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NEWSLETTER August 20th 2009, Number 136 | |||||||||||||
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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS
FROM THE REGIONS
ANALYSES AND REPORTS
DID YOU KNOW...?
FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, This week we have the pleasure to present about two positive pieces of information concerning the state of Poland's economy i.e. data on industrial production for July and information about the condition of the Polish banking system. There are also other sectors experiencing revival - more details in the News and Reports. Moreover, we inform about the construction and development of two research and development facilities i.e. a Centre of Pharmacy in Białystok and about new laboratories in the Wrocław Technology Park. We encourage you to read about the plans to develop the International Airport Katowice-Pyrzowice and at the end you can find an invitation to the 10th Ambermart Fairs in Gdańsk. Pleasant reading! PAIiIZ’s editorial team NEWS
PAIiIZ’s Project in Belarus The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency has been realizing a project in the frame of the Polish Foreign Aid managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland “Support for market institutions in the Republic of Belarus”.
The project aims at supporting the Republic of Belarus in the introduction of privatization processes. The first training session for Belarusian clerks in the frame of the project will take place on August 24th, 2009. There are plans to organize five such session. The Project envisages also the clerks’ visits to Poland. (PAIiIZ) Poland's good production results Experts from the Ministry of Economy expect the industrial production in Poland to rise by 1% in August. The Polish construction sector has been perfroming successfully and in July recorded a 10% growth in sold production.
Sold industrial production is to rise by 1% in August thus generally in the third quarter of the year falls in the field should not exceed 3%. The last quarter of 2009 is expected to see a positive production dynamics - claim experts from the Ministry of Economy. Moreover, the specialists expect the GDP dynamics to become positive by the end of the year. The Central Statistical Office informed this week that the sold industrial production in July fell by 4.6% y-o-y. In comparison to June this year the sales slumped by 6.6%. Against the backdrop of other European economies it is the construction sector that performs especially well. Construction production in other EU member states fell by 3.3% in comparison to May 2008 and by 14.1% when compared to June last year - informed Eurostat. When compared to June 2008 production in the sector rose only in Germany and Poland by 1,2% and 0,6% respectively. In turn, the biggest falls in the industry were recorded in Sweden (-16,6%), Slovenia (-15,8%) and Spain (-12,6%). The Polish construction sector performs even better according to the most recent data for July published by the Central Statistical Office. The data shows the construction-installation production rose by 5.5% month-to-month and by 10.7% year-on-year. (PAP, GUS) EUR 900 mln for revitalisation projects The region of Zachodniopomorskie is the 2nd in Poland and 4th in Europe to introduce the initiative of Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas JESSICA. From the total allocation of EUR 900 mln earmarked for revitalisation projects under the Regional Operational Programme the region will be granted near PLN 149 mln.
4 Polishregions were interested in the JESSICA programme. The region of Wielkopolska was the first to have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Regional Development. Thanks to the agreement concerning the financing from the JESSICA Trust Fund signed by Mr Władysław Husejko, the Marshal of the region and Ms Marta Gajęcka, Vice President of the European Investment Bank (EIB) now also the region of Zachodniopomorskie joined the JESSICA initiative. JESSICA, Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas, is an initiative of the Commission in co-operation with the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), in order to promote sustainable investment, and growth and jobs, in Europe’s urban areas. MACROECONOMIC POLAND
Source: www.nbp.pl FROM THE REGIONS New laboratories in the Wrocław Technology Park (WPT) The Park will get PLN 133 mln to build new laboratories. Almost 73% of the money will come from EU funds.
Last week the Park signed an agreement with the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) concerning the realization of the project “From the Wrocław Technology Park to Innopolis Wrocław” under the Operational Programme Innovative Economy 2007-2013. 60% of the funds will be allocated to the construction of 3 buildings (office space and laboratories) and 40% was earmarked for laboratory apparatus which will be placed at the disposal of companies operating within the WPT. Professor Maciej Chorowski, the president of the Wrocław Park, told PAP that the combination of things which are already in the Park i.e. knowledge, science - business contacts and co-operation fundaments with local authorities with the financial grants may open completely new opportunities for the Park development.
It is expected that round 200 companies, the majority of them recently established enterprises, may directly benefit from the laboratories development. The project envisages 3 buildings which are to jointly measure round 20,000 sq m. Technology infrastructure will be capable of receiving and processing energy from solar collectors which are to be installed on facilities situated in the complex.
The Wrocław-based Technology Park was created 10 years ago. To date the Park hosts 100 companies from the sector of advanced technologies which jointly offer employment to round one thousand people. (www.technologpark.pl/PAP) Euroregional Centre of Pharmacy in Białystok Apart from generating new specialists in pharmacy the centre will be a modern research and development facility.
The Medical University of Białystok and the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development signed an agreement which concerns the allocation of PLN 54.74 mln from the Operational Programme Development of Eastern Poland. A bidding for the contract to construct a four storey building, which will host the Centre and the University’s Department of Pharmacy, has already been announced. The Euroregional Centre of Pharmacy in Białystok will establish co-operation with other medical entities all around Poland and also with those situated in foreign border regions. Moreover, the centre wants to co-operate with the police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Fire Service and the Border Guard. (PAP) Katowice airport to be developed The airport situated in Pyrzowice near the city of Katowice wants to construct hangars and warehouses which will be able to service even the biggest world transport aircraft planes.
“Gazetwa Wyborcza” informed that the Upper Silesian Aviation Group (GTL), i.e. the company managing the Katowice airport, is about to publish a bidding for the contract to construct a new terminal. The airport is planned to become the biggest reloading centre in Poland. The project will cost EUR 16 mln out of that round 60% of the costs will be covered from EU funds. The airport has already reserved lots for the construction and the terminal is expected to be finished by 2013.
The International „Katowice” Airport in Pyrzowice is the second airport facility in Poland which received subsidies from the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) programme. The decision to grant subsidies to the project “Long-term development analysis of the International “Katowice” Airport in Pyrzowice” was taken by the European Commission on November 24th, 2008. Reloading services will open new income possibilities for the airport.
The fact that the Pyrzowice-based airport is situated outside the Katowice agglomeration will make it possible for big transport airplanes to land and take off from the airport even at night. What is important is that thanks to the planned development of the runway (from 2.8km to 3.8km) even the biggest cargo aircraft planes will be allowed to use the airport with maximum load. (Gazeta Wyborcza Katowice) ANALYSES AND REPORTS Privatisation proceeds as of the middle of August 2009 reached PLN 3.7 bn. 2008 saw the majority of advisers at the Ministry of Treasury suggest that the realization of big projects realization should be postponed till the second half of 2009.
As a result of the postponment the biggest privatization projects should be completed in the upcoming months. The closing date for investors offers interested in purchasing 67.05% of Enea shares was August 14th. The company’s 2008 debut was quite successful and brought the company almost PLN 2 bn income. Round the end of the year the Polish Energy Group - the biggest energy group in Poland and one of the biggest in the CEE region will enter the stock. Moreover, there are plans to privatize the Warsaw Stock Exchange around the end of the year. The stock is one of the only three state owned stock exchanges in Europe - two other located in Cyprus and Malta. In Poland the State Treasury owns 98.82% of the Warsaw-based stock. According to privatization schedule for 2009, proceeds this year should reach PLN 12 bn what would be the third best record in the 20-year-long privatization track in Poland. The two first positions could be taken by the year 1999 with almost PLN 13 bn and 2000 when privatization proceeds amounted to PLN 27 bn. Taking advantage of the rising tendency observed recently on the Warsaw stock, the Ministry of Treasury began selling stock packages where the Treasury does not own more than 10%. Such packages do not give real influence over a given company's management policies yet still generate costs connected with state supervision. Privatization of such companies may still generate considerable proceeds. For instance sale of a 3% share in Pekao S.A the State Treasury got almost PLN 1.1 bn selling the share package in Bank Zachodni WBK (1.93%) privatization proceeds accounted for PLN 167 bn. (Ministry of Tresury) Pentor and the Polish Bank Association (ZBP): banking sector in better condition Representatives of the Polish Bank Association (ZBP) announced the end of the declining tendency in banking. August data for the sector shows a third in a row improvement.
During a press conference with ZBP Eugeniusz Śmiłowski, the President of Pentor Research International informed that the banking sector seems to be over the worst economic slowdown. The declining tendency is over and the sector again improves its condition. Śmiłowski emphasised that the Polish banking system relatively quickly recovered from the recent difficulties and paid attention to the fact that the credit market for SMEs again revived. The President of the Polish Bank Association, Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz informed that the level of housing loans continues relatively high. ZBP estimates that in July banks granted over 16.5 thousand housing loans i.e. slightly fewer than in June. July usually records less activity in the field. The data for June and July are the best in the field this year. (PAP) DID YOU KNOW...? International Amber Fair More than 130 exhibitors from Poland and abroad have announced their participation in the Fair.
On September 10-12, 2009 Gdańsk is to host the 10. The event has been enjoying a considerable interest. AMBERMART 2008 gathered over 3,000 visitors and traders from 21 countries including wholesale traders, commercial chains representatives, individual shops and galleries. Honorary auspices over the event are held by Poland’s Minister of the Economy, the Marshal of the Pomeranian Region and the Mayor of the City of Gdańsk. Ambermart is organised in partnership with the International Amber Association, the KIGB Polish Commercial Chamber of Amber and the Pomeranian Craft Chamber of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. The Fair will include the stand of the Amber Laboratory, where the Experts’ Committee of the International Amber Association can verify the authenticity of amber at the customers’ request. You are also welcome to take part in the Visitors’ Contest for the Best Set of Amber Jewellery exhibited at Ambermart at www.ambermart.pl and amber.com.pl. Results will be Published on September 10th during the official ceremony opening the fairs. (the Gdańsk International Fair Co.,www.ambermart.pl) 
Editorial office: Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, 00-585 Warsaw, Bagatela Street 12 Economic Promotion Department, tel: (+48 22) 334 98 15, fax: (+48 22) 334 99 99, e-mail: redakcja@paiz.gov.pl | |||||||||||||
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