Kaźmierczak: Polish business should already be preparing to invest in Ukraine
Polish business should already be preparing to invest in Ukraine's reconstruction, as competition with other countries will be strong.
This was emphasized by the participants of the conference, Europe-Poland-Ukraine. Let's rebuild together'23, which took place in Warsaw, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
The head of the Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers of Poland, Cezary Kaźmierczak, emphasized that Poles should not sit idly by but should look for partners in Ukraine now because tomorrow may be too late.
If someone is planning to start a business in Ukraine, now is the best time to write a business plan, look for partners and sources of financing, and be ready for investment. It is important to be ready for investment, and war should not be an obstacle. If anyone wants to succeed, they should start implementing projects the day after the war ends, Kaźmierczak emphasized.
He added that for Polish businesses, participation in Ukraine's reconstruction projects will be a great chance for development, and they need to be well prepared.
In turn, Michał Dworczyk, Member of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland, emphasized that Poland had passed the exam on supporting Ukraine in the first days of full-scale Russian war of aggression. In his opinion, the countries have never had such good relations, they have formed a huge potential, and it is up to politicians and businesses to use it.
One must take advantage of this chance to the benefit of Poland and Ukraine, Dworczyk stressed.
He noted that Polish businesses should enter Ukraine with their investments but with political support from Kyiv and Warsaw.
Sergiy Tsivkach, executive director of the UkraineInvest investment promotion office, identified several priorities for Polish businesses in the Ukrainian market: "Agro-processing, production of building materials, for example, Polish companies Cersanit and Barlinek are currently working and investing in Ukraine during Russia's war... These are also pharmaceuticals, healthcare, metalworking, hospitality, and rehabilitation."
He said that it is necessary to work for the medium and long term now. Tsivkach urged to contact UkraineInvest, which is ready to provide Polish businesses with pro bono consulting services on starting a business in Ukraine.
The mayor of Kharkiv, Ihor Terekhov, invited Polish entrepreneurs to visit the city via an online communication to explore investment opportunities after Russia's war.
Andrzej Kopyrski, deputy chairman of the board of PKO Bank Polski, emphasized that now is the right time for Polish business to start business and export activities in Ukraine. He called participation in the country's reconstruction the biggest joint project of life, and perhaps the biggest project of the century. In his opinion, Polish business should hurry up, as there are other countries that are acting faster in this direction.
As reported, in an interview with Ukrinform, Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Zvarych said that over 2,000 Polish companies have declared their desire to participate in projects to rebuild Ukraine, half of which have not yet worked in the Ukrainian market.