Poland may get Ulster consulate

POLAND is considering opening a consulate in Northern Ireland to serve the increasing numbers of its citizens living and working here.

The Polish consul general in London, Janusz Wach, was in Belfast's Botanic Gardens yesterday for a Polish cultural event and to discuss trade links and political representation of Poles resident in the Province.
Belfast Lord Mayor Pat McCarthy said: "There are a growing number of Polish people living and working in Belfast, and with the Titanic Quarter and Olympic Games approaching there will be a big demand for construction workers."
He said Mr Wach visited Newry on Friday and Londonderry on Saturday and had confirmed in discussions that Poland was seriously thinking of opening a consulate.
"There are several thousand Poles in Belfast and hundreds of them are in Botanic Gardens today, all very well behaved," he said.
"Mr Wach said his preferred location for a consulate would be Belfast, but I said it was the only location, to which he just laughed.
"I know Newry and Londonderry are also pushing for it, but I wouldn't concede an inch to them – Belfast is the regional capital, after all."
Newry Mayor Michael Carr said there were 3,500 Poles in his area, which was second only to Belfast, although the Government has no official figures.
"They are great workers and have played an invaluable part in the Newry economy at all levels of local businesses," he said.
"But they can have problems accessing health and other services and can be exploited with poor housing at exorbitant prices.
"Their nearest consulates are either in Scotland or Dublin so there is definitely a demand here."

Source: Belfasttoday