A year of strategic alliances and shared values

As we approach the end of 2025, it’s time to look back on a year that has redefined the ambition and scale of the British-Polish partnership. For the BPCC, this has been a year of exceptional bilateral engagement.

The year began with a clear signal that the narrative of Poland as a low-cost location for foreign investment belongs to the past. In February, we launched our report, The Potential of Polish-British Economic Cooperation, at the Polish Press Agency. Commissioned by the BPCC and prepared by Business Intel, this document provided the hard data backing up what our members have been reporting for several years: that Poland is no longer just a destination for capital – it has become an equal partner in innovation, tech, green energy and defence.

The findings are encouraging. We celebrated a 35% increase in bilateral trade over the past five years, a figure that is impressive given the Covid, Brexit, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and now the global uncertainty about tariffs. The UK-Polish economic relationship is not just about trade; it is increasingly about strategic integration. As I noted during the launch, we are seeing a shift toward a balanced exchange of know-how, particularly in the defence and energy sectors, where British firms are not just vendors but essential partners in Poland’s security infrastructure.

As spring turned to summer, we moved from analysis to celebration. On 23 June, the gardens of the British Embassy in Warsaw played host to the inaugural British-Polish Business Awards. Organised jointly with the Embassy, this event was long overdue. It was a night to honour the companies that are the lifeblood of our chamber – those who invest, innovate, and employ thousands across both nations.

Opening the gala, H.E. Anna Clunes, the British Ambassador to Poland, spoke of relations reaching “historic highs,” a sentiment reflected in the calibre of the winners. It was a privilege to see InPost Group recognised as Polish Investor of the Year for its relentless expansion in the UK, while Reckitt took home British Investor of the Year. The British-Polish Collaboration Award went to the consortium of PGZ, MBDA UK, Babcock, and Thales UK, highlighting how our defence industries are now inextricably linked through projects like Narew and Miecznik. Seeing British, Polish, and indeed international, business leaders gathered in one place was a reminder that the BPCC is at its heart a powerful network, an ecosystem of mutual prosperity.

By the third quarter, the conversation shifted to the macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges facing our continent. In September, the BPCC delegation arrived in force at the 34th Economic Forum in Karpacz. This year’s theme – Time of transformation: what will the Europe of the future look like? – resonated with our members’ business agendas.

On 3 September, we hosted a closed expert roundtable entitled Strategic Alliance: The Potential of Polish-British Economic Cooperation. This was intended to serve as a deep-dive into the mechanics of our future. We brought together voices from business, academia and public administration to tackle the hard topics: energy transition, defence security, and the tightening labour market. The consensus was clear – energy transformation cannot happen in isolation. The Polish-British alliance must serve as a blueprint for cross-border cooperation in nuclear and renewable energy. The discussions in Karpacz reinforced our role not just as a business network, but as a think-tank capable of shaping policy.

Finally, we closed the year’s major programming in Kraków at the Open Eyes Economy Summit (OEES) in November. As the summit celebrated its 10th anniversary under the banner of Economy of Values, the BPCC was proud to stand with those advocating a more responsible forms of capitalism. In a world increasingly driven by metrics and margins, the OEES reminded us that trust and social responsibility are the ultimate currencies.

Our engagement in Kraków focused on the intersection of business efficiency and social good – the Company-Idea pillar. We engaged in critical discussions about how ESG is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but a license to operate. For our members, many of whom are leading the charge in green transition and corporate governance, the summit offered a platform to showcase how British and Polish firms are aligned on the values that will define the next decade of commerce.

As we look toward 2026, the foundation is stronger than ever. The statistics from our February report came to life in the projects honoured in June, debated in September, and contextualised in November. I would like to thank every member, partner and sponsor who made this year possible, as well as the hard-working BPCC executive team. The British-Polish economic engine is running at full speed, and it has been great to navigate this journey with you.