changing needs of occupiers and are providing modern, flexible, high-specification properties at highly competitive prices.”
Of utmost importance at the event were one-to-one pre arranged meetings which were perceived by companies as crucial to setting up new opportunities for development. The final session of the forum was an in-depth, round table discussion chaired by David Thomas, BPCC Chairman.
“This unprecedented event has helped clarify vital differences in the CEE markets and communicate the benefits of the market to the global investment community. Poland is not just another new accession state, it is a strategic jewel in the economic crown of Europe," Martin Oxley concluded.
Central Europe in Focus was a subject of interest for international press agencies such as The Economist, TVN, and Radio ZET.
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