RELIABLE POLISH FOUNDATION OF BALTIC-BLACK SEA-CASPIAN COOPERATION

One of the speakers at the VII Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum will be Jacek Piechota, the President of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce

PUCC has been active since 1992 and it is one of the first bilateral chambers in Poland. The chamber unites enterprises from Poland and Ukraine, has two offices in Kiev and Warsaw, as well as representative offices in both countries. As part of its activities, the Chamber implements many initiatives that are aimed at creating mutually beneficial business relations between entrepreneurs and strong economic ties between both countries.

Jacek Piechota – deputy of  the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (1985-2007), Minister of Economy of the Republic of Poland (2001-2003), Minister of Economy and Labor of the Republic of Poland (2005) in the government of Leszуk Miller and Marek Belka. Among other things, he negotiated with the European Commission on Poland's accession to the European Union and created conditions for the functioning of special economic zones in Poland. As a member of parliament, he chaired, inter alia, the Committee for Enterprise Development and the Committee for Small and Medium Enterprises. He was involved in the creation and implementation of the SME support program, and was also responsible for the implementation of Poland's national development strategy and regional support programs. Since 2007 he has been President of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce. He is a co-founder and president of the Baltic Business Forum Association, which annually since 2009 has been organizining in Swinoujscie on the Polish side and in Heringsdorf on the German side an economic conference for business and government agencies from countries of the Baltic Sea basin and Eastern Europe. Since 2019, he has also been the organizer of the FRACHT intermodal transport conference in Tricity. In 2015, he was appointed Vice-President of the Union of Polish Parliamentarians.

Openness, vast experience, impeccable reputation and international authority put Jacek Piechota among world-class politicians and leaders whose opinions are considered, who give priority to open discussions and do not avoid difficult issues.

Noting the importance of the VII Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum, which this year is being hosted by Ukraine (Kherson), taking into account the challenges and consequences of the pandemic faced by both the world economy and the economies of individual countries, with special emphasis on the use of the provided meeting opportunities at the forum of representatives of the Europe and Asia countries, from the shores of the Baltic to the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea, noting the need to work out a plan of consolidated actions aimed at creating an economic security belt, Jacek Piechota, in particular, said:

«…I am glad to note the growing international importance of the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum as an important platform for dialogue with an increasing number of participants, representatives of the region's countries, organizations and companies. We are pleased with the participation of Polish organizations in this project and the dynamically developing cooperation both between the regions of Ukraine and Poland and between our countries in general, including between ports, in the transport sector, and the development of partnerships between universities. This confirms the fact that thanks to its favorable location and transport development strategy, Poland has the opportunity to strengthen its role in the Eurasian transport system and establish a corridor of effective cooperation from the Baltic to the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea. International cooperation plays a key role, combining the efforts of interested countries and companies, responding to new challenges of international reality. I am deeply convinced that the VII Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum in Kherson, an important center of the shipbuilding industry of Ukraine, will be a success. This will strengthen dialogue and facilitate the creation of new cooperation models that are so important today, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It is critically important to exchange experience related to extreme changes in the functioning of the economy, international trade, transport and other important areas. Transport preferences changes when moving goods, increasing the international transport accessibility of individual countries, effective managing important transport and economic projects remotely - these are just some of the problems that will be discussed at the forum in Kherson. 

The Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce is interested in cooperation in this area, especially since we are implementing a project that complements the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum, namely the regular holding of the FRACHT intermodal transport conference. This year this conference will be held in the city of Gdynia on August 20-21. We invite and look forward to the participation of representatives of the international team of the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum and representatives of Ukrainian enterprises (https://www.forum-fracht.pl/). I am convinced that the cooperation agreement between the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and the Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum, which we hope to sign in the near future, will contribute to our closer cooperation. 

I would like to wish the organizers and all participants of the VII Baltic-Black Sea Economic Forum in Kherson fruitful discussions that will lead to the development of effective solutions in the fight against the economic crisis caused by the global coronavirus pandemic and will contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and international cooperation», - Jacek Piechota noted.