COUNTRY FOCUS

“UK BUSINESS HAS BEEN SLOW TO REALISE THAT POLAND HAS A BOOMING ECONOMY THAT DID NOT GO INTO RECESSION IN 2008/9”

s host nations of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championships, there is great pride, excitement and activity in Poland and Ukraine in advance of the tournament this summer.

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Just as the UK has taken advantage of hosting the 2012 Olympic Games to regenerate London’s inner city and raise the country’s profi le on the world stage, so Poland and Ukraine are upgrading facilities and infrastructure to present their nations in the best possible light during the championships.

VALUE-ADDED GROWTH “The tournament gives both countries an unprecedented opportunity to promote themselves,” says Martin Oxley, director of UK Trade & Investment at

the British Embassy in Warsaw. “In Poland, the matches will be played in four cities – Warsaw, Gdansk, Poznan and Wroclaw — which are all attractive places for UK companies to come and see. EURO 2012 has been a catalyst for those cities to regenerate and build modern infrastructure, but this will not be completed in its entirety when the matches take place, so there is further impetus for UK companies to engage. “There are possible opportunities

surrounding the tournament in legacy, facilities management, security and physical management of the matches and this applies to small fi rms, mid-sized companies and large corporates.” Poland is the largest of the countries in emerging Europe. Two hours from the

UK by air, low-cost airlines make this market highly accessible. UK exports to Poland were valued at £3.8bn in 2010, a 35 per cent increase over the previous year. Although disposable income per capita is much lower than in established Europe, this is changing rapidly as the Polish economy develops. Of a population of 38 million, there are already fi ve million wealthy consumers who can afford added-value products, thus providing good opportunities for UK companies. Many UK fi rms that succeed in Poland go on to branch out to other markets further east. “UK business has been slow to realise that Poland has a booming economy that did not go into recession in 2008/9,” explains Oxley. “It has a sustainable growth profi le for the next 10 years as it rapidly converges with its established peers in Europe. There are undoubted opportunities and we really think more British business could and should be coming to the country.”

The key sector opportunities fall into

fi ve categories – retail and fi nancial services, infrastructure, energy, defence and security, and life sciences. Tesco’s success in Eastern Europe has been well chronicled. It has been operating in Poland for 15 years and now has 400 stores there, which offer openings for added-value British products. In addition, Poland’s rapidly developing modern retail network would benefi t from the type of logistics excellence available in the UK. There is a major concentration of automotive manufacturers in the southwest, where Poland borders the

Czech Republic and Slovakia, and UK companies are already engaging in the supply chain there. Poland is going through a process of radically upgrading its infrastructure, particularly in the areas of road and rail. The last fi ve years have seen a high volume of work going into roads, and over the next fi ve years there will be a signifi cant upgrade of Poland’s railway network and linkages with European transport systems. In energy too, there is a huge

modernisation programme as the country seeks to meet European directives in lowering emissions, improving effi ciency and introducing diverse sources of energy. Nuclear energy is a key opportunity for UK expertise in Poland. Pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca operate in Poland, offering many possibilities in the health and life sciences sector.

“Doing business in Poland is no more

diffi cult than in any other European country,” says Oxley. “Poland, and the markets of emerging Europe, can be good for smaller companies and those who are relatively new to export. What’s more, they are on your doorstep. We at UK Trade & Investment are keen to help you identify catalysts to enable your business to grow.”

ON THE RISE Ukraine has been known as the

breadbasket of Europe for centuries, with its dark fertile soil giving rise to vast fi elds of wheat. The country produced some

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