The Ireland Poland Business Association, ireland, poland, irish, polish, commerce, IPBA.

IPBA Members' summer drinks' reception at the Polish Embassy. July 2009

Over 30 members and guests attended the Summer Drinks Reception held at the Polish Embassy on July 2nd. Hosted again this year by HE Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski, Honorary President of the IPBA and Ambassador of Poland to Ireland, this most enjoyable annual event allows new and existing members to network in a relaxed and social atmosphere. The occasion also marked the imminent departure of Jerzy Bartosik, 1st Counsellor (Commercial) of the Trade and Investment Section of the Polish Embassy and long standing Council Member of the IPBA. Seamus McCaffrey, Chairman, thanked Jerzy for
his tremendous contribution to the Association during his time on Council and wished him every success in his new post in Poland.

Seamus McCaffrey, Chairman, IPBA with HE Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski.

Kevin Cleary (Global Partners), Seamus McCaffrey (Chairman, IPBA), Jerzy Bartosik (Embassy Official), John O'Meara (Global Partners).

Mary Gavin (Container Ships Dublin Ltd), Alexsandra Rodzik (Container Ships Dublin Ltd)

Paul Robinson (Arthur Cox), Seamus McCaffrey (Chairman, IPBA), Garrett Monaghan (Arthur Cox)

David Phelan (Tim Kelly Engineering), Michael Borre (Irish Distillers Ltd)

Seamus McCaffrey making a presentation to Jerzy Bartosik who has completed
his term of office in Ireland.

Members enjoying the networking opportunities that such IPBA events offer.

IPBA Presentation - June 5th 2009 - Canal Court Hotel, Newry

Seamus McCaffrey, Chairman of the Ireland Poland Business Association (IPBA), welcomed representatives of the business community from across Northern Ireland and the bordering counties to a presentation on exploring new economic opportunities between Northern Ireland and Poland, the services of the Ireland Poland Business Association and an overview of the Polish economy to the Canal Court Hotel in Newry.

In his address to attendees, Seamus explained that the Ireland Poland Business Association, established in 1991, is a bi-lateral trade association whose main objective is to promote trade and business relations between the island of Ireland and Poland. Recognising that companies and individuals in the region are very interested in accessing the right information and the right contacts to assist them in developing their business interests in Poland, he stated that the IPBA was an important and effective mechanism for meeting this need. Members, spanning all main sectors of industry, can access a tremendous amount of relevant information through it's website, are kept up-to-date with legal, economic and taxation issues and through it's activities throughout the year, can network with Council members and other members, all of whom, have a wealth of knowledge and experiences to share.

Working closely with the Polish Embassy in Dublin, the IPBA is now a successful and well recognised bi-lateral trade association. Expanding it's membership throughout the island of Ireland is an important step in the strategic plan for the Association. This step will involve the setting up initially of a steering committee followed by a full regional branch later in the year.

If you would like any further information or are keen to be part of this initiative, please contact Tess Byrne, Ireland Poland Business Association on (353) 87 3171960.

Speakers:

Jerzy Bartosik, Commercial Counsellor, Trade and Investment Section of the Polish Embassy in Dublin. Download presentation

Eamonn Crowley, AIB CEE Division Download presentation

Matt Creagh, CQS Chartered Surveyors download presentation (available soon)

Jerome Mullen, Honorary Consul of Poland in Northern Ireland Download address

Article from Northern Bank Business Newsletter - June 9th 2009 Download

Back Row - Tess Byrne, Administrator, IPBA. Jerzy Bartosik, Commercial
Counsellor, Polish Embassy in Dublin
Front Row - Jerome Mullen, Honorary Consul of Poland in Northern Ireland,
Seamus McCaffrey, Chairman, IPBA, Matthew Creagh, CQS Chartered Surveyors
and IPBA Council Member.

The Ireland Poland Invest in Success – EURO 2012 in Poland

The Ireland Poland Business Association together with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ireland held their National Conference “Invest in Success – EURO 2012 in Poland” at the Burlington Hotel on Thursday, November 27th.
75 delegates representing 50 companies from all sectors of industry attended the event where speakers from PL2012, The Public Procurement Office in Poland, the EURO 2012 Team in Gdansk, PAlilZ and Enterprise Ireland in Poland delivered presentation on:

The Opportunities presented by the EURO 2012 Games in Poland
Priority projects at Regional level in Gdansk in the scope of the Games
Investment opportunities through the European Structural and Social Funds
Guidelines on doing business in Poland

In addition to this, speakers from PM Group and CRH Europe Materials shared their experiences of setting up and operating in Poland and outlined important guidelines on the “do’s and don’ts “ drawn from their vast experience.

In his address to the conference, Mr. Dick Roche TD, Minister for European Affairs highlighted the potential that Poland offers large construction companies and small enterprises who wish to be a part of the 2012 European Championship Bonanza.

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Opportunities presented by the Euro 2012 Games in Poland

”Infrastructural Investments for UEFA EURO 2012”
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Andrzej Bogucki – Member of the Board for Infrastructure
A graduate of Warsaw University of Technology – Electronic Engineer. He completed the Management Centre Europe and Management Awareness Program in Brussels.
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Gtech for Eastern Europe (1995-2005) - in charge of the supply of technical and software services to Gtech clients worldwide. Simultaneously, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Grytek Sp. z o.o. (1995-2000) – company responsible for the supply of data processing services to the Polski Monopol Loteryjny (Polish Lotteries). Datatrans’ Chairman of the Board (1996-1997). Interests: music, theatre and aviation.

”Public Procurement in Poland”
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Mr. Wojciech Hartung - Director of the Department for International Cooperation and European Union - Public Procurement Office
Director of European Law and International Relations Department in the Public Procurement Office where he has been employed since 2002.
Graduated from the Faculty of Law and Administration at Warsaw University, where he is now following Ph.D Studies.
He also attended post graduate studies on community law at Jean Moulin University in Lyon and on European and French commercial law at Warsaw University and University in Poitiers. Author of various publications concerning public procurement and competition law related to community law.Lecturer on postgraduate studies at Warsaw School of Economics, Mikolaj Kopernik University in Torun and Lodz University.

“Priority projects at regional level in Gdansk in the scope of UEFA EURO 2012 current outlook and future developments”
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Mr Zbigniew Weinar, Director of EURO 2012 in Gdansk.
A graduate of the Foreign Trade Department of the Economics Faculty at Gdansk University in Poland. His career began in the Mayor of Gdansk's Office as Personal Assistant to the Mayor, followed by the post of event coordinator for the Millennium of Gdansk Organising Committee. From 1996, his career concentrated on various aspects of marketing. He held the positions of PR Manager for the confectionery producer, Fazer Polska, Product and Brand Manager at OLVIT, an oil and vegetable fat producer, and Sales and Marketing Director at Via Medica Publishers. He has also cooperated as a freelancer with various Polish and international companies as a marketing consultant. Since May he has held the post of Deputy Director at the Mayor of Gdansk's Bureau for Sports and Euro 2012 and Head of the Euro 2012 Office in Gdansk. Since his days as a student, he has been involved in the amateur theatre movement as an actor, PR coordinator director and producer of English language theatre in Gdansk with Maybe Theatre Company.

"Investment Opportunities through the European Structural and Social Fund" Download Presentation

Mr Marek Szostak, Public Aid Group, Foreign Investment Department, PAIiIZ.
A graduate of the Law and Administration Faculty of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin. During his studies he participated in the “Erasmus” exchange programme at the Masaryk University in Brno in Czech Republic.
In November 2008, he was admitted as a trainee on the legal adviser apprenticeship at the Warsaw District Chamber of Legal Advisers.
He gained his professional experience during work for law firm. At present he is working in the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency in the Public Aid Group

"Guidelines from Enterprise Ireland on doing Business in Poland"
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Mr. Adam Jaszczur, Senior Market Advisor, Enterprise Ireland, Poland.
Graduate of The Warsaw University of Technology, Precision Mechanics Faculty with Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Since 1997 Market Adviser role with the Irish Trade Board and Enterprise Ireland working with Irish companies in industrial, engineering, IT/telecom and construction sectors. 6 years sales, market development and technical experience on the Polish market with E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Engineering Polymers Division, 2 years mechanical design experience.

"Valuable lessons from Irish Companies already operating in Poland"

Mr Michael Shelly Director PM International Download Presentation

Mr. Declan Maguire, Regional Director Central/Eastern Europe. CRH Europe Materials. Download Presentation

Members Event July 7th 2008

Approximately 36 members and guests attended the Summer Drinks Reception held on Monday, July 7th at the Polish Embassy on Ailesbury Road. Hosted by the Honorary President of the IPBA and Polish Ambassador to Ireland, Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski, this very enjoyable event allowed new and existing members the opportunity to network, share experiences and make valuable contacts in a relaxed and social atmosphere. In his address to the gathering, Dr. Szumowski spoke of the strong economic climate which now exists in Poland and the exciting opportunities available to Irish companies wishing to expand their business interests in Poland. He also spoke of the eagerness of Polish companies to partner with Irish companies, to leverage the expertise and knowledge which they have gained over the years and through these partnerships, be in a position to avail of the EU funding currently available. On behalf of the Association, Tony Lenehan thanked the Ambassador for his very generous hospitality and reiterated the Associations goal to continue to grow and prosper and provide a valuable service to the members which will enable them to strengthen their links with Poland and ultimately, prosper also.

HE Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski (Polish Ambassador) with Mr. Tony Lenehan (IPBA Council)

Mr. Matthew Creagh (CQS Chartered Surveyors), Ms. Beata Janota (Embassy Official), Mr. Tony Lenehan (IPBA Council), Miss Tess Byrne (IPBA Administrator)

  HE Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski speaking with IPBA members (L to R, Agnieszka Spienwankiewicz, Aleksandra Patczak, Aleksandra Patczak - from Howard Eurocape Irl Ltd


Ms. Katarzyna Mejger (A-Pol, IPBA Council Member) and Ms. Dorota Bilska (Conning)

Mr. Mateusz Sakow (Embassy Official) and Mr. Matthew Creagh (CQS Chartered Surveyors)


HE Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski speaking with James Greene and Breda Kelliher from Clonee Samills


Mr. Tony Lenehan (IPBA Council), Kasia Gaborec (Meadowland Construction), Mr. Paul O'Brennan (Meadowland Construction), HE Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski (Polish Ambassador)

  Members enjoying the networking opportunities that such IPBA events offer.

  Members enjoying the networking opportunities that such IPBA events offer.

2008 AGM
The Annual General Meeting of the Ireland Poland Business Association took place on Thursday, January 24th in the offices of Fáilte Ireland.[+more]

Polish Ambassador’s visit to Cork – February 1st 2008

The Cork branch of the Ireland Poland Business Association was delighted to welcome Polish Ambassador to Ireland, HE Dr. Tadeusz Szumowski to Cork on February 1st. The Ambassador was met by Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Donal Counihan and members of the IPBA at the City Hall where he was presented with the Cork Coat of Arms.

Since its launch in February 2007, the Cork branch has grown considerably with its members representing the manufacturing, property, financial and engineering sectors. Past events have included seminars on the legal and banking requirements of setting up a business in Poland, a practical introduction to successful investment in Poland – in collaboration with PM, and a number of members evenings.

For further information on the Cork branch please telephone the Chairperson, Ursula Earley on 021 4224600

Front row - left to right:

Shayron Hobbs (Administrator IPBA Cork branch)

Ursula Earley (Chairperson IPBA Cork branch)

Lord Mayor of Cork (Cllr. Donal Counihan)

Polish Ambassador to Ireland (Dr. Tadeusz Szumoski)

City Hall Representative

Zofia Lankiewicz-Piwowarek (Bank of Ireland)

Back row – left to right:

Patrick Murphy (PM Holdings)

Julie Henault (Interconnection)

Magda Motyl, Jason Reidy, Colleen Yoshikawa, Paul Cogan (Archangel Security Group)

Stella Skowronska (Polish Embassy)

July 31st 2007

London, UK. Tuesday, July 31st 2007 at 1300 hours BST. Press communication for immediate release.

The Federation of European Employers (FedEE) writes.....

EXPANDING INTO EUROPE: POLAND BEST INVESTMENT PROSPECT

When a company is considering whether to invest in another country, there are numerous pitfalls to be avoided. One of the biggest headaches is the people dimension, with particular concerns about the availability of skilled workers, pay and potential difficulties with employee dismissal.

Many employers end up relying on subjective assessments or data that is often inaccurate and seriously out of date.

FedEE's country ratings provide an objective evaluation of investment risk from a human resource perspective. The ratings cover 27 European Union countries, plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey, and are based on 15 quantifiable factors relating to:

* Labour supply
* Human capital
* Employee relations
* Inflationary pressures
* Labour costs
* Labour flexibility

THE FEDEE 2007 RATINGS

FedEE's top 5 rated countries for 2007 are Poland, Denmark, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Poland scores positively on labour supply, labour relations and labour
flexibility and its only negative score is in its level of internet skills.
Each of the other top-rated countries share high scores on labour
capability, although three (Denmark, Switzerland and the UK) suffer from labour supply problems and two (Denmark and Switzerland) from high wage costs.

Surprisingly, these findings are not reflected in actual levels of foreign
direct investment - which raises the question whether companies are making the best decisions when they choose a European location. The latest UN figures show that none of the FedEE top five countries received the highest levels of inward investment as a percentage of GDP, with companies instead choosing Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, Malta and the Netherlands as bases for their operations.

NOTE TO EDITORS

The Federation of European Employers (FedEE) is the leading organisation for multinational employers operating across Europe. It was founded in 1989 with financial assistance from the European Commission, and operates today on an independent basis with corporate members located throughout the world. The popular FedEE website is at http://www.fedee.com

For further information please contact Jane Gulliver or Robin Chater on +44 (0)207 520 9264 or by email on info@fedee.com
**********************************************
Fédération des Employeurs Européens/The Federation of European Employers (FedEE) is the organisation for international employers operating across Europe. The Federation was founded in 1989 with financial assistance from the European Commission. Our UK postal address is Adam House, 7-10 Adam Street, The Strand, London, WC2N 6AA, UK. Tel: (0044) (0)207 520 9264. Web: http://www.fedee.com We utilise virus scan software, but are not
responsible for any problems that may arise from the transmission, receipt or use of any material.

In providing the information contained in this communication, neither FedEE nor any third party authors are rendering any legal, accounting or other professional advice or opinions on specific facts or matters. Before taking any course of action, you are strongly recommended to seek appropriate professional advice. Where this communication is part of an information society service it shall be subject to our standard terms and conditions.

The information transmitted is confidential and intended strictly for the
corporate/individual addressee. If you receive this communication in error please notify us as soon as possible and delete it. This message
constitutes a commercial communication under Section 7(a) of the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002. FedEE's UK Data Protection Notification Number is Z546304X.

The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003: This communication has not been transmitted for direct marketing purposes. However, if you do not wish the address used in this communication to be used again by us for any reason please inform us by email.

Feb 2007 | LAUNCH OF CORK BRANCH

Jerzy Bartosik, Commercial Counsellor - Polish Embassy, Tony Lenehan, Chairman, Ireland Poland Business Association, Lord Mayor Cllr. Michael Ahern, Finbarr Flahive, Director - DPS Engineering, Ursula Earley, McGuire Desmond & Chairperson, Cork Branch of the IPBA at the launch of the Cork Branch of the Ireland Poland Business Association.

Irish companies have invested well over €1 billion in Poland and that number will grow. That was the message from the launch of the Cork Branch of the Ireland Poland Business Association (IPBA).

Strong links already exist between Cork and Poland, with three airlines, Aer Lingus, Central Wings and WizzAir, flying to five Polish destinations out of Cork Airport: Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk, Katowice and Wroclaw. In 2006, over 75,000 people used Cork Airport to fly directly between Cork and Poland.

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30th January 2006

Three Days of Mourning in Poland
09:52 (RTE.ie)

Three days of mourning are beginning in Poland for 67 people who were killed on Saturday when a building collapsed near the southern city of Katowice. About 150 people were injured when the tragedy happened in the town of Chorzow. Rescuers have ended the search for survivors which was hampered by sub zero temperatures.

There is speculation the collapse may have been caused by the weight of snow on the building's roof, but the company which runs the building said the snow had been cleared.

9 February 2005

INTERVIEW | A Working Partnership

Thelma Doran, ambassador of Ireland, talks to Ewa Hancock.

How strong are relations between Ireland and Poland politically, economically and culturally?

I am happy to say that relations between Ireland and Poland in all these areas are continuing to develop most satisfactorily. Our relationship has been strengthened still further by Poland's accession to the European Union, which took place during Ireland's presidency of the European Union last year.

There is regular contact between representatives of our two governments and parliaments and, within the institutions of the EU, we work closely together on many issues of common interest. Trade and investment links are also developing very satisfactorily, and there has been a marked increase in the volume of tourism between our two countries. This is assisted in particular by the welcome establishment last year of direct air links between Warsaw and Dublin. The Irish government's decision to open our labor market to the citizens of Poland and the other new EU member states upon accession has also increased our level of exchange, and the Polish community in Ireland is making an important contribution to the economic and social life of my country.

Was there any increase in Irish-Polish trade after Poland joined the EU?

Irish-Polish trade has been increasing steadily since the commencement of Poland's transformation into a market economy and throughout the EU accession period. Ireland's exports to Poland grew from 16 million euros in 1989 to 258 million euros in 2003, reaching a peak in 2001. Over the same time, Polish exports to Ireland grew from 73 million euros to 151 million euros.

It is also interesting that Irish commercial investment in Poland now stands in excess of 1.2 billion euros and that the local entities of Irish companies employ about 10,000 people here in Poland. The combined turnover from the local operations of these companies in Poland is now almost three times the level of our exports to Poland. This is a new and noteworthy development in the pattern of Irish trade relations abroad and one that benefits both countries greatly.

Irish companies have commented on the improvements in the Polish business environment as a result of Poland's EU accession. Since May 2004, cross-border trade has become significantly easier, particularly through improvements in physical access to the Polish market. Overall, Poland continues to offer the best opportunities for professional Irish companies operating in the Central and Eastern European region.

This year the Business Centre Club (BCC) in Poland awarded Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern with its Special Prize. What does this mean for you personally?

As Ambassador of Ireland, I am very pleased that such a prestigious organization as the Business Centre Club has decided to honor the Taoiseach [Irish for Prime Minister-ed.] in this manner and I know that the Taoiseach is also very gratified to receive the award.

I regard it is a gesture of appreciation to the Taoiseach for his personal contribution to the development of Irish-Polish relations, for his role in bringing the negotiations for the European Constitutional Treaty to a satisfactory conclusion, and for his government's decision to open the Irish labor market to the new member states.

As many key issues arise on the EU agenda over the coming months and years-ratification of the Constitutional Treaty and negotiation of the next EU Financial Perspectives to name just a few-events such as the BCC Award Ceremony remind us all of the enduring importance of bilateral relationships between EU partners. Continued growth in Irish-Polish trade and economic links will be a particular priority for Ireland in that context and I would like to add my personal thanks to the BCC for their role in helping to facilitate this objective.