ABOUT BUSINESS - 03.2010

LOT to Buy Boeings
First Boeing 787 planes will be part of the LOT Polish Airlines” fleet in 2012, in accordance with the agreement concluded by the Polish carrier with the producer of planes. LOT is to be one of the first passenger airlines in Europe to use the latest Boeing model. LOT ordered eight „Dreamliner” Boeings 787, out of which the first five will be supplied in 2012. The other three are to be delivered over the following years. The agreement with the producer provides not only for the delivery of new airplanes, but also for assistance in renovating the present LOT fleet, including Boeing 767 planes. The company will also help to construct a new hangar and give training for LOT workers. Boeings 787 is a long-range aircraft. Its modern construction provides passengers with comfortable conditions even at big altitudes.

Poland Attractive to Investors
According to Sławomir Majman, head of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ), in 2010 Poland will still strongly attract foreign investors. In his opinion, the level of foreign investments will not be lower than that of the last year, and investors will be taking advantage of our good economic situation. Sławomir Majman stresses that, paradoxically, the crisis had a positive effect on the image of Poland among businessmen. Poland can offer investors its economic stability which also attracts those who have not thought of doing business here before. According to Majman, the stable economic law and highly qualified and relatively cheap workforce are the greatest advantages of Poland. Tomasz Urbańczyk, director of the Polish-German Industry and Commerce Chamber (AHK Polska) stresses that Poland is an extremely attractive place for German businessmen. In his opinion, our country has a huge market and excellent location, which is of great importance to investors from Berlin or Dresden. Martin Oxley, head of the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce (BPCC) observes that companies have started their expansion in Poland again. Entrepreneurs choose our country not only as an attractive local point but also as a regional platform for the whole Central Europe or for all new markets of the enlarged European Union. Oxley emphasizes that it is aimed not only at winning new markets but also at reducing costs. According to the data of the PAIiIZ, foreign investors are more and more involved in investing in Poland in modern services and the electronic and high technologies sectors. The PAIiIZ experts forecast that yet greater interest of foreign investors in Poland is to appear at the turn of the 2010 and 2011 years.

European Commission on the Polish Deficit
Poland has taken necessary action to curb the excessive public finance deficit, assesses the European Commission. Limits on expenses and tougher budgetary controls are expected to help Warsaw reduce the deficit below the allowed level of three percent of the GDP. Yet, Brussels has advised the Polish authorities to rigorously implement this year’s budget. The European Commission emphasizes that the Polish plan of deficit reduction involves risk. Even with good economic forecasts, further actions will be necessary to allow for diminishing the deficit by 2012.
 
Latest Data from the Labor Market
In the coming months, the unemployment in Poland will remain stable, according to an analysis by the Bureau for Investments and Economic Cycles (BIEC). Future Unemployment Rate Index, which is a measure of the future labor market performance, especially the unemployment rate, has been falling for several months. Simultaneously, the number of job offers addressed to labor offices, taking account of seasonal factors, has stabilized after months of decrease, while the number of advertisements on vacancies in the Internet has gone up. Employers look for sellers, customer service specialists and economists. The BIEC observes that in December the number of people who signed off from the unemployment register due to finding a job increased. And the number of newly unemployed people dropped.

Stronger Zloty
The zloty has been getting stronger. The value of euro fell below the level of 4 zloty for a while. Importers and those who buy Euros are really glad. Exporters, although they have fewer reasons for being happy, do not have to despair either. Undoubtedly, the overestimated zloty is no good for exporters, but in the longer perspective, the strengthening of zloty is inevitable. It is important, though, that this does not happen unnaturally fast. Analysts claim that support for the zloty may be attributed to the plans of finance reforms that have been presented by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and positively assessed by many world dailies.

Business for the Environment
Over a half of Polish companies undertake activities for the sake of the natural environment. The most frequent are: reducing energy and water consumption and minimizing production of waste. Companies with the best achievements in the field were awarded the title of „Business for the Environment”. Among those awarded is the LEDIKO company that produces intelligent street lamps. Piotr Walendowski, co-owner of the company, emphasizes that diode street lighting allows for significant energy saving. Another awarded company is Eko-Pil which created an ecological tunnel washer for the industry. Michał Bianga explains that such washer uses ten times less energy than typical electric washers used in the industry. It also prevents emission of technological vapors and substantially reduces water consumption. In this way, the environment is protected and, at the same time, companies can save money that otherwise would have to be spent on water and energy. Awards were also given to the producers of flood sandbags fillers and the authors of the technology for deep reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus in sewer treatment plants. They received the awards in the seat of the Lewiatan Polish Confederation of Private Employers (PKPP Lewiatan) in Warsaw. All of them are candidates for awards granted by the European Commission for the most eco-innovative companies.