Investment climate in Poland

27-10-2009

September this year the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ) carried out the 3rd edition of the investment climate survey. The survey was conducted amongst members of bilateral chambers of commerce. Over one third of the surveyed companies consider Poland’s investing conditions to be good or very good. Members of Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce were also invited to participate in the survey.

The overall state of the investment climate in Poland was evaluated at 3.3 points on a 5 point scale. In previous years the assessment hovered at around 3.1 points.
The survey focused on three aspects which shape Poland’s general investment atmosphere i.e. macroeconomic environment, infrastructure conditions and quality of state institutions. Respondents came from companies which have been running businesses in Poland. 40% of those surveyed have been present on the Polish market from 1 to 5 years.
The size of the Polish market constitute the biggest advantage of the country’s investment climate. As many as 76% of the surveyed investors rated this factor as good or very good for the general climate. Similarly, the size of the EU market played an important part and was positively assessed by 76% of the respondents.
This year’s survey shows that Poland is positively evaluated in terms of the accessibility to materials, resources, components and qualified personnel. Optimistic assessment trends could be seen in the evaluation of the country’s political stability which two years ago ranked among the worst assessed factors influencing investment climate. This aspect was the most highly appreciated by companies which have been operating in Poland for a fairly short time i.e. less than 5 years. In comparison to the years 2007 and 2008, this year also saw investors more optimistic regarding tax structure and its consequent financial obligations. This was appreciated by enterprises which hire over 50 people where the Corporate Income Tax rates were particularly positively assessed.
There was no significant shift in infrastructure assessment. In this aspect, investors’ opinions stayed close to last year's road, utilities and telecommunications ratings. It was the road infrastructure which, as in previous years, turned out to be the weakest factor. Also the licence-granting process and VAT-connected issues receive a less favourable rating. Likewise, the clarity and coherence level of tax and public procurement regulations were deemed unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, when compared to previous editions, both categories recorded improved assessment ratings.
The 2009 investment climate analysis demonstrates entrepreneurs investing in Poland in a moderately positive mood. Despite the current global economic situation, all areas covered by the survey received better reviews than in previous years.

For more information please contact:
Katarzyna Antosik
Tel.: +48 (0) 22 334 99 49
Katarzyna.Antosik@paiz.gov.pl

Source:
Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency
http://www.paiz.gov.pl/nowosci/?id_news=2268&lang_id=12

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