Best American investors in Poland award

The American Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw has awarded the best American investors in Poland.

Danuta Isler reports

The ceremony took place during the annual general meeting of the Chamber in Warsaw. It was an occasion for its participants and the awarded companies to discuss obstacles they still face while investing in Poland. Another issue raised concerned the climate for business over 3 years after joining the European Union.

The American Chamber of Commerce has been present in Poland since 1990. It currently has 330 member companies with American capital. Their joint investment value in Poland has already exceeded 15 billion USD and as a result created over 120,000 jobs. This year members of the Chamber were recognized in three categories: entrepreneur of the year, excellence in innovation and investor of the year. ProLogis, a developer and manager of industrial real estate was named the Investor of the Year. The company has been present in Poland for a decade during which it has invested over 10 billion euros in this country. The award was received by Michael de Jong-Douglas, the regional head of ProLogis Central and Eastern Europe.

Marzenna Reyher, the editor of a trade weekly Media and Marketing Polska was recognized as the Entrepreneur of the Year. She came to Poland from Detroit in 1992 and started a publishing project with the Freedom Foundation a year later. She says the beginnings were tough, especially for small enterprises like hers, but once Poland became an EU member things got better.

Kenneth Hillas, deputy chief of mission of the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, says that American investors are interested in many regions of Poland, not only its capital.

Meanwhile, Roman Rewald, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw, who presented the awards, points to a few areas of development for next year.

In the meantime, the American Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw has prepared a list of barriers for foreign investors. The two biggest obstacles mentioned are road infrastructure, and the national legal system, especially in terms of the enforcement of contracts. The Chamber also advocates for a more stable tax system and the reform of the public finances.
Source: polskieradio.pl