UnitedSky w tygodniku Poland Weekly - 19.05.2022 - 01.06.2022

Real

Estate

page 13

National

Reconstruction Plan

Recent days have brought us new information regarding negotiations between

Poland and the European Commission on the issue of our country receiving

funds under the National Reconstruction Plan. Marek Zuber p. 3

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No 17-18/2022, 19.05.2022 - 01.06.2022

polandweekly.com

Poles feel

the part

of EU

On May 1, 2022, Poland

celebrated 18 years of membership

of the European Union.

Since Poland's accession to the

European Union, the value of

GDP per capita has increased

by approximately 85% in real

terms and nearly doubled in

nominal terms. p.8

The inflow of investments was record high at $24.8 billion

Record Fdi inflows into Poland

in 2021

Poland was 14th in the

world and third in the EU, behind

Germany and Sweden in

terms of the value of foreign direct

investment (FDI) inflows in

2021, the Polish Economic Institute

(PIE) said. The inflow of FDI

into Poland increased by 82% y/y

in 2021 and compared to 2019, i.e.

before the pandemic, by 86%. It

was the fifth best result in the

world after South Africa, Latvia,

Sweden and Austria. p. 4

Chagall in the National

Museum in Warsaw

Foreign students

interested in

Poland

Poland keeps attracting

students from abroad. In the previous

academic year, 84,689 foreign

students from 189 countries

studied in Poland. p. 18

Tamara Łempicka

in Lublin

The National Museum

in Lublin is opening an exhibition

dedicated to the painter

Tamara Łempicka, “A Woman

in Travel" to mark the 42nd anniversary

of her death. p.21

In Poland:

9,90 PLN / 2,50 EURO

(8% VAT included)

Index nr I42199 ISSN 2720-328x

The collection of 14 of

Marc Chagall’s works on paper

is now part of the collection of

the National Museum in Warsaw

as the result of an unprecedented

purchase. Poland’s difficult

history and severe wartime

losses are why Polish museums

can only boast a few works of

the most remarkable artists of

the 20th century, which enjoy

steady interest from international

visitors. One of them is

certainly Marc Chagall. p.20

2 business • people • culture polandweekly 19.05.2022 - 01.06.2022

Katarzyna Braiter

Editor in Chief

Our life is gaining momentum all the time. Galas,

festivals, business meetings, conferences. We try to live

as before. We pretend that we are not afraid of high interest

rates. We do not want to notice rising prices. And

it’s not yet over. The future doesn't have to be colorful

at all. Of course, a lot depends on us and our approach.

Can we handle it? Will we have enough strength

to support others? Together, it is easier to pursue goals,

overcome obstacles - and simply live. You have to

enjoy every moment, discover new things. Visit, learn,

get to know. And there are many possibilities for this.

Poland offers attractions for everyone. Sightseeing,

relaxation, culinary experiences, active leisure. We

have it all at our fingertips. In recent years, the attractions

have been growing rapidly. Their quality is often

unimaginably high. We will not be able to taste dishes

from every recognized restaurant, relax in a luxurious

spa, we will not be able to cycle all the routes or climb

all the peaks, see exhibitions in all museums and take

our loved ones to all breakfast markets. But let's try.

Let's not stand still, let's get to know Poland. I'm already

starting.

Quotes of the week

Mariusz Zielonka

economic expert,

Konfederacja Lewiatan

Andrzej Kubisiak

Deputy Director for Research

and Analysis, Polish

Economic Institute.

Dominika Bettman

General Manager of Microsoft

Poland

Marcus Heinz

Resident Representative of the

World Bank in Poland and the

Baltic States.

“There are already less

than 900,000 unemployed.

The labor market

indicators do not show any

consequences of the war

on our eastern border. On

the other hand, there is still

an unwavering demand

for employees, which is

indicated by the latest PMI

readings.”

cartoon

“Disrupted supply chains,

rising commodity prices

in world markets and

enormous volatility in

world markets are starting

to affect the domestic

economy. These challenges

have been growing since

2020 and are intensified by

the Russian and Belarusian

invasions of Ukraine.”

“The involvement of

business may increase the

competitiveness of Polish

universities and retain

talents in the country. Poles

have an extraordinary

potential, which properly

addressed, may lead

Poland to be a leader in the

region and an incubator

of great ventures with

aspirations for global

growth.”

“Despite the turbulence in

the world economy caused

by the 2008-2009 financial

crisis and the pandemic,

Poland’s dynamic yet

steady development serves

as a model of economic

success. The country still

faces significant challenges -

low investment levels and an

aging society.”

Poland a hub for supporting

reconstruction of Ukraine

At the XV Polish-Ukrainian Business Days in

Warsaw, the main topic was helping Ukraine during

the war and reconstruction after it ends. During the

event, a tripartite memorandum was signed between

PKP Cargo, the Volyn Regional Military Administration

and the Association of Ukrainian Business in Poland.

The aim of the agreement is to facilitate the collection,

transport and distribution of humanitarian aid to

Ukraine through the railway terminal in Dorohusk.

“In business, trust is very important, if not the most

important element. We have built a huge amount of

trust between the people of Poland and Ukraine, which

will affect our economic relations. We have an important

goal to achieve, and that is the reconstruction of

Ukraine,” said Minister of Development and Technology

Waldemar Buda. “This is the number 1 economic goal

for the whole of Europe, if not the world, in the near

future. Poland can be a hub for transporting funds and

supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine,” he added.

“Poland is the EU leader in supplying goods to Ukraine

and as PAIH, we are committed to helping. We have

opened a co-working space for Ukrainian companies,

so that they can carry out their activities in peace.

Together with the Ukrainian government, we are

launching further initiatives. We have many positive

signals from Polish entrepreneurs regarding the

reconstruction of Ukraine. This is a great challenge

that will require coordination on the part of the State

and investment decisions of Polish entrepreneurs,” said

PAIH’s Krzysztof Drynda.

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19.05.2022 - 01.06.2022 business • people • culture polandweekly

3

Economic look

Marek Zuber

Lecturer at the WSB Academy

National

Reconstruction Plan

Recent days have brought us new information

regarding negotiations between Poland and

the European Commission on the issue of our

country receiving funds under the National

Reconstruction Plan.

Print subscribtion

As I am writing this,

a spokesman for the Polish government

says that Poland has

reached "milestones" in its negotiations

with the European

Commission regarding the release

of funds under the National

Reconstruction Plan. I do

not know what it means exactly,

because we do not have an official

position of the Commission

representatives yet. Are these

"milestones" just a precise definition

of what we need to do to

get the NRP funds, or does Poland

already meet the requirements

to receive the money, for

example because the Commission

decided to take a slightly

more relaxed approach to the

conditions of payment.

The NRP is a document that each

European Union country had to

prepare in order to get the funds

from the first ever bond issue

carried out by the EU as a whole.

The issue financed the "New

Generation EU" program, which

was created to help recover from

pandemic collapse. But it was

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not just that. It was also about

strengthening the financing of

primarily innovative and environmental

projects in the shortest

possible time. In other words,

three in one. Each EU country

was entitled to a specific pool of

funds, and the main criterion for

the amount of these funds was

the scale of the economic problems

related to COVID 19. Poland

was allocated almost EUR

60 billion, including almost EUR

25 billion in grants and the rest

in loans. In the end, Poland applied

for a total of EUR 35 billion,

including the entire available

pool of grants.

The problem is that the condition

for receiving the funds was,

among other things, the absence

of any doubts about the rule of

law in individual countries. The

European Commission was of

the opinion that the changes

introduced in the Polish judicial

system in recent years do

not guarantee the rule of law.

And that is why the payment of

funds from NRP was stopped.

Without entering into legal discussions

and the legitimacy of

the positions of both sides, it is

worth pointing out what influence

receiving these funds right

now would have on the Polish

economy.

First, NRP funds would enhance

economic growth. This is an obvious

conclusion. It is worth

stressing, however, that this

strengthening of growth would

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NRP funds would enhance

economic growth.

This is an obvious

conclusion. It is worth

stressing, however, that

this strengthening of

growth would come at

a very crucial moment.

come at a very crucial moment.

In my opinion, the year 2022 will

be a year of braking the most

important economic areas of

the world, i.e. USA, Euro zone

and China. Probably all three

will enter a technical recession,

which will have consequences

for us as well. Why should this

braking occur? Let me just mention

the most important reasons.

The period of growth "on steroids",

i.e. resulting from the application

to the world economy

of trillions of dollars borrowed

and printed to fill the coronavirus

hole, is coming to an end,

or has already ended. Central

banks have begun to turn off the

drip of buying an equal amount

of assets, primarily government

bonds to finance sovereign debt.

And they are slowly preparing

to start the operation of pulling

the printed surpluses from the

market.

We are seeing a strong

increase in inflation, which

is resulting and will result

in raising interest rates.

Both of these processes are

hampering demand, which

is affecting economic

growth.

In addition, we are seeing

a strong increase in inflation,

which is resulting and will result

in raising interest rates. Both of

these processes are hampering

demand, which is affecting economic

growth. Additionally we

still have a pandemic in China,

and the Middle Kingdom is

fighting it by "freezing" particular

regions. This leads to limited

economic growth and also affects

activity in other parts of

the world. In addition, China

has problems with the real estate

market, for example. And this

can also result in a limitation of

growth. And not only in China.

And on top of all these elements,

one should add the economic

consequences for the world of

Russia's attack on Ukraine.

The slowdown in the most important

economies of the world

will also affect Poland. By the

way, we also raise interest rates to

fight inflation and thus we also

slow down domestic demand.

This is the basic way to fight excessive

price growth. Therefore,

NRP funds would be a stimulus

limiting the decline in the rate

of growth of our economy. Of

course we will not escape from

it, but it will be smaller.

Without the funds from the

NRP either the investments

resulting from it will not

be carried out, or we will

get into additional debt

to raise the appropriate

funds. And this will not be

so easy. And so cheap.

The second issue is the fight

against inflation. The NRP

means additional demand, especially

for investments, but

before the investments are

launched, billions of euro will

pass through the currency market,

which means a factor that

strengthens the zloty. A stronger

zloty means lower inflation

imports, for example in the

form of cheaper purchases of

energy resources. Besides, NRP,

as I have already mentioned,

means a relatively higher economic

growth, which means

a relative reduction of risk connected

with Poland. And this is

another factor that strengthens

the zloty. In this context it is

also worth to mention the situation

of public finance. It is true

that using the funds from NRP

will mean the necessity to find

own resources, i.e. they will have

to be borrowed. But the effect of

this loan, i.e. the completed projects,

will be beneficial in terms

of the general improvement of

the perception of our country.

And its stability. Without the

funds from the NRP either the

investments resulting from it

will not be carried out, or we

will get into additional debt

to raise the appropriate funds.

And this will not be so easy.

And so cheap. The yield on Polish

bonds, i.e. their annual cost

from the point of view of the

state, is already 7%. And it will

probably keep growing. By the

way, a year ago it was below 2%.

But this is a topic for another

column.


Innovative nanotechnology from Gdynia

changing the global climate

Nanoseen, a Polish company that ranks among

the world’s leading start-ups in the chemical

engineering industry, is opening its headquarters in

Gdynia. At the Pomeranian Science and Technology

Park, the company will develop and implement its

innovations in the field of nanotechnology. Thanks

to their solutions, it will be easier to deal with the

effects of climate change.

Emerging nanomaterials,

e.g. Graphene,

organometallic structures

(MOFs) will help to solve

many problems related to

climate change, such as the

drinking water shortage

and water pollution and

plastic and air pollution.

Nanoseen is a young

team of engineers and scientists

dealing with advanced nanotechnology,

consisting of the creation

of various structures with nanometric

dimensions, i.e. at the level

of individual atoms and molecules.

Emerging nanomaterials,

e.g. Graphene, organometallic

structures (MOFs) will help to

solve many problems related

to climate change, such as the

drinking water shortage and water

pollution and plastic and air

pollution. In 2020, the team created

the world’s first solution to

improve people’s lives – the NanoseenX

desalination and water

purification technology, which

does not require additional energy

in the filtration process, using

only the force of gravity.

“We strive to ensure that hightech

companies find the conditions

for their development

in the region. We are glad that

a start-up with such great potential

as Nanoseen wants to

take advantage of them and

conquer the world from here.

The Pomeranian Science and

Technology Park in Gdynia is

an ideal place that enables many

teams of this type to develop innovative

solutions. In cooperation

with Invest in Pomerania,

we are glad that we’ve convinced

them to choose the Tricity,” says

Katarzyna Gruszecka-Spychała,

Gdynia Deputy of Mayor for

Economic Affairs

An additional part of the Nanoseen

project is the use of nanotechnology

under development

in the field of space exploration.

NanoboosteX powder developed

by the company allows one

to quickly and naturally grow

food on other planets. The company

is taking part in the Deep

Space Food Challenge competition

organized by NASA, the

aim of which is to create automated

technology for the cultivation

of, among others, plants

in a mission to Mars.

“In the Tri-City, we would like to

develop very quickly! This year,

we will start a pilot program for

the implementation of our product

NanoseenX at our partners

around the world, including in

Singapore, the US, Norway, Sweden,

Japan, Israel, India, Spain

and the Philippines. We want to

be a global company – the best

nanotechnology company! We

plan to sell our product for the

first time next year, with revenues

of around PLN 200,000.

We started the implementation

pilot of the NanoboosteX product

at our partners in Poland and

Cambodia,” says Bartosz Kruszka,

co-founder, CEO & CSO of

Nanoseen.

The Nanoseen team will ultimately

consist of 15-25 specialists.

Initially, the recruitment of

talent will focus mainly on scientists

(R&D specialists), then

the company will look for experts

in the field of marketing,

PR, sales, business management

and pilot coordination.

“The Tri-City is becoming an increasingly

exciting location in

terms of carrying out research

and development activities. Foremost,

we owe it to well-educated

employees coming from Tri-City

universities. As well as to the high

quality of life, thanks to which

companies operating in Pomerania

easily attract specialists from

other parts of Poland and Europe,”

says Mikolaj Trunin, deputy

director of Invest in Pomerania.

About Nanoseen

Nanoseen is a team of nanotechnology

enthusiasts and scientists

who prove the extraordinary

properties of nanomaterials

as the basic ingredient of the

company’s products by solving

many problems related to climate

change. As a pioneer of

a new generation of nanotechnology

solutions, it has combined

groundbreaking research

with the latest technologies. All

this to develop technologies to

prevent water scarcity, carbon

dioxide emissions, water pollution

from plastic and more. The

company has created the world’s

first non-energy, non-pressure

water treatment and desalination

solution to help combat

global drinking water shortages.

Record Fdi inflows into

Poland in 2021

Poland was 14th in the world and third in the

EU, behind Germany and Sweden in terms of the

value of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows

in 2021, the Polish Economic Institute (PIE) said.

The inflow of investments

was record high at $24.8

billion. The inflow of FDI into

Poland increased by 82% y/y in

2021 and compared to 2019, i.e.

before the pandemic, by 86%.

It was the fifth best result in

the world after South Africa,

Latvia, Sweden and Austria.

Previously, Poland recorded the

highest inflow of investments in

2007, amounting to $19.9 billion.

Poland recorded the

highest inflow of

investments in 2007,

amounting to

$19.9 billion.

Poland's liabilities due to foreign

investments, that is the value of

accumulated FDI, amounted to

a record-high $269 billion (40%

of GDP). This makes Poland the

16th economy in the world in

terms of the value of accumulated

FDI. At the same time, there

was a collapse of PIB, i.e. Polish

Direct Investments, the outflow

of which decreased tenfold compared

to 2019 and sixfold compared

to 2020.

In turn, according to the FDI

Markets report, in 2019-2021

foreign investors in Poland

contributed to the creation of

339,000 jobs, the most in Europe

and 19% all jobs created thanks

to FDI in the region. The number

of greenfield investments

(creating new business entities)

in Poland increased by 11% y/y.

- to 423, sixth in the world and

fourth in Europe.

Poland's record results in 2021

confirm that the country benefited

from the global trend of

shortening supply chains in connection

with the pandemic and

the US-China trade war. The

PAIH informed earlier about

the record results for 2021. With

the support of the agency, investment

worth EUR 3.5 billion,

the most in history (EUR

700 million more than in 2019),

came into Poland.


5

In 2021 Polish Fdi grew faster than before

the pandemic

The scale of investments of Polish enterprises

abroad has exceeded PLN 105 billion and 60% of

them said they plan further foreign expansion.

84% of Polish direct investments

abroad are located in

Europe, and among the strongest

directions of foreign investments

are India, Finland, Estonia,

Israel and Chile, according

to a report by the Polish Foreign

Investments prepared by PFR

TFI and PwC Polska. KUKE is

the partner of this year's edition.

This, the third edition of the report,

takes into account the impact

of the COVID-19 pandemic

on the attractiveness of individual

countries. The report also makes

corrections related to Russia's aggression

towards Ukraine.

As many as 47% of the surveyed

entrepreneurs indicate geographic

diversification and risk

reduction as the main benefit of

direct investments abroad.

The economic consequences of

the pandemic and Russia's aggression

against Ukraine force

entrepreneurs not only to skillfully

manage risk, but also to

take strategic decisions. As

shown by the data from the report,

it turns out that after an

initial decline, foreign investment

rebounded faster than

after the 2008 crisis. This may

be due to the fact that projects

that were planned for the initial

months of the pandemic are being

implemented. Investors held

off on decisions because the onset

of the pandemic was marked

by high uncertainty, which decreased

as they learned more

about the virus and its impact

on the economy.

“Our research shows that the

more experience on foreign

markets, the greater the business's

openness to the benefits

of internationalization - diversification

and risk reduction,

securing supply chains or reducing

operating costs. I am very

pleased that the rebound in

foreign investments after COV-

ID-19 took place faster than

after the 2008 crisis. This trend

should be strengthened by supporting

current and potential

investors with financial instruments,

knowledge and digital

tools, which increasingly determine

the competitive advantage

in international markets,”

says Agnieszka Gajewska,

partner of PwC Polska

and global leader of

Government & Public

Services PwC.

In 2021, Polish FDI grew

faster than before the pandemic.

Poland attracted large-scale

foreign investment, but was also

a source of increasing outward

investment. Balance of payments

data show that in the first three

quarters of 2021, outward from

Poland was over 90% higher than

the average for the corresponding

periods from 2015-2019. The

largest increase in absolute terms

was recorded by foreign investment

in the UK.

Poland was over

90% higher than

the average for the

corresponding periods

from 2015-2019.

When asked about their plans

for further expansion, most enterprises

do not plan any further

foreign expansion in the

next three years. On the other

hand, it is worth noting that

responses differ between groups

- among enterprises already

present abroad, almost 60% expressed

plans for further expansion

- 45.5% in the form of new

investments and 13.8% in the

form of a merger or acquisition.

The situation is different in the

group of enterprises that do not

invest abroad - the vast majority

(80.3%) do not have specific

plans in this regard. This shows

that companies that have already

learned about the specifics

of operating abroad can see

the benefits it brings. The plans

for foreign expansion of Polish

enterprises concern mainly Europe.

However, there is a difference

in the responses depending

on the size of the enterprise - in

medium-sized enterprises, Central

and Eastern Europe is definitely

the dominant direction

for foreign investments, while

among large enterprises it is

much more evenly distributed

between Europe, Central Asia

and North America.

Disruptions in supply

chains and the COV-

ID-19 pandemic are the

greatest threats that may

change the expansion strategy

of Polish companies. The rising

costs of energy and fuels are

• the scale of investments of Polish enterprises abroad

exceeded PLN 105 billion.

• 84% of Polish direct investments abroad are located in

Europe

• mentions India, Finland, Estonia, Israel and Chile

among the best destinations for foreign investments

Find us on the EU airports

in third place, which shows that

enterprises are also concerned

about an increase in the costs of

raw materials necessary for operation.

Among enterprises investing

abroad, the most frequently

indicated threats by respondents

that contributed or would contribute

to a change of strategy

include supply chain disruptions,

the COVID-19 pandemic, rising

energy and fuel costs and high

inflation, indicated by 81.7%,

72.5% and 65.8% of the respondents,

respectively. Interestingly,

the above-mentioned threats are

of relatively little importance for

enterprises not investing abroad

- not more than 15% of respondents

from this group indicated

them as important.

“A new landscape of foreign direct

investment is being created

before our eyes. The

pandemic has given new

momentum to trends related

to digitization and

automation, the use of new

technologies, e-commerce, supply

chain diversification and sustainable

investment. The effects

of this acceleration are also visible

in the new approach to foreign

investments, as they affect, inter

alia, the choice of location, the

nature of investments and their

scale. The pandemic, however,

certainly did not diminish investors'

appetite for international

projects in the long term. On the

contrary - the interest of Polish

enterprises in capital expansion

on foreign markets is high and

exceeds the levels recorded before

2020. This is a sign that in global

changes we are able to see and -

most importantly - effectively use

new opportunities and opportunities

for business development.

And although today we all operate

in a very dynamic environment

- both economic and geopolitical

- I am convinced that we

will find space to develop

foreign investments," says

Ewa Małyszko, president

of the management

board of PFR TFI.

Polish enterprises, when

asked about the main trends

that may affect their business in

the future, firstly mentioned the

diversification of suppliers and

securing supply chains - 78.8%,

business sustainability - 66.7%

and FDI screening procedures

- 65.8%. The digital and energy

transformation were also mentioned

as an important trend.


Pietruch Group invests in Philippines

The Pietruch Group is investing in the Philippines

again after doubling the capacity of its

manufacturing plant and product portfolio.

The manufacturing plant

was the first investment

of this type carried out by

a Polish company in the

Philippines.

The Pietruch Group,

a Polish family company with an

over 60-year history, has finalized

another stage of the investment

project in the Philippines.

A new vinyl sheet piling manufacturing

line was launched in

the Mariveles plant and the

product portfolio enriched with

three new profile types.

The Pietruch Group first invested

in the Philippines in

October 2016 as a joint-venture

with a Philippine partner Design

Science, a family engineering

company founded in 1981. In

Mariveles, the Freeport Area of

Bataan, a production plant was

launched to manufacture thermoplastic

geotechnical profiles

used in civil engineering projects

carried out to mitigate or

prevent climate change. The vinyl

sheet piling from Mariveles

has been supplied to Asean and

Australian markets. The manufacturing

plant was the first

investment of this type carried

out by a Polish company in the

Philippines.

Potential, competitive

advantage and access to new

project flow

Vinyl sheet piles are an environmentally

friendly, lightweight

and durable alternative to traditional

solutions such as steel,

concrete or wood. They are used

in civil engineering and floodprotection

infrastructure to

reinforce flood-walls and embankments

of water reservoirs,

protect slopes, as well as to build

water retention constructions.

April 25 2022 marked the new

chapter in the Pietruch Group’s

expansion in the Philippines.

Thanks to the new manufacturing

line, the Mariveles plant

will offer three additional profile

types, which will grant the

company access to a number

of complex projects carried out

in the Asean region and Australia.

New profiles will be used

to construct water-tight antifiltration

barriers used to stop

water migration. Owing to their

wide shape and strength parameters,

the new profiles may be

installed faster and at greater

depths. The first batch of the

new profiles will be sent to Rodriguez,

Rizal.

Environmentally friendly products

with lower carbon footprint,

sustainable manufacturing

processes powered with

green energy.

The Pietruch Group is a Polish

family enterprise founded in

1960, specializing in the manufacturing

and distribution of

top-class and innovative geosynthetic

products broadly used

in civil engineering. The company’s

offer includes a wide range

of vinyl and hybrid sheet piling,

specialized geogrids with stiff

nodes, as well as mobile floodprotection

systems. The manufacturing

processes are ISO

9001:2015 certified and partially

circular using recycled material.

The company delivers its solutions

and services to customers

in nearly 40 countries on five

continents, especially in regions

sensitive to the impact of climate

change.

photo credit: pietrucha.pl

Fresh Inset revolutionizing storage and transportation

of fruit and veg

A tech company from Toruń is revolutionizing

the way companies store and transport fruit,

vegetables or flowers

Fresh Inset is a technology

company in the post-harvest

freshness preservation and

food-tech space. It was founded

by Andrzej Wolan, Mariusz Bosiak

and Krzysztof Czaplicki in

Toruń.

The Fresh Inset vision is to save

the world’s fresh produce resources

by delivering efficient

Vidre+ technology to preserve

freshness throughout the supply

chain from packer/shipper to

end user. Vidre+ technology is

designed to fit both developed

and emerging produce markets.

Food Waste is a global problem.

One-third of all food produced

is wasted, equating to $1 trillion

in food waste globally. One-half

of fruit and vegetables spoil

while in storage, transit, retail,

and at home before they are ever

consumed.

The water and energy

consumed in producing

fruit and vegetables is

wasted when the produce

never reaches the end

consumer.

Using technology, growers,

packers and shippers are making

the supply chain for fruits and

vegetables more sustainable.

The water and energy consumed

in producing fruit and vegetables

is wasted when the produce

never reaches the end consumer.

In addition, reducing food

waste reduces tonnes of unnecessary

CO2 emissions. Vidre+ allows

the supply chain to adopt

more energy efficient practices

without sacrificing shelf-life or

fruit quality.

Vidre+ technology provides solutions

to extend the shelf life of

fresh produce for growers, packers,

distributors and retail. It

preserves the texture, firmness,

taste and appearance of produce

during storage, transportation

and retail display with the use

of an innovative delivery system

that provides 1-MCP post-harvest

freshness protection for fruit

and vegetables in a simple to use

sticker format. Vidre+ provides

growers, distributors, packers

and retailers flexibility and ease

of use freshness technology that

allows them to deliver “just harvested”

freshness on a year-round

basis and enables retailers to increase

customer satisfaction with

fresh, high quality produce.

Although the technology was

created by scientists from

Vidre+ technology provides

solutions to extend the

shelf life of fresh produce

for growers, packers,

distributors and retail.

Toruń, an international team is

working on its development and

commercialization - its members

come from the US, Brazil,

Argentina and Peru. After a series

of successful tests, incl. in

the US, Peru, Argentina, Brazil,

Pakistan and several European

Union countries, Fresh Inset not

only patented the technology in

the US and over 50 other countries,

but also began its commercialization.

Fruit and vegetables

with Vidre+ protection are already

sold in Argentina and Pakistan,

and the registration process

in other markets is already

at an advanced stage.

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Poles feel the part of EU

On May 1, 2022, Poland celebrated 18 years of

membership of the European Union.

During that time, Polish

GDP per capita has grown in

real terms by 85%. Thanks to accession,

average annual economic

growth is higher by 1.04 %, the

inflow of foreign direct investment

by 4.07%, and the value of

exports by 3.2%.

According to a report of the Polish

Economic Institute, a public

economic think tank, "The Generation

of the European Union,"

the vast majority of Poles feel

the benefits of belonging to the

EU. 80% of them appreciate the

economic benefits of EU membership,

82% see an improvement

in the labor market and

79% claim that joining the EU

has improved their standard of

living. 60% people aged 18-29

define themselves as Europeans,

and 61% said they would defend

the country in the event of war.

The way people from the iGen

generation - i.e. born between

1995 and 2012 - perceive the

world is fundamentally different

from previous generations. This

is clearly visible in the attitude

to issues such as the quality of

the environment, emphasis on

psychological well-being or the

attitude to social inequalities,

which are priorities for iGen representatives.

Two-thirds of iGen

believe that wealth and income

are unequally distributed in society.

Most believe that legislation

and direct government intervention

could significantly bridge

these gaps. At the same time,

when it comes to the subject of

European integration, young

people are slightly more Eurosceptic.

31.5% representatives of

iGen are in favor of even greater

unification of the member states,

while 37.6% are of the same opinion.

older generations, according

to Krzysztof Kutwa, an analyst

at the Polish Economic Institute

and author of the report.

Since Poland's accession

to the European Union, the

value of GDP per capita has

increased by approximately

85% in real terms and

nearly doubled in nominal

terms.

Joining the European Union

meant that the Polish economy

began to function in the unprecedented

reality of free movement

of goods, services, capital

and people. Since Poland's accession

to the European Union,

the value of GDP per capita has

increased by approximately 85%

in real terms and nearly doubled

in nominal terms. One of the

most visible effects of Poland's

accession to the European Union

was also the rapid inflow of

foreign direct investment (FDI).

The overwhelming majority of

Polish society has noticed the

positive effects of accession to

the EU. 80.1% of adult inhabitants

of Poland of working age

appreciate the economic benefits

of EU membership. 79%

claim that joining the EU has

improved their standard of living,

and 82.2% associate accession

with the improvement of the situation

on the labor market.

What do young people think

about Poland in the EU?

PIE research shows that 27.8%

• On the 1 of May Poland celebrated 18 years in the

European Union.

• According to the Eurobarometer, 82% of Poles are in

favor of the European Union.

• This is the greatest support for the EU among all EU

countries.

of young people aged 18-29

would have left Poland if it had

left the European Union. At the

same time, for 53.9% of young

people, the current level of integration

is about right. The

same opinion is shared by 46.9%

of representatives of older generations,

while 31.5% of the

iGen generation are in favor of

an even greater unification of

the member states,, while 37.6

percent share the same opinion

from older generations. In contrast,

nearly one in seven, both

the young and those over the

age of 29, believe that integration

has gone too far.

Paths of Productivity Growth in Poland

According to the World Bank report, Poland

needs to invest in company productivity to spur

economic growth.

In the last thirty years,

Poland has been one of the fastestgrowing

economies in the world.

To continue to catch up with the

advanced economies of Western

Europe, the country should support

improvements in company

productivity through relevant

public instruments, including

those targeted at small and medium-sized

enterprises, according

to a new World Bank report

“Paths of Productivity Growth in

Poland: A Company Level Perspective,”.

The report was developed

in partnership with Statistics

Poland, which prepared the

data and collaborated with the

World Bank team on econometric

calculations and analyses.

Over the last three decades, Poland’s

GDP has tripled in size,

and in 2009 the country achieved

‘high-income status,’ according to

World Bank methodology. Still,

with a per capita income at twothirds

of the per capita figure in

the ‘old European Union’ member

states, Poland has yet to catch up

with the countries of Western Europe.

The gap is visible at the individual

company level, too. For instance,

an average industrial firm in Poland

needs three times more staff

than its German counterpart to

produce the same product. In

addition, the World Bank report

reveals that the total factor productivity

(TFP) growth in the

manufacturing sector in Poland

has stagnated since 2012, and the

expansion of manufacturing industry

has come predominantly

from increasing capital intensity.

“Despite the turbulence in the

world economy caused by the

2008-2009 financial crisis and the

COVID-19 pandemic, Poland’s

dynamic yet steady development

serves as a model of economic success,”

says Marcus Heinz, Resident

Representative of the World Bank

in Poland and the Baltic States.

“The country still faces significant

challenges, such as addressing

low investment levels and the

challenge of an aging society. This

report highlights that one way to

keep the development dynamics

is to invest in firm productivity

and it presents recommendations

in this regard.”

To begin with, strengthening

managerial and workforce skills,

providing business advisory services,

and facilitating entrepreneurial

networks and clusters

“Despite the turbulence in

the world economy caused

by the 2008-2009 financial

crisis and the COVID-19

pandemic, Poland’s dynamic

yet steady development

serves as a model of

economic success,” says

Marcus Heinz, Resident

Representative of the World

Bank in Poland and the

Baltic States.

could help improve Poland’s

performance on key innovation

and digital economy indicators.

Currently, Poland is ranked 23rd

in the European Union’s Digital

Economy and Society Index and

24th on the Innovation Scoreboard.

World Bank research

shows that about 50% of firms in

Poland are yet to start using the

most basic management tools.

Secondly, given that small and

medium-sized enterprises are the

engines of productivity growth in

Poland, they should be supported

with public policies that eliminate

barriers, including regulatory and

financial barriers to market entry

and competition. Moreover, policy

interventions need to address

potential barriers to SMEs adopting

digital technology. According

to World Bank research findings,

nearly half of the firms in Poland

have said they do not need to invest

in digitization.

Thirdly, domestic economic policy

should focus on supporting

exports and linking Polish companies

to global supply chains.

This can be facilitated with such

measures as foreign trade promotion

and investments in reducing

the cost of export activity (e.g.,

streamlined certification policy),

as well as awareness building in

the business community.


9

Ukraine - The day after

From both a political and business point of view,

joining the reconstruction of Ukraine can bring

Poland huge benefits. Recent years, especially

after Ukraine signed the Association Agreement

with the EU in 2016, have brought a stable

increase in trade turnover between our countries.

Marek Ziółkowski

Ambassador retired (2021)

Russia's aggression

against Ukraine has been determining

global international

and economic relations for two

months. It encourages powerful

reflexes of solidarity towards

refugees, as well as political assistance

to the Ukrainian authorities

and equipment for the Ukrainian

army. For now, however, the

nightmare of war continues. At

the same time, the Western world

is both reassessing its relations

with Russia and Ukraine, and is

designing these relations for the

coming months and years.

The world viewed from the captain's

bridge of the cruiser Moscow

(hit and sunk) or the Su-34

bomber looks like a soulless geopolitical

game of superpowers for

spheres of influence, borders and

territories. In the West, no one

wants to give Russia the right to

draw maps in its own way. Severe

sanctions isolate Russia and, despite

the vastness of its territory,

weaken its economic, social and

political potential. Sarcastically

speaking, in order to consolidate

such a future for Russia, the West

must also build its economic policy,

especially energy policy with

a special role for Ukraine.

From the first decisions on sanctions

packages and the EU's announcements

regarding cooperation

with Ukraine, a picture

emerges of three stages of the

new EU policy of obtaining raw

materials and energy production:

importing gas and oil from Russia

until there are no new suppliers

(several months), the second - gas

and oil supplies from new directions

(2-4 years). The third, i.e. the

replacement of fossil fuels with

low-carbon energy sources, has

been going on for several years,

and due to Russia's aggression

against Ukraine, the transition

to renewables in many EU countries

will accelerate even more. In

an unexpected way, the strategy

of moving away from fossil fuels

becomes a defensive strategy in

the clash with Russia, a country

that, has been disregarding climate

policy for years. Even today,

Russian politicians and publicists

treat Western announcements of

giving up oil and gas with disbelief.

However, it is enough to recall

Biden's strong words from his

visit to Warsaw, 26.03.2022, to believe

that the geopolitics of fossil

fuels is running out. „Europe must

end its dependence on Russian

fossil fuels. And we, the United

States will help. That's why just

yesterday in Brussels I announced

the plan with the president of

the European Commission to get

Europe through the immediate

energy crisis. Over the long-term,

as a matter of economic security

and national security and for the

survivability of the planet, we all

need to move as quickly as possible

to clean, renewable energy”.

It`s confirmation also that the

reflection on the consequences

of climate change has for years

set long-term plans for the social

and economic policy of many

countries. What ensured the success

of the industrial era, i.e. the

exploitation of fossil fuels, is to be

replaced by zero-emission energy

sources. These are twin revolutions:

digital and green will determine

the winners and losers of the

current geopolitical competition.

A similar way of thinking is also

presented by many Ukrainian

politicians. Svitlana Krakovskahead

of the Ukrainian delegation

to the conference of the the UN

Svitlana Krakovska- head

of the Ukrainian delegation

to the conference of the

the UN IPCC, speaking

on 28.02.2022 at the

presentation of the next

report of this group from

the shelter in Kiev said:

“I started to think about the

parallels between climate

change and this war and it’s

clear that the roots of both

these threats to humanity

are found in fossil fuels”.

IPCC, speaking on 28.02.2022 at

the presentation of the next report

of this group from the shelter

in Kiev said: “I started to think

about the parallels between climate

change and this war and it’s

clear that the roots of both these

threats to humanity are found in

fossil fuels”.

European economy is being

consolidated. In March

this year, the European

Commission announced

RePowerEU, an action plan

to make the EU-wide energy

system more resilient.

Renewable energy sources

are to quickly replace

imported gas from Russia.

In many European capitals, the

belief that the war in Ukraine is

to be an additional impulse to accelerate

the decarbonization of

the European economy is being

consolidated. In March this year,

the European Commission announced

RePowerEU, an action

plan to make the EU-wide energy

system more resilient. Renewable

energy sources are to quickly replace

imported gas from Russia.

Talks with Ukraine on its accession

to the EU are also already

beginning. It is understandable

that this dictates the schemes and

models of Ukraine's reconstruction.

It promises to be a project

of huge financial scale (hundreds

of billions of euros), comparable

to the post-war Marshall Plan or

the reconstruction of a united

Germany.

Yulia Svyrydenko – First Deputy

Prime Minister of Economy

recently presented the main

Ukrainian demands and principles

of Ukraine's reconstruction:

full opening of the G7 and

EU markets to Ukrainian goods,

large-scale development of the

military-industrial complex

through the transfer of modern

technologies, export of processed

products in the traditional sectors

of agriculture and metallurgy,

rapid development of energy and

logistics on the principles of the

"green economy". Certainly, some

of these postulates will be met.

From both a political and business

point of view, joining the reconstruction

of Ukraine can bring

Poland huge benefits. Recent

years, especially after Ukraine

signed the Association Agreement

with the EU in 2016, have

Ukraine is becoming our

first economic partner

in the east, and the

announcements of a largescale

reconstruction of

Ukraine allow us to predict

investment and contract

opportunities for many

sectors of Polish business.

To some extent, Poland

is a kind of textbook for

Ukraine to build a modern

economy.

brought a stable increase in trade

turnover between our countries

(about US$15 billion in 2020).

Ukraine is becoming our first

economic partner in the east, and

the announcements of a largescale

reconstruction of Ukraine

allow us to predict investment

and contract opportunities for

many sectors of Polish business.

To some extent, Poland is a kind

of textbook for Ukraine to build

a modern economy. Due to the already

established contacts of several

thousand enterprises of various

industries, it is primarily from

our country that greenfield FDI

can go to Ukraine. Based on our

logistics and organizational capital,

Ukraine and Europe will recreate

the supply and export chains

of goods from Ukraine, as is currently

happening with Ukrainian

grain. Just as it is difficult to

imagine a Polish labor market

without hundreds of thousands

of Ukrainians, when constructing

a set of qualifications for the new

Ukrainian economy, it will be

natural for Ukrainian enterprises

to use the qualifications and contacts

of Ukrainian citizens that

they have acquired in Poland. This

may also apply to the relocation

of business, which is now taking

place to the west of Ukraine

and to Poland, after the end of

the war, an attempt to return to

Ukraine will begin. Huge competences

in this matter are built

by Polish Ukrainian Chamber of

Commerce with its Business Relocation

Center.

Ukraine has been striving for

cooperation with European

countries in the field of energy

for years. It wants to replace the

current role of an intermediary

in the transmission of gas to

an exporter of electricity and ....

Hydrogen. Hydrogen is becoming

a heronetzero (hero of the zeroemission

economy) in the world,

because it perfectly solves the issue

of instability of renewables,

because it can be both a source

and a store of energy at any time.

In addition, which is also important

– due to the fact that it is

a molecule, it significantly reduces

the green economy's demand

for rare metals needed to produce

other types of renewables,

such as solar panels or EV batteries.

Ukrainian electricity (a total

of 55 GW) comes from 75% lowcarbon

sources (nuclear, water, renewables),

and the production of

green hydrogen could expand the

potential of Ukrainian and European

renewables.

Russia's war against Ukraine, on

the one hand, is a huge stress for

the Ukrainian energy sector: a lot

of destruction, a decrease in consumption

by over 50%, but it clearly

accelerates decision-making

both in the EU and in Ukraine as

to the forms of current and future

cooperation. In March this year,

the energy networks of Ukraine

and Moldova were synchronized

with the Continental European

grid, which opens up the prospect

of exporting Ukrainian electricity

to European markets, including

Poland. Several Polish entities are

already considering participation

in such a project: m.in ZE PAK,

controlled by Z. Solorz, and Orlen

Synthos Green Energy, owned

by PKN Orlen and Synthos M.

Sołowów. The implementation

of such a permanent connection

would require the reconstruction

of the line from Rzeszów to the

nuclear power plant in Khmelnytskyi.

PSE's preliminary estimates

of the costs of such an investment

amount to several hundred million

zlotys. It must therefore be

a project supported by both governments

and the EU.

In the case of hydrogen, it is

proposed to increase the existing

plans to build an electrolyser

market by 2030 – 40 GW in the

EU and 40 GW in neighboring

countries – to nearly 200 GW of

production capacity. Achieving

such a huge potential will be supported

by regulatory and financial

preferences.

According to the head of the

Ukrainian Hydrogen Council,

Oleksandr Riepkin, who also

serves as an economic advisor to

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of

Ukraine, the Hydrogen Strategy

of Ukraine will be announced in

the coming weeks (it was planned

to be announced on 24.02.2022).

In May this year, an agreement on

cooperation with the European

Commission in the field of hydrogen

policy is to be concluded.

Marek Ziółkowski

From 1991 in diplomacy. He is dealing

with the Polish foreign policy

towards Eastern Europe and security

policy. He started his diplomatic

career in Belarus and was Polish

ambassador to Ukraine, Kenya and

NATO. 2016-2017 he used to be undersecretary

of State for eastern and

security policies.


ESG in practice

Strategic

aPPRoach to CSR

The growing importance of the ESG topics that

we are witnessing in the last few years looks

very promising. This is one of the trends that will

shape reality in the coming years. What direction

should businesses now take? What solutions

should they use? What are the challenges facing

companies?

Marzena Strzelczak

President, General Director of the

Responsible Business Forum in Poland

The situation caused by

the Russian invasion of Ukraine

made it clear to us that the world

as we know it may disappear in

a moment. It also showed how

great can be the mobilization of

society, but also companies, in

solving social problems and taking

multi-sectoral cooperation.

We have seen many uplifting

initiatives. Polish society

showed a huge dose of solidarity

and a willingness to help people

who suffered as a result of the

conflict in Ukraine. Certainly,

social networks and informal

groups that arose during the

coronavirus crisis have proved

helpful in this difficult time.

Also, many businesses have

taken up or joined actions related

to solidarity for Ukraine.

In addition to humanitarian activities,

the companies began to

prepare to hire new employees

or adapt their offer to the needs

of people from Ukraine.

The public expects companies to

transparently communicate their

approach to social issues, including

those related to the situation

caused by the war in Ukraine.

Hence the importance of a strategic

approach to CSR - and in

particular diversity management

- is growing. Employers need to

consider how they respond to the

needs of employees.

The landscape of challenges is

wide. Every day more and more

citizens of Ukraine who are fleeing

the war come to Poland. The

current crisis is a huge challenge

for the existing system of institutional

care in Poland, but it can

also become a source of many

benefits. Therefore, it is necessary

to take steps to strengthen

the position of people of working

age who came to Poland because

of the war - especially women.

Their potential contribution to

the development of Poland would

generate an additional nearly 1.9

percent GDP.

The way we are able to respond to

the challenge of providing care to

children from Ukraine will be fundamental

to the labor market, social

cohesion and the inclusion of

refugees. This is a huge challenge,

but also a great opportunity for

a society that has already shown

extreme solidarity and empathy.

As well as for the Polish economy.

This area definitely needs joint

actions of employers, local governments,

non-governmental organizations,

as well as solutions at

the national level, which must be

urgently undertaken.

“Every day we engage in

building a sustainable future

through responsible

business practices, and

our goal is to be the most

environmentally neutral

logistics company. We understand

the responsibility

of the private sector in introducing

positive and lasting

changes in the world, so we

are very happy that we have

joined the UN Global Compact,

which brings together

sustainable enterprises and

businesses. Thus, we declare

our full commitment

and commit ourselves to

comply with the Ten Principles

of the UN Global Compact

in the field of human

rights, labor standards, environmental

protection and

counteracting corruption,”

says Rafał Brzoska, president

of the InPost Group.

mBank working on

decarbonizing its loan

portfolio, joins PCAF

The decision is a necessary step on the way to

achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

their financing and venture capital.

The PCAF methodology allows

assessment of the amount of

greenhouse gas emissions related

to corporate loans, securities,

mortgage and car loans. mBank

begins its path towards climate

neutrality by reliably calculating

its current carbon footprint

in all three ranges.

mBank was the first

bank in Poland to join the Partnership

for Carbon Accounting

Financials (PCAF). Thanks to

this cooperation, it will determine,

in accordance with the best

standards, the carbon footprint

of its loan portfolio. It is the most

important source of greenhouse

gas emissions related to the bank's

operations. Therefore, cooperation

with the PCAF is an important

step towards achieving the

goals of climate neutrality. mBank

has committed itself to achieving

zero net emissions by 2030

in scope 1 and 2, relating to the

production and purchase of energy

for its own needs. However,

by 2050 it is to be climate neutral

in scope 3, for all other emissions.

The PCAF associates over 240

financial institutions around the

world. This organization has developed

a uniform, global standard

for calculating and reporting

greenhouse gas emissions for the

financial sector. As a result, they

can fairly disclose the issues that

come from customers who use

mBank begins its path

towards climate neutrality

by reliably calculating its

current carbon footprint in

all three ranges.


11

"The Humming-bird

Effect" by the Maspex

Group

The Maspex Group, the largest Polish

company in the food industry, is

implementing the "Humming-bird

Effect" Sustainable Development

Strategy.

The company has set goals that will be

achieved by 2030 and activities will cover five

areas: Ecology, Innovation, Work Environment,

Social and Business Environment and Healthy

Lifestyle.

Complete elimination of sugar from beverages

dedicated to children and pharmaceutical products,

at least 98% of a plant-based product offer,

20% of electricity from RES, a 25% reduction of

CO2 in warehouse logistics, 80% of waste from

production and distribution recovered for reuse

- these are some of the 37 goals declared in the

announced strategy.

One of the main pillars of the strategy are the proecological

commitments of the Maspex Group in

Poland. The priorities include actions to protect

the climate: reducing carbon dioxide emissions,

reducing the number of plastic packaging placed

on the market, supporting the promotion of recycling,

further reducing waste, reducing water and

energy consumption, combating food waste and

environmental education for children.

PGE Group has

planted nearly

65,000 young trees in

17 locations in

11 voivodeships

The "Green Energy in SMEs. Under the microscope”

report shows that almost all

Polish entrepreneurs from the SME sector

are aware of the impact they have

on the environment, and every second

in practice cares about the climate.

Today, pro-ecological activities are not

a temporary fashion, but an expression of

shared responsibility for the world in which we

live. Companies did not forget about it even during

the pandemic, when they faced completely new problems.

Both the share of solar energy in the increase in

power and the sale of electric cars are breaking new records

and it would seem that nothing will stop it. In the

case of the first area, the first months of this year are

indeed very intense, as consumers want their installations

to be in time to amend the regulations,

which will enter into force in April. Then

we'll slow down a bit. For many companies,

however, it will still be an important

direction in their energy transformation.

Investments in electric cars will also

slow down a bit in the face of the ongoing

war in Ukraine. But in the long run, the

more expensive oil and independence from

Russian raw materials may put more pressure on the

development of electromobility. Apart from, of course,

the development of alternative energy sources, such

as solar panels or wind farms, where not only a change

in the law is needed, but also the preparation of the

entire infrastructure,” says Wojciech Przybył, member

of the EFL management board.

PGE Group has planted

nearly 65,000 young trees in 17

locations in 11 voivodeships under

the ‘Forests full of energy’

(‘Lasy Pełne Energii’) program,

its 22nd edition launched in

2000. PGE Group employees

together with families, school

children, sportspeople and children

from Ukraine participated

in the planting of trees.

“In this year's edition of ‘Forests

Full of Energy’ for over

four weeks 1,300 employees of

the PGE Group and invited

guests planted nearly 65,000

trees. In total, over 22 years,

over 26,000 people have taken

part in the program, planting

nearly 700,000 trees combined.

This result shows that we are

not only leading the green transformation

of the Polish energy

sector, but also implementing

intensive environmental protection

activities, supporting

our investments in renewable

energy sources,” said Wojciech

Dąbrowski, president of the

management board of PGE Polska

Grupa Energetyczna.

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The priorities include actions to protect

the climate: reducing carbon dioxide

emissions, reducing the number of

plastic packaging placed on the market,

supporting the promotion of recycling,

further reducing waste, reducing water

and energy consumption, combating food

waste and environmental education for

children.

How will Maspex products change as a result of the

adopted goals? The implementation of the strategy

will bring many positive changes consistent with

the needs of consumers, the company says. “We

are talking about increasing the health value of

products through: simpler composition, reducing

the sugar content and expanding the portfolio of

plant products. The added sugar will be completely

eliminated in baby drinks and pharmaceutical

products. Products containing ingredients of animal

origin will also be gradually reduced - by 2025

at least 98% of Maspex's food products will be of

plant origin. Already in 2020, Lubella, part of the

Maspex Group, completely withdrew from the use

of cage eggs,” a company spokesperson said.


The best adress to live in

pierwsza dzielnica (The First District) in KATowice

Find more: pierwszadzielnica.pl

The investment is run

by TDJ Estate, a family-owned

Polish investment company. Since

2013 the company has operated

as an active developer and real

estate business. It specializes in

the implementation of projects

in the residential, office and land

real estate sectors.

Pierwsza

Dzielnica arises

in the heart of

Katowice

Premium means above-standard room height, high-quality finishing materials

and modern solutions. The top floors are air-conditioned and have

underfloor heating. Smart home solutions, the Blue Bolt app or Pakomatic

at the site will make residents’ life easier.

In recent years Katowice

has undergone a huge transformation,

becoming the modern

capital of a metropolitan

area with 2 million inhabitants.

The city attracts talents from

around the world who find it

a great place to live and to work.

Pierwsza Dzielnica, a premium

project by TDJ Estate is located

in the very heart of the city and

The Resident Zone includes a relaxation zone; the meeting zone where

residents can spend time together, integrate with neighbors and a creative

zone that provides a space for organizing your own laundry, workshops

some creative DIY- type work, reading books or simply working in common

coworking area.

“Today, a client who invests or buys an apartment in a premium estate such as Pierwsza Dzielnica can be sure

that this investment will maintain its value for many years,” says Adam Urbańki, sales director at TDJ Estate.

it answers the work-life balance

needs of its future residents.

“The name of the investment emphasizes

that we are in the city

center and are building the city’s

new fabric. We seek to achieve

this goal with full responsibility.

Pierwsza Dzielnica will be an

open estate, integrating with the

Culture Zone, and along with

the construction of the next

stages of the investment, also

with the Bogucice district,” says

Aleksandra Posmyk, sales manager

at TDJ Estate.

The location, in the immediate

vicinity of the Culture Zone, the

Spodek Venue, the International

Congress Center, the National

Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra

(NOSPR) and the Silesian

Museum, allows access to the

best of the metropolitan lifestyle.

It is a space of possibilities

where everything is available

right at your doorstep.

Pierwsza Dzielnica is distinguished

by its green land development.

A quiet, green, park

recreational space will be created

between and around the

buildings, filled with multi-species

plants and elements of small

architecture.

The complex is full of amenities,

thanks to which residents can

live here comfortably and deal

with all of life’s most important

matters simply, in one place.

A public service passage is located

on the ground floor of the

buildings - the residents of the

estate and the entire neighborhood

will do their shopping, go

to the hairdresser, or take their

children to the kindergarten.


13

Real Estate

Lakeside, an office

building of approximately

24,000 sqm, will

be located in Warsaw's

Mokotów district. Its location

at the intersection

of Puławska and

Rzymowskiego Streets

is well-served by public

transport with a number

of bus and tram services

as well as the Wilanowska

metro station only

three tram stops away.

As the location is in close

proximity to some of

Warsaw’s main arterial

routes, the city centre

is also within easy reach

by car.

Lakeside, designed by

Grupa 5 Architekci, is

distinguished by its eyecatching

architecture.

The development will be

attractively located by

a lake and surrounded

by greenery.

Agnieszka Bulus-Trando

BiznesINFO.TV and FMC27News

The results for the first

quarter of 2022 showed great

investor confidence in the Polish

commercial real estate market.

Avision Young reported that

2022 recorded the third best

opening of the year since 2016

in terms of investment transactions

with €1.7 bn of total investment

volume. What can we expect

in the upcoming months?

Mariusz Bonca from JLL brings

an optimistic view from the European

Economic Congress in

Katowice. He claims that despite

high uncertainty, investors and

us companies maintain a stable

exchange rate for Poland. What

is also positive is that ESG as a

topic has come to the forefront

for all investors. New developments

like Lakeside or recent

deals on the Polish market prove

how much the approach has

changed. Bank Pekao, one of the

largest Polish banks, will move

to the Forest skyscraper owned

by HB Reavis in Warsaw. The relocation

is part of the implementation

of the ESG strategy.


Property investment market in Poland

after Q1 2022

End of the first quarter of the year was partly

influenced by the new geopolitical situation,

when the whole real estate market held

a breath. Despite new circumstances, ongoing

transactions are closing, what is reflected in Q1

2022 investment market results.

Paulina Brzeszkiewicz-

Kuczyńska

Research and Data Manager,

Avison Young in Poland


opening of the year since

2016 in terms of investment

transactions with €1.7 bn of

total investment volume.

Barely has the pandemic

subsided, the investment

market is already facing new

challenges due to the war in the

Ukraine. End of the first quarter

of the year was partly influenced

by the new geopolitical situation,

when the whole real estate

market held a breath. Despite

new circumstances, ongoing

transactions are closing, what is

reflected in Q1 2022 investment

market results. Furthermore, especially

regional investors from

Lithuania, Czech Republic,

Hungary or Slovakia keep their

interest in real estate properties

located in Poland.


opening of the year since 2016

in terms of investment transactions

with €1.7 bn of total

investment volume. This result

was, however, determined by

three extraordinary deals, which

amounted to 75% of total volume

transacted.

The first one was the office acquisition

of The Warsaw Hub

by Google. The second and the

third regarded the sale of 50%

of EPP portfolios by establishing

two joint ventures. Thus,

the retail and office sectors have

the dominant share in the total

investment volume structure,

reaching 44%. This is rather outstanding

result after the strong

domination of industrial sector,

which is mainly caused by lack

of sizable industrial product on

the market.

• 3rd best opening

• € 1.7 billion – total investment

volume in Q1 2022

• 23 transactions

Retail market

Retail parks’ stronghold

Retail parks and convenience

schemes remain the most attractive

retail assets among investors

in Poland. Q1 2022 saw

9 retail transactions, of which

4 were due to retail parks and

convenience centres, confirming

the stable position of retail

parks and convenience retail

properties on the Polish investment

market. Among sold retail

parks there were two prime

properties transacted to the

market newcomers: Park Handlowy

Młyn in Wrocław sold to

Lords LB and Power Park Opole

transacted to LEOFF Group.

Retail investment volume at the

PRS platform of Murapol and Ares called Life Spot

beginning of 2022 broke records.

The total transacted volume

stood at €728 m, which amounts

to 73% of total retail investment

volume in 2021. The 44% share of

retail in total investment volume

recorded in Q1 2022 is the

merit of sale of 50% of EPP portfolios

to form two joint ventures:

Horse JV and Community

Properties JV.

• € 728 million – total investment

volume in retail sector in

Q1 2022

• 9 transactions

• 4 retail parks transacted

Office market - core assets back

in the game

Like forecasted by Avison Young

last year, office investment market

started the year with the

most impressive core transactions.

While in 2021 number of

value‐add transactions exceeded

core assets deals, Q1 2022 saw

the acquisition of several prime

office buildings. The two greatest

transactions regarded office

towers in major markets.

Wrocław’s landmark – Sky

Tower was acquired by Adventum

Group from Develia. Avison

Young represented the seller

in the transaction of over €82

m. The Warsaw Hub was sold

by Ghelamco to Google (office

towers), being the largest single

office transaction ever recorded

in Poland. This transaction volume

represents 35% of total investment

volume in this quarter.

The regional office markets begin

to attract investors again.

3 out of 5 office buildings were

transacted in Wrocław and

Kraków. In addition, another

transactions in Wrocław, Łódź

and Kraków have been announced

and are awaiting to be

closed. All regional office transactions

are being acquired directly

from the developers. The

domination of primary market

transactions is typical for offices

located in regional cities.

Sky Tower was acquired by Adventum Group from Develia

€ 728 million – total

investment volume in retail

sector in Q1 2022

Overall share of office sector in

investment market in Q1 2022

stood at 44%.


volume in office sector

in Q1 2022

• 5 transactions

• 91% - share of acquisition of

two landmarks in the office investment

volume

Industrial market - delayed

start after last year’s records

Warehouses were the undisputed

leader of investment market

in the recent years. In 2021 industrial

sector took up record

high share of investment volume

in history, reaching 53%.

Although Q1 2022 was rather

modest in terms of new transactions

regarding warehouse

properties, forecasts for this

sector are more than positive.

The decrease of investment volume

was the result of the lack

of product rather than reduced

investors’ interest.

Over 45% of investment volume

transacted this quarter was

generated by portfolio transactions.

The biggest deal was the

acquisition of 3 logistics facilities

located in the Warsaw Agglomeration

by Partners Group

and Peakside Capital. Following

the growing interest in urban

warehouses, city logistic

centre in Ożarów Mazowiecki

was transacted to Arrow Capital

and two MAN Service Centres

were acquired by Investika,

followed by Panattoni City

Logistics Poznań I acquired by

Apollo Management.


volume in industrial sector

in Q1 2022

• 9 transactions

• 45% - share of portfolio transactions

PRS market - answer to today’s

times

Demand for apartments for rent

is ballooning. The main drivers

of the increasing need for renting

flats, both private and institutional,

are growing by leaps and

bounds interest rates in Poland

as well as the influx of war refugees

from Ukraine. Above only

thrives the investors’ appetite for

developing PRS in Poland.

Hines & Kajima have already

announced their newly formed

Joint Venture, created in order

to pursue development projects

in the private rental housing sector.

The JV plans to start acquiring

projects during the second

half of the year. Additionally,

the new PRS platform of Murapol

and Ares called Life Spot

was launched, offering flats for

long-term rent in Warsaw and

regional cities.

What’s next?

Real estate investment market

has already caught up a breath

after pandemic, when the war in

Ukraine started. Some investors

will for sure watch CEE region

cautiously when considering

new investments here, however

regional investors remain invariably

active. Moreover, the

influx of refugees plays in favour

of PRS sector development.

Solid opening of 2022 as well as

many currently ongoing transactions

confirm the stability of the

real estate investment market.

Transacted deals regarded both

large and small properties in multiple

sectors and the investment

market saw also a few newcomers.

Despite some turmoil, we expect

that the investment market in

Poland will continue to attract

investors.


15

Reflections after the European Economic

Congress in Katowice

After a few days of intense meetings and events

at the European Economic Congress, I would like

to share with you a few thoughts and summarize

this first major event after the pandemic.

Mateusz Bonca

Chief Executive Officer,

JLL Polska

Discussions of large

numbers

COVID and energy transformation,

as well as the structural

challenges of local government,

have fundamentally changed the

discourse and horizon of strategic

planning. $150 trillion in

expenditures needed to reach

net zero in the world, a 250,000-

300,000 housing deficit and the

need for $ 5 billion in investment

in the housing sector in Poland

and huge investments related

to nuclear energy. An extremely

interesting conversation co-organized

by JLL and the American

Chamber of Commerce in

Poland with representatives of

the public and private sectors

made me realize that companies

and cities, especially today, need

comprehensive discussions and

solutions to structural problems

at the interface between real estate,

energy and finance.

G0

We are all getting used to the expression

"before the war" - when

the common thought was the

twilight of globalization and the

world of G0 vs. G7 or G20. Today

the world seems more coordinated

and is jointly responding to the

challenges of today's geopolitics

and problems in the energy sector.

This is a new direction that offers

greater operational comfort to investors

and global companies.

Energy mix

For years, the current topic of

renewable energy has become

very intense due to energy prices.

Companies, as well as the public

sector, deeply think about their

own solutions helping in energy

independence. Creative discussions

at the interface between

real estate and energy led by

Rafal Skowronski, Head of Energy

and Infrastructure Advisory

from our JLL team in Poland,

show that foreign investors remain

strongly interested in the

topic, despite uncertainties related

to the war in Ukraine.

Diversity

Many conversations seem to

suggest that we are already past

the questioning stage when we

will return to the office. Employers

look very hard at the

value proposition they offer

their employees in the context

of Tétris architecture, green

solutions and creative work

spaces. By contrast, diversity is

no longer an option - successful

teams need to reflect different

perspectives. To promote best

practices, JLL has signed a partnership

with 30% Club Poland,

a business campaign aiming to

boost the number of women in

board seats and executive leadership

of companies.

Investors' perspective

Despite high uncertainty, investors

and US companies maintain

a stable exchange rate for Poland.

The talks confirm that thanks to

strong ties with NATO and political

assurances from US diplomacy,

investment is not holding

back pace in all segments of the

real estate industry.

New investment

in Warsaw

In Warsaw, Służewiec

Przemysłowy, in the district

known as "Mordor," on Komputerowa

Street, a tourist and

hotel complex with over 800

apartments for rent and threestar

hotel rooms, managed by

a hotel chain is being built.

The investor is ACER RE

S.K.A., s a portfolio company

of investment funds managed

by Quercus Towarzystwo Funduszy

Inwestycyjnych S.A.

Architects Kuryłowicz & Associates

have taken care of the

project. The new hotel and

tourist investment in Warsaw

will consist of four six-storey

buildings and will be built on

an area of 18,500 sq. m.

The investment is to be distinguished

by unique colors and

vegetation.The buildings will

house 632 hotel and tourist

units and 172 hotel rooms.

Dealz chooses warehouse

in Hillwood Łowicz Południe

Hillwood has started the

construction of a new logistics

park, Hillwood Łowicz Południe,

with a total of over 108,000 sq m

being built in two buildings, one

a warehouse and the other office

space. The investment will be

completed in the first quarter of

next year and the Dealz chain of

stores will be the first tenant.

Dealz is an international chain

of stores and part of the Pepco

Group. The first Dealz store in

Poland was established in February

2018. Currently, the chain

operates in over 130 commercial

premises, offering over 3,000

products of well-known brands of

groceries, drugstores, home decoration

and furnishings, toys, tools

and products for animals.


Skanska sells Nowy Rynek D in Poznan for EUR 121 M

Once fully completed, the Nowy Rynek complex

is expected to serve as a new meeting, leisure

and entertainment space for tenants and the local

community, bringing added value to office users,

but also to the city’s residents and visitors.

Skanska has sold the

Nowy Rynek D office building in

Poznan, Poland, to Eastnine AB,

a Swedish real estate company

focused on modern and sustainable

office and logistics properties.

The project is designed and

built in line with environmental,

social and governance (ESG)

principles, which demonstrates

Skanska’s commitment to creating

sustainable places that have

a positive impact on people, society

and the planet. It is the first

transaction between the two

parties in Central and Eastern

Europe (CEE).

Nowy Rynek D is part of a mixused

complex located in the

heart of Poznan, which will ultimately

consist of five buildings

and will offer over 100,000 sqm

of modern office and retail space.

Completed in June 2021, Nowy

Rynek D offers around 39,000

sqm of sustainable and modern

office and retail space, which is

96% leased. The anchor tenant is

Allegro, the most popular shopping

platform in Poland and the

largest e-commerce platform of

European origin. Office spaces

have also been leased, among

others, by tenants with strong,

global brands – the world's leading

manufacturer of stone wool

Rockwool and a leading international

service provider Arvato,

that is a division of Bertelsmann.

Nowy Rynek was designed to

serve as a safe and healthy workspace,

supporting various needs

of tenants and visitors, including

those of individuals with disabilities,

parents with children, seniors

and those who do not speak

Polish. It has already received the

WELL Health & Safety Rating

and the Building without Barriers

certificate. It is also expected

to obtain the LEED Core & Shell,

as well as the WELL Core & Shell

certifications.

“We are very happy that this

prime project has been recognized

by Eastnine AB and that

the company decided to commence

their investments in CEE

with Skanska. The acquisition

of Nowy Rynek D proves that

investors are ready to diversify

their portfolios with new assets

located in major Polish cities,

and that Poland has a lot to offer

in this respect. In turbulent

times, well leased, core assets

built in line with ESG principles

are what investors look for across

our region and Skanska is proud

to be able to offer products that

address this need,” said Adrian

Karczewicz, Head of Divestment

at Skanska’s commercial development

business unit in CEE.

With its unique façade shimmering

with shades of green, which

turns into a rusty pink at the

top, Nowy Rynek D combines

modern architecture and technologies

while being an integral

part of the historical neighborhood.

The building features userfriendly

solutions, such as ventilation

and temperature control

system based on chilled beams

that ensure greater thermal comfort,

cleaner air, and quiet operation

of equipment, positively

impacting the comfort and wellbeing

of users.

Nowy Rynek D is one of the

most sustainable buildings in

Poznan. The use of climatesmart

solutions (e.g. low-speed

ventilation, chilled beams, LED

lighting, free cooling, grey and

rainwater systems) in both the

building and office spaces resulted

in considerable energy efficiency

increase and water savings,

respectively. Furthermore,

sidewalks around the office

building are made from a special

type of concrete that cleans

the air from harmful substances,

such as those emitted from automobile

tailpipes (NOx).

Once fully completed, the Nowy

Rynek complex is expected to

serve as a new meeting, leisure

and entertainment space for tenants

and the local community,

bringing added value to office

users, but also to the city’s residents

and visitors. It includes

a state-of-art courtyard in the

center of the D building, which

is an important element of the

office area and an integral part of

the complex, enriching its architecture

and offering unlimited

access to the public.

Pikseo invests

in ToRUń

Pikseo, an IT company, will build two modern

office buildings in Toruń.

Office buildings will

be built in the immediate vicinity

of the Toruń City Hall (ul.

Grudziądzka) - on ul. Under

Dębowa Góra. The investor is the

IT company Pikseo, which is currently

located in Bydgoszcz.

The investment itself consists

of two modern office buildings.

One of them will be the company's

new headquarters, and the

other will be a business space for

other rental companies.

The Pikseo company is a partner

of Google and specializes in conducting

marketing campaigns

online, including website positioning,

introducing advertisements

to social media and other

internet portals.

The choice of a place for the

company's headquarters is not

accidental. This part of the city

is a dynamically developing district

with great investment potential,

an attractive location

and good communication. It is

The office buildings have

been designed with

employees in mind. There

will be an office space for

creative work, open space

type, and separate offices.

ideal for prestigious business facilities

such as headquarters of

well-known companies.

The office buildings have been

designed with employees in mind.

There will be an office space for

creative work, open space type,

and separate offices. In addition

to them, there are also social

rooms for employees, rooms for

relaxation and meetings. In the

vicinity of the office buildings are

green areas with the preservation

of the existing old trees and a large

parking lot for cars and places for

bicycles. The buildings were designed

by the well-known Toruń

studio BUKA Architektura.


17

People in real estate

photo credit: jdplc.com

JD Sports opens new stores in Poland

Danuta Grzywacz has been

appointed Country Head for Poland

of Westbridge, a real estate

management consultancy company

in the optimization of operating

costs, product management,

real estate management

consulting, in Warsaw.

After completing her studies in

finance and management, Grzywacz

started in 2002 as a Senior

Sales Specialist at BPH bank.

Four years later she joined

Raiffeisen Bank Polska, where

she changed positions several

times, managing sales teams

and gaining, among other

things, experience in the field of

digital transformation as a Business

Development Manager at

Econocom. While working at

Jones Lang Lasalle (JLL) in Warsaw

as the director responsible

for Sales Management and Client

Growth, she became interested

in the subject of sustainable

development in commercial

real estate industry. This was an

incentive for her to deepen her

knowledge of zero net energy

consumption and to join Westbridge,

an ESG specialist.

JD Sports, the British

sportswear and footwear multibrand,

opened its first store in

Poland in December 2021. Since

then, the chain has grown to

include four stores located in

shopping centers in Poznań,

Zielona Góra, Białystok and

Nowy Sącz. The Marketing Investment

Group (MIG), responsible

for the expansion of JD

Sports in CEE, is planning further

brand openings, including

in Warsaw, as well as the launch

of the jd-sports.pl online store.

JD Sports Fashion is the UK's

leading retailer of sports products

with stores in more than

20 countries. In March 2021, the

company acquired a 60% stake in

the Polish company Marketing

Investments Group (MIG).

JD Sports made its debut in

Poland with the opening of

a store in the Posnania gallery in

Poznań. Currently, there are four

multibrand stores in the country:

in the Posnania shopping center,

Focus Mall Zielona Góra, Atrium

Biała and Galeria Trzy Korony

in Nowy Sącz. JD Sports is

planning further store openings.

The company’s offer includes

a wide range of products from

brands such as Nike, Adidas,

Puma, Vans, Timberland, The

North Face and others. JD's entry

into Poland also means direct access

to brands such as Pink Soda

Sport or Supply & Demand, as

well as limited collections and

unique premieres.

Piotr Kalisz has joined the REI-

NA company team. As an Associate

Partner, he will advise key clients

of the company in the field

of renting, planning and finishing

office spaces. Piotr has over

12 years of experience in the

commercial real estate market.

The presence of Piotr in the

team means a strengthening of

REINA’s competences in the areas

of transaction and technical

consulting. Piotr accompanies

tenants at every stage of planning,

the lease process and the

comprehensive implementation

of their office needs. For the last

two years he has been responsible

for servicing Reesco's key

clients. In 2010-2020 he worked

in the tenant representation department

at the Polish branch of

Colliers International, including

as Associate Director.

Artur Czuba has been promoted

to the position of Associate

Director in Avison Young. He has

been with the company since its

inception in Poland. During this

time, he developed his consulting

skills and was promoted

several times in the company's

structure. Artur is also the winner

of the Client Care & Delivery

Award 2021 awarded by Avison

Young to outstanding advisers

in the company's European

branches.

Artur has 8 years of experience

in the commercial real estate

investment market, which he

gained in the transaction and

investment financing departments.

At Avison Young, he is

responsible for investment consulting,

supporting funds and

developers. Artur is active in

all major market segments, recently

also in the retail park segment.

Some of the projects he

finalized include the sale of the

portfolios of the HopStop and

Hunter REIM retail parks, the

purchase of Pasaż Chełmiński,

the Action warehouse near

Bolesławiec, as well as land for

logistics facilities.

Bank Pekao SA becomes main

tenant in Forest skyscraper

Bank Pekao, one of the

largest Polish banks, will occupy

18 floors in the Forest skyscraper

owned by HB Reavis in Warsaw.

The relocation of Bank Pekao is

part of the implementation of

the ESG strategy.

“The new headquarters will provide

employees with more functional

and attractive interiors,

while saving on property rental.

The change of location is also an

element of the bank's ESG strategy,”

says Paweł Jurek, spokesman

for Bank Pekao S.A.

Forest designers were inspired by

nature and the trend known as

biophilic design. In the courtyard

open to pedestrians and around

the buildings, 200 mature trees

and as many shrubs were planted.

Another distinguishing feature is

green terraces on the roofs, where

recreational zones and a city garden

overlooking the panorama of

Warsaw have been created.

Employees of the offices located

in the Forest can easily get there

by public transport - with bus,

tram and city rail stops (Warszawa

Powązki) nearby, and the

Dworzec Gdański metro station

within a 10-minute walk.

The first tenants of the complex

are already using the new

offices, and more companies

will move in after the finishing

works. Works related to

the renovation and greening of

Burakowska Street and the construction

of a new bicycle path

are still in progress in the area.

Anita Bajdalska takes up a new

director position at Dobre Hotel

as a certified SPA manager on

behalf of the international ISPA

(International Spa Association),

an auditor of SPA facilities and

a lecturer at WSB postgraduate

studies in the field of hotel

facilities management and SPA

& Wellness. She also graduated

from the Faculty of Management

and Economics of the University

of Szczecin (majoring in

management and tourism and

recreational business). Anita

gained her skills in managing

SPA facilities in the best hotels in

Austria and Switzerland. She

also has 15 years of professional

experience as a SPA & Wellness

manager in hotels located in

Poland. In addition, he works as

a trainer and business consultant

for SPA & Wellness.


Study in Poland

Foreign students interested in Poland

Poland keeps attracting students from abroad. In the previous academic

year, 84,689 foreign students from 189 countries studied in Poland, i.e.

2,495 more than the year before (an increase of 3%).

Winner

Lara Maria Guedes Gonçalves

Costa from Brazil

Interstudent 2021 - Undergraduate

Studies

A third year student of International

Relations and Area

Studies at the Jagiellonian

University in Kraków. Laura is

8,000 kilometers away from

her family and friends - whom

she has not seen for over a year.

In Poland, she is not only an

outstanding student, but also

a person involved in promoting

study in Poland and a devoted

volunteer. ”Poland has become

my second home ,” says Lara. “

I am grateful that I can be here,

and all the activities I undertake

are a form of gratitude for what

I have in Poland.

On the basis of the statistical

and informational report

prepared within the “Study in

Poland” program conducted by

the Conference of Rectors of

Academic Schools in Poland and

the “Perspektywy” Education

Foundation, we learn that in the

2020/21 academic year, 84,689 foreign

students from 189 countries

studied in Poland, i.e. 2,495 more

than the year before (an increase

of 3%). Foreign students currently

constitute 6.95% of the total number

of students in Poland (twelve

years ago, there were only 0.82%,

and in the 2016/17 academic year

4.88%). The upward trend has continued

since 2005, that is since the

launch of the long-term “Study

in Poland” program by the Conference

of Rectors of Academic

Schools in Poland (CRASP) and

the Perspektywy Education Foundation.

On April 26, as part of

the conference "Foreign students

in Poland 2021," an online gala

was held, during which the best

foreign students in Poland were

awarded. This is the eleventh edition

of the competition for the

best foreign student in Poland

"INTERSTUDENT 2021".

Winner

Deepjyoti Nath from India

Interstudent 2021 - Special award for constructing a robot for disinfecting

public spaces.

Deepjyoti is a third year student of Computer Science at the University

of Lodz. As a 20-year-old, he founded his first startup - an online restaurant

website. During the pandemic, he took up a completely different

challenge: he developed and implemented a maintenance-free robot

for disinfecting public spaces using UV lamps. According to many lecturers

from the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University

of Lodz, Deepjyoti Nath is focused on developing his passions.

The construction of a disinfecting robot that can be used in hospitals,

laboratories and shops. The Deepjyoti project is a complex and technologically

advanced project on the border of robotics, automation and

artificial intelligence.

Winner

Aliaksandra Shmyk

from Belarus

Interstudent 2021 – Special

award for popularizing science

and technology.

Aliaksandra is a third year student

in the field of automatics

and robotics at the Warsaw University

of Technology. Creating

Mars rovers is one of Aliaksandra's

passions. But on Earth, she

has a lot of work to do: she takes

part in scientific conferences

and engineering competitions,

organizes robotics workshops

for children, and works at the

Central Institute for Labor Protection.

Aliaksandra designs

and programs microprocessor

sensor systems for the needs

of research and development,

as well as plans and conducts

acoustic tests. Aliaksandra is

also the coordinator of the Robotics

Section at the Students'

Space Association.

Winner

Yash Chawla from India

Interstudent 2021 – Doctoral

Studies

Yash is a PhD student at the Faculty

of Computer Science and

Management at the Wroclaw

University of Science and Technology.

He has been an active

member of the Wrocław University

of Science and Technology

community since his arrival

in Poland in 2017. He conducts

research, organizes scientific

conferences, and carries out

important projects. Recently,

he was recognized as the Best

Young Researcher in the field

of management and quality science

at the Wroclaw University

of Science and Technology for

his publications in prestigious

scientific titles. He visits schools

and kindergartens in Wrocław

as a volunteer, teaching children

to be open to other cultures.

MBA for Startups

It is the first Online

MBA studio in Poland designed

especially for young

entrepreneurs. The unique

formula of the project is based

on a combination of top-class

academic knowledge with

Sebastian Kulczyk's InCredibles

mentoring program and

a networking platform of international

partners.

Online MBA for Startups

are entirely based on

distance classes conducted

in Polish and English.

Participants will take part

in over 600 teaching hours

conducted by the best

academic lecturers of SGH

Online MBA for Startups are

entirely based on distance

classes conducted in Polish

and English. Participants will

take part in over 600 teaching

hours conducted by the best

academic lecturers of SGH

and partner universities of the

program, as well as entrepreneurs,

managers and recognized

practitioners.

Winner

Marlon Souza Luis

from Canada

Interstudent 2021 - Master

Studies

Marlon is a sixth year student of

medicine at the Medical University

of Gdańsk. He is thinking of

specializing in cardiology. It's

a good idea, because when you

look at his activity, you can see

that he has a big heart. Marlon

devotes countless hours of his

free time to engaging in educational,

charity and social actions

and projects. He runs, among

other things, the student educational

project "Fun with English,"

teaching sick children and

their parents English through

games and fun. He organizes

charity campaigns for patients

of children's wards in Gdańsk

hospitals in cooperation with

Tri-City companies and foundations,

workshops for students.


A roWING need for pilot TRAINING

19

Włodzimierz Soiński

President of the Board of the

UnitedSky Pilot Academy

People all over the

world want and need to travel.

The COVID-19 outbreak has

therefore posed huge challenges

for carriers. Both airlines and airports

are developing increasingly

effective solutions to reduce the

epidemiological risk and restore

busy air traffic. With its revival,

the need for pilots is increasing.

They will replace those who

left during the pandemic or will

leave in the near future, e.g. due

to reaching retirement age. This

forecasts a significant increase in

demand for flight training.

According to estimates of international

aviation organizations,

the world aviation market will

have to employ over 250 thousand

new captains in the next 10

years. In Poland, more than 2,000

new pilots and aviation specialists

will be needed in that time.

This record demand poses a big

challenge for pilot training centers.

New, innovative career paths

at the helm and modern training

UnitedSky is a leading

aviation training centre

in Poland. It organizes

theoretical and practical

courses for private and

professional pilots, both

Polish and foreign. All

classes are conducted with

care to maintain the highest

standards, while meeting

the requirements of aviation

supervision.

systems are needed. Available

reports and analyses indicate

a change in trends in pilot training:

fewer and fewer now come

from the military or aeroclubs,

while more and more come from

courses organized by airlines and

independent, certified organizations.

UnitedSky's analysis shows that

future pilots are increasingly

opting for private schools that

guarantee high quality courses,

aircraft availability, individual

and friendly instructors and time

flexibility.

Parallel to the projected development

of airline aviation, we

note a large increase in interest

in flying private aircraft for business

and leisure purposes in the

country. Poles are beginning to

notice that private aircraft are

not only available to billionaires.

The purchase and operation of

an aircraft is a cost comparable

to maintaining a sports supercar

or luxury yacht.

Just 6-7 years ago, there were

about 400 private aircraft registered

in Poland, today there are

more than 1400. In the same period

of time, the number of private

helicopters has increased from 42

to nearly 200. Hence, we see in

UnitedSky an increasing demand

for PPL (Private Pilot Licence)

training. The potential for development

is huge: in the Czech Republic,

where almost four times

less people live than in Poland,

there are almost half more private

planes as in our country.

UnitedSky is a leading aviation

training centre in Poland. It organizes

theoretical and practical

courses for private and professional

pilots, both Polish and

foreign. All classes are conducted

with care to maintain the

highest standards, while meeting

the requirements of aviation

supervision. The effectiveness of

training provided by UnitedSky

is confirmed by the high pass

rate of exams.

We have our own fleet of aircraft

at our disposal. Currently

these are: Cessna 172 and 182,

Hummingbird 150 and 160 and

Beechcraft Baron. They will

be joined by Tecnam 2006 and

2008 soon. Additionally, we

have Alsim AL250 flight simulators

at the airport in Babice and

Alsim ALX in Ogonki in Masuria.

They can be used for PPL,

CPL, IR SE/ME and FI practical

trainings.

All UnitedSky trainings are conducted

with concern for safety

and maintaining the highest

standards, while meeting the

high requirements of aviation

supervision. They are open to

foreign customers with classes

in English. There is also the possibility

of individual training.

Both the cost of training and

maintenance are much lower

in Poland than in Western

countries. The complete cost of

training for a PPL – Private Pilot

Licence is 32k PLN, and for

a professional ATPL – Airline

Transport Pilot Licence is 170k

PLN. UnitedSky’s prices are

lower even by half in relation

to schools in Western countries.

Polish pilots are known around

the world for their high skills, so

the quality of training is at the

same level or even higher.

Increased interest in aviation studies

Why choose a training center in Poland?

Anna Konert

director of the Lazarski Aviation

Academy

The Boeing Company

predicts that by 2037 demand for

new pilots will have increased to

635,000, including over 146,000 in

Europe alone. Polish air traffic is

developing faster than in Europe

as a whole and has potential for

further growth. At the same time

pilots over 65 years old are slowly

retiring, freeing up space for new

ones. Interest in flight training is

steadily growing, also in Poland.

In March 2020, the COVID-19

pandemic immobilized the world

and the aviation sector, felt it

particularly acutely. According

to estimates by the International

Air Transport Association

(IATA), April saw a 90% drop in

revenue per passenger kilometer

(RPK) compared to the previous

year, and August saw a 75% decline.

This was a huge blow to the

industry, as well as for the major

European carriers. National

governments, however, stepped

in, offering significant economic

support.

EU supports aviation

Aviation is a sector of strategic

importance for the European Union.

Before the pandemic, it contributed

€300 billion (or about

2.1% of GDP) to the European

economy, providing more than 5

million jobs. The European aviation

strategy is an initiative to

stimulate the growth of European

businesses, foster innovation and

enable passengers to enjoy safer,

greener and more affordable

flights.

Growing stronger

As statistics show, the industry is

going from strength to strength.

Poles' travel plans have not been

thwarted by the pandemic. According

to a survey conducted by

the eSky.pl company in cooperation

with the Mobile Institute research

agency, as many as 77% of

Poles are not afraid to travel during

the coronavirus threat.

Pilot profession

Piloting studies prepare students

for a career in the international

aviation market and in airlines

around the world, as First Officers

and later as Captains. At

Łazarski University, students can

choose to study Aviation Law and

Professional Pilot License, which

is run by the Faculty of Law and

Administration. These are undergraduate

courses that last 6

semesters. All of the classes are

conducted in English. The lecturers

have an individual approach

to each student, among other

things, thanks to classes in small

groups. From the first year the

university provides internships,

which will take place in a professional

pilot training center - the

Goldwings Flight Academy. The

center has the required certificate

issued by the head of the Civil

Aviation Authority, allowing it

to conduct pilot training.

The study program is tailored to

meet the requirements of today's

job market. It teaches the theory

and practice necessary to obtain

an airline pilot license ATPL (A).

In addition, it focuses on the legal

aspects of civil aviation in the

European Union and globally,

the knowledge of which allows

students in the future not only to

perform the profession of a pilot,

but also to prepare to work in the

bodies and institutions of civil

aviation.

The frozen ATPL (A) license,

which graduates of Łazarski

University receive, enables them

to work as pilots of commercial

airliners, such as the Boeing 787

Dreamliner or the Airbus A320.

Graduates are also experts in aviation

law, thanks to which they

can also find work on the ground,

in law firms, companies and aviation

institutions.


Chagall in the National

Museum in Warsaw

30 April – 24 July 2022

Poland’s difficult history

and severe wartime losses are

why Polish museums can only

boast a few works of the most

remarkable artists of the 20th

century, which enjoy steady interest

from international visitors.

One of them is certainly

Marc Chagall, whose art has become

recognisable because it has

made it into the realm of popular

culture on an unprecedented

scale thanks to reproductions

copied and presented on various

media and in various contexts.

Only a modest selection of the

artist’s prints was exhibited in

three Polish museums.

The collection of 14 of Marc

Chagall’s works on paper is now

The collection of

14 of Marc Chagall’s works

on paper is now part of the

collection of the National

Museum in Warsaw as the

result of an unprecedented

purchase. The works come

from Chagall’s family’s

collection

part of the collection of the National

Museum in Warsaw as

the result of an unprecedented

purchase. The works come from

Chagall’s family’s collection

and were bought from Kornfeld,

a recognised Swiss auction

house. They originated in the

post-war period. They convey

Chagall’s wide range of printmaking

and drawing techniques.

The artist is known for his freedom

in using various means of

expression, combining gouache,

tempera, crayon, pencil, and

coloured ink. The high quality

of the materials and the perfect

condition of all the works are

also notable.

The works of Marc Chagall presented

in this book were purchased

from the contingency

reserve of Prime Minister Mateusz

Morawiecki transferred as

a designated grant by Minister

of Culture and National Heritage

Professor Piotr Gliński.

Curator: Anna Manicka

photo credit: Bartosz Bajerski / MNW

Marc Chagall (1887–1985), Światło i skrzypek (Lumière sur le violoniste),

1979

Multimedia Fountain

Park in Warsaw reopens

photo credit: J.Słowik/ parkfontann.pl

Shows at the Multimedia

Fountain Park in Warsaw

are back. This year the show is

about the Warsaw legend of “the

Golden Duck.” The story - about

what is most important in life,

love or wealth - will be accompanied

by the music of Kora and

Maanam, one of Poland’s biggest

rock bands, playing popular

songs like "An extremely Cold

May," "Cicadas in the Cyclades"

and "Don't rush me because I'm

losing my breath."

The Multimedia Fountain Park

was opened in 2011 beside the

Royal Castle at the foot of the

New Town. It is the largest

initiative of its type in Poland,

a modern landmark of the capital

and one of its most important

tourist attractions. During

the season - which is 5 months

long (from the start of May until

the end of September) - special

shows are attended by over one

million people. Thanks to the

fountain shows and events, the

area near the Royal Castle has

been turned into a place where

people meet, hang out and relax

and is now an important spot in

the capital for art, culture and

entertainment.


21

"TAMARA ŁEMPICKA. A WoMAN in Travel"

exhibition in Lublin

The National Museum in Lublin is opening an

exhibition dedicated to the painter Tamara

Łempicka, “A Woman in Travel" to mark the 42nd

anniversary of her death. It is the first ever monographic

presentation in Poland of Łempicka’s

artwork and will be open until August 14 at the

National Museum in Lublin.

Tamara de Lempicka painting her husband Tadeusz Łempicki, 1923.

The exhibition is an invitation

into the world of the

1920s and 1930s where the Art

Deco style was predominant.

Rising in popularity during

the interwar period, the style

proved to be a significant element

of the modernist canon.

Art Deco artworks were characterized

by immaculate lines,

strong geometric shapes and

intricate designs. The works of

art on display are indelibly connected

with the artist's life and

are presented in an environment

of day-to-day items - furniture,

handicrafts, garments and devices.

It is intended to introduce

visitors to the remarkable life of

Łempicka, one of the greatest

artists of the 20th century.

She is known as the Queen of Art

Deco and her paintings achieve

dizzying prices at world art auctions.

Łempicka, better known as

Tamara de Lempicka, was born

in Warsaw on May 16, 1898. She

was a Polish painter who spent

her working life in France and

the United States. Known as “The

Baroness with a Brush,” she created

an image of a modern and

independent woman of success.

Łempicka became an icon of

her time and her name became

recognizable in Europe and the

Americas. Already as a young girl,

Tamara showed an extraordinary

artistic talent, quickly becoming

proficient in drawing and watercolors.

Her life is inextricably

linked with traveling, filled with

a mixture of romance, an unbridled

desire for happiness, intertwined

with a constant fear of

abandonment, loneliness, as well

as war anxiety and wandering

"Young Lady with Gloves, 1930"

around the world. De Lempicka

was very clear about who she was

and who she yearned to be.

"I was the first woman to paint

pictures that were neat, precise

and finished and that was

the secret to their success. Out

of a hundred paintings, it was

always possible to recognize

mine. And the galleries tended

to center me in their best rooms

because my art was attractive to

the public," she once said.

Those words remain true today

with her works attracting thousands

of visitors to museums

and exhibitions.

She died on March 18, 1980 in

Mexico.

The exhibition is organized by

the National Museum in Lublin

and Villa la Fleur in collaboration

with the Tamara de Lempicka

Estate.

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photo credit: PAP/Bartłomiej Wójtowicz

The great-granddaughter of Tamara Łempicka, Marisa de Lempicka, took part in the opening of the exhibition

of Tamara Łempicka's works entitled "Tamara Łempicka - a woman on the road" at the National Museum in

Lublin on May 18. The exhibition includes nearly 30 works by the artist, as well as her personal belongings.


Katarzyna Braiter

Editor in Chief

You lived in Canada

for many years. However, you

have decided to come back to

Poland. What was driving you?

In the 30 years I spent in Canada,

not a single day did not make

me think about returning to Poland,

from which I was expelled

in 1960. I tried to return to the

country twice, but each time

communist Poland rejected my

applications. After the changes

in 1990, after the change of the

political system into a democratic

one, I received a message

that I would now be allowed to

return to Poland together with

my whole family.

I tried to return to the

country twice, but each time

communist Poland rejected

my applications.

Q&A with a friend

Albert Czetwertyński - businessman,

philanthropist, bridge player.

Founder of the Prometeusz for Seniors

Foundation, which helps over 200 elderly

people in and around Warsaw.

Your family is with you in

Poland? How did they take the

decision to change their place

of residence? How did they

find themselves here?

The most important thing for

me was the positive decision

of my wife Elizabeth, who supported

me during my talks with

the children. My three daughters

were old enough to decide

for themselves and everyone, except

the eldest, Kinga, came and

settled in Warsaw.

We met thanks to bridge. You

are a great player and I love

bridge too. Where did this

passion come from ?

I am not a great player, but I like

social bridge a lot. I can't get

used to sports bridge.

Two of my friends who often

played bridge lived in our neighbors'

house 70 years ago. During

my studies, I was drawn into the

group of bridge enthusiasts by

older students and members of

the teaching group.

In addition to your company,

you have created something

special. I mean Prometheus for

Seniors. Tell us about it.

After returning to Poland, I realized

that a large number of Seniors

live in extreme poverty. And

foundations to help them are almost

non-existent, and the Polish

state has not fulfilled its obligation

to provide health and a comfortable

retirement for seniors.

It seems like a big part of your

life is helping others. Now you

have become very involved in

helping the needy in Ukraine.

How are you helping? And

where do you get the time and

energy for this?

We help Ukrainians by sending

medicines necessary under war

We help Ukrainians

by sending medicines

necessary under war

conditions. I have been

retired for a long time,

so I have plenty of free

time.

conditions. I have been retired

for a long time, so I have plenty

of free time.

I know that volunteers are also

involved in your activities.

Our small group of volunteers

works very hard and with great

enthusiasm to cope with all projects

related to aid for Ukraine,

not forgetting to help the 220 people

under our care on a daily basis.

Here, I would like to mention the

hundreds of people who responded

to my appeal by sending very

generous funds to purchase drugs

and surgical products. We got the

most from family, friends and ordinary

Canadians. We have got

a lot from Poles and Spaniards,

then Belgians and Dutch. On behalf

of the Ukrainians, I would

like to thank all the donors.

What are your plans for the

future?

To write a book about my parents

and travel with my grandchildren

to the Grand Canyon

and visit my family and friends

in Canada.

Hope to come back to our charity

bridge tournaments soon.

We are planning one charity

tournament in June and one in

October this year, which I cordially

invite you to.

Spring is about taste,

joy and health

All who want to eat healthily should eat seasonal

products. Why? …

Jarosław Uściński, Chef and owner

of the MOONSFERA restaurant;

President of the Polish Association

of Chefs and Confectioners

Each climate zone in the

world has its own seasons and indigenous

products harvested in

a given period. The methods of

preserving and storing food are

also specific to the area in which

we live every day.

For Poland and the countries of

our zone, spring is not the season

for strawberries, young cabbages

or new potatoes. But asparagus,

native and from Poland’s neighbors,

yes, for example.

Beetroot, thick and fragrant,

can be served in a different version

than the classic. Buy a few

bunches of beetroot, fresh cucumber,

a lot of dill, garlic,

thick yogurt and, interestingly,

a bit of apple or spirit vinegar

and good quality rapeseed oil.

Wash the beetroot and chop it.

Brew in a saucepan for 2 minutes

and then drain. Chop all

ingredients finely (grate the

cucumber on a coarse grater)

and add in. Finally, a little vinegar

and oil. Salt it and wash,

and add smoked cottage cheese,

which one can buy almost everywhere

today, and our favorite

smoked fish.

Important information - this

beetroot doesn’t need a lot of yogurt,

so it should be very thick -

even a mushy structure. If a plate

is served with deliciously seasoned

beetroot and on top we put

a bit of smoked curd and a piece

of warm smoked fish, such as halibut,

whitefish or catfish, we will

experience a new taste experience,

one which I have been infecting

many of my guests with for years.

Bon Appetit


23

Poland through the eyes of foreigners

Why did you choose to

come to Poland?

It had been my dream to live

in Europe for quite some time.

I tried other countries at first

but finding suitable work there

proved difficult, so I started looking

for job openings within my

company - BNP Paribas. I saw that

there were a lot of opportunities

in Poland so I started looking at

the economic situation here and

I quickly realized that it’s actually

really good, the market is growing

and developing fast – booming,

I would say. I thought – why

not? I contacted the manager in

Poland via LinkedIn and it was

super nice - she was very welcoming

person. We were chit chatting

for about a year and at some

point she asked me if I wanted to

move to Poland, because a perfect

position for me had opened

up. I immediately said yes. It took

about three months to get the

visa and that was it.

I wonder what was the country

of your first choice when you

started thinking about moving

to Europe? France seems to be

the obvious way to go…

You would think that because we

speak French but reality is different.

I have a friend in France and

sometimes we talk in English because

we have a really hard time

trying to understand each other.

Because of the accent there is

this kind of clash in the culture

between France and Canada, so

it’s not like France would be my

destination number one. At first

I considered London but I realized

that wasn’t a place for me.

Than I thought about Italy but

the basic requirement when applying

for a job there was the

ability to speak fluent Italian.

In Poland English is more than

enough, plus the banking industry

jobs are really good, so for my

skills set it’s just perfect.

How do you like here so far?

I really like it. During the winter

it was quite difficult though – it

is very dark here in Poland. The

lack of sun can be really depressing.

But now in the spring, when

the sun is back it’s so, so nice. You

can go out to the river or to the

There are so many good

bars everywhere, people

are nice and the vibe is

good. It’s also very green

and there are a lot of parks

– that’s not so common for

big cities.

city center. There are so many

good bars everywhere, people

are nice and the vibe is good.

It’s also very green and there

are a lot of parks – that’s not so

common for big cities.

Wiktoria Sawicka-Djassi

Booming market with plenty of

leisure and traditional values

Marc-Olivier Poissant is a 32-year-old Canadian from Montreal. He came

to Poland six months ago seizing the job opportunity and fulfilling his

dream to experience life and work in Europe.

How did you make friends here?

Was it easy to connect with new

people in Warsaw?

It’s not really difficult to find

friends here. At the beginning

I was meeting people mostly

by joining sport groups, like

cycling group Ride Warsaw

or running communities. And

then it’s just meeting friends of

friends. The only difficulty is the

language barrier sometimes. Because

people like to speak Polish

when they are all together, it can

be quite difficult to jump into

conversation sometimes.

Are you learning Polish?

No. /laugh/ I was trying, but

the pronunciation is really difficult.

My goal is to be able to

just know the basics and be able

to be courteous and polite, but

maintaining a conversation in

Polish seems impossible to me.

It doesn’t also seem necessary

here. Most people in Warsaw

speak English and there are no

problems with communication

whatsoever. It can be difficult

when talking to older people or

outside big cities, but otherwise

it’s just not an issue.

You do a lot of sports. Do you

find Warsaw to have a significant

sport culture?

Oh yes. Back in Canada people

are doing sports but mostly in

an individual way. Here people

like to spend time together

and it’s very social. People meet

for sports every weekend and

it’s a really good way to make

friends and explore the city and

the country. In Warsaw you are

more likely to join a sport group

than doing it by yourself and

I like it. I do a lot of cycling and

running. I don’t know about

other sports, but these two have

really large communities here in

the city.

How about our work culture?

Do you find a lot of differences

between Canada and Poland?

The hours are different. When it

comes to work, Canada is very

American - we are working a little

bit more, until you do the job

basically. Here you can leave the

office when the time is up. You

cannot also send e-mails after six

or seven p.m. or on the weekend.

Back in Canada it’s quite normal.

I like this culture in Poland.

I don’t have a family and I can

work more, but I perfectly understand

that others want to be back

home for dinner and they have

other responsibilities. You just

don’t want to send them e-mails

or put any pressure on them.

You have more vacation as well.

In Canada we have two weeks

a year, here it’s a month. Otherwise

it’s pretty much the same.

People here are smart, but you

can also feel that the universities

around are good because there are

a lot of high-skilled professionals

like engineers, IT specialists. It’s

really interesting to see that.

In Warsaw you are more

likely to join a sport group

than doing it by yourself and

I like it. I do a lot of cycling

and running.

You mentioned that we have

a little more work-life balance

than Canada. Do you think Poland

is family friendly?

Yeah. At the office a lot of my

colleagues that are my age have

children. Here people have children

earlier in life than in Canada

and the family values seem to

be very strong as well. For example

Easter celebration in Canada

is not a big deal – it is mostly

about chocolates. But here it

is so important to go back and

see your family and if you can’t

make it, you need to have a really

good excuse. People do the

big weddings and have all sorts

of important family celebrations.

Everything is more classic

and full of traditional values.

For how long do you plan to

stay in Poland?

I have a working visa for three

years now and I would like to stay

at least for this time. But I am going

with the flow, so we will see.

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UnitedSky w tygodniku Poland Weekly - 19.05.2022 - 01.06.2022

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