BPCC members had the chance to meet members of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce trade mission at the new Warsaw offices of CMS Cameron McKenna on 21 March 2023. The networking event was part of a three-day trade mission of Scottish firms to Poland, mainly from the energy sector, headed by Scotland’s Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise Ivan McKee.

The reception was held on the 43rd floor of Varso tower, the EU’s tallest building, from which guests had the chance to look down upon Warsaw’s Palace of Culture.

The Edinburgh Chamber and the Scottish Government both recognise Poland as a priority market, with renewable energy being seen as a significant opportunity. The mission, supported by Poland’s trade and investment agency, PAIH, met with Polish government officials and key organisations from Poland’s energy sector, including a visit to the PKN Orlen refinery in Płock.

Ivan McKee spoke of Poland’s impressive economic progress, recalling his business visits to the country two decades earlier. He mentioned the mutual benefits that could flow from closer cooperation in renewable energy, in particular offshore wind, where Scotland already has a well-developed ecosystem of consulting engineers, “the glue that holds the jigsaw puzzle in place,” as he said, experienced in working together with large contractors. Like most of the guests, Mr McKee was dazzled by stunning views of the modern Warsaw skyline as seen from Varso tower, and he thanked Andrzej Pośniak, managing partner of CMS Cameron McKenna for the law firm’s hospitality.

Mr Pośniak led a guided tour around the offices on the 42nd and 43rd floors, into which CMS had moved in December, before participants returned to the business mixer. The networking event, also attended by Warsaw’s Global Scots, was an opportunity to connect and develop further links between Poland and Scotland.

Also present at the event were Liz McAreavey, chief executive of the Edinburgh chamber, Martyn O’Reilly, Scotland’s trade envoy to Poland, Janusz Bil from the British Embassy’s trade team, and Rafał Owczarek, head of the PAIH office in London.

Firms taking part in the Edinburgh chamber mission to Poland:

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