Business Ireland Poland 01

The Growing Economic Relationship Between Ireland and Poland

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members and these events will enable you to create new business relations, exchange experience and knowledge, meet key decision makers, meet new customers and reach new markets. Our monthly newsletter will also be an invaluable benefit to all of our members with member-to-member offers promoting the best of services to our members. Business Ireland Poland magazine is available free in digital format so make sure that you and all of your business colleagues sign up for your digital copy online.

With an estimated 150,000 plus Poles living on the island of Ireland, the Chamber will also represent this important market and in particular, will seek to find new ways of assisting the Polish community living on the island of Ireland who might want to start their own businesses. If you want to promote your business or service to the Polish market in Ireland, this magazine is the ideal platform for you. Business Ireland Poland will be available on a free-to-read basis to all Polish citizens in Poland and to anyone in any part of the world who wishes to avail of it. This means that as a member of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce, your message will reach the most targeted business audience in this important and growing market segment.

We look forward to developing the services of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce for our members and for the benefit of the two countries. Our aim is to promote, support and enable business opportunities in Ireland and Poland and to create an awareness that the relationships that exist can be strengthened and expanded.

Welcome to the first issue of Business Ireland Poland, the new quarterly magazine

of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce. As the three Honorary Consuls of the Republic of Poland on the island of Ireland who have established Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce, we see the role of this not-for-profit Chamber of Commerce as promoting and developing business relations between the two countries. The Chamber is supported by the Polish Embassy in London and Dublin as trade between Ireland and Poland continues to be of great importance to both economies. It offers the potential for growth for both markets as well as the potential for the creation of synergies and partnerships on a European and worldwide level.

Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce aims to play a meaningful role in the promotion and further development of trade between Ireland and Poland and will offer a variety of services exclusive to our members. Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce has a full executive in place for the benefit of our members. If you are not a member yet, but think that your company could benefit from any of our services, then you can join the Chamber of Commerce online at www.irelandpolandchamber.com. As a member, you will have access to the latest specialist reports and searchable files on the Polish and Irish markets.

The Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce will organise a range of business networking events for our

Jerome MullenHonorary Consul of Poland

[email protected]

Michael Mulcahy Honorary Consul of Poland

[email protected]

Patrick O’Sullivan Honorary Consul of Poland

[email protected]

From The Honorary Consuls of Poland

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Editor’s Note Contents7 The Growing Economic

Relationship Between Ireland and Poland

12 Irish companies set their sights on Polish market

16 Ambassador Profiles

19 Polish tourism enjoying a steady growth

26 Warsaw: A City of Many Faces

30 Membership Directory

32 Chamber Member Profiles

35 Headcount leaders in senior personnel placement in CEE region

37 An economical route to dental care

40 Setting the Standards in Hospitality

43 EU Presidency half-way point: How has Ireland made a difference so far?

49 Poland: the leading investment destination in Europe

52 Irish Polish Society promoting links between Ireland and Poland

58 The Role of an Honorary Consul

CONtENt & EDItORIALMichelle McDonagh (Editor)Michael Mulcahy (Managing Editor)DESIgNMary BulmanCONtRIbUtORSDr Chris CoughlanIrish Polish SocietyJerome Kelly

ADVERtISINgDenis Weir

Paul Weir

Kevin Sanquest

ACCOUNtSCatherine O’Brien

PhOtOgRAPhERTony O’Connell

PUbLIShERIreland Poland Chamber

of Commerce

© 2013 BUSINESS IRELAND POLANDAll rights reserved. The info contained in this magazine is believed to be accurate and authoritative. However, it is not intended to substitute for legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice. Statements and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce. No responsibility can be assumed for any unsolicited materials and submission is construed as permission to publish without any further correspondence and the fee payable (if any) at our usual rates. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means - Electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise - Without the prior written permission of the publishers.

hen Poland joined the EU in May 2004, Ireland was one of just

three existing EU members to open its borders and welcome Polish workers (the others being the UK and Sweden). Ireland quickly became a key destination for Poles wishing to work outside the country — in 2004, a website advertising Irish jobs in Polish received over 170,000 hits in its first day. Although there are no official figures for the number of Poles living in Ireland at the height of the boom, it is estimated that the population reached well over 250,000. The population of Polonia in the Republic of Ireland today numbers over 122,000, according to official CSO figures, and it is estimated that there are some 30,000 Poles living in Northern Ireland.

With the Polish population the largest minority in Ireland and Polish the most widely spoken language outside English, there is a natural affinity between the two populations and much potential for the growth of the economic links between the two countries.

While many countries in the Eurozone, including Ireland, were struggling through the recession and still remain in economic difficulty, Poland grew to become the economic powerhouse of the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region. The going has got undoubtedly got tougher in Poland over the last year but as we go to press, the Central Bank has kept interest rates unchanged for the first time in five months as policy makers

expect record-low borrowing costs will reinvigorate the economy.

The trade relationship between Ireland and Poland is still relatively small, however it has grown significantly since 2004. Exports into Poland from Ireland increased from €36 million in 2011 to €53 million in 2012, while imports from Poland showed a less significant increase from €31 million in 2011 to €32 million in 2012, according to the latest figures.

Although some Irish companies have experienced well documented difficulties in operating in Poland, the Deloitte Foreign Expansion Survey 2012, which highlights the importance Irish companies place on overseas opportunities, has named Poland as a country considered very favourable for expansion.

In our first issue of Business Ireland Poland, we focus on the growing economic relationship between Ireland and Poland and take a look at Poland’s attractiveness as an investment destination. We speak to leading Irish companies about their experience of doing business in Poland and profile the top Irish investors in Poland.

The purpose of this magazine is to promote and encourage business opportunities between Ireland and Poland and to provide a platform for the members of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce to promote your business or service to this targeted audience. We welcome suggestions and ideas for articles that might be of interest to our readers and encourage you to contact us with updates about what’s happening in your business or company for inclusion in the magazine.

Michelle McDonaghEditor

W

IRELAND OFFICE2413 Euro Business Park, Little Island, Cork, IrelandTel: 021 5003050 Fax: 021 4354184Email: [email protected]: www.irelandpolandchamber.com NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICETown Hall, Bank Parade, Newry, Co. Down, BT35 6HR, Northern IrelandTel: +44 28 30002099 Tel: +44 7738397155Email: [email protected]: www.irelandpolandchamber.com LIMERICK OFFICE66 O’Connell Street, Limerick, IrelandTel: 061 279104 Email: [email protected]: www.irelandpolandchamber.com

Trusted for our Quality & Service since 1983 . . . .

Ireland [HQ]:Carnbane Business Park,Newry, Co. Down,N. Ireland, BT35 6QHT: +44 [0] 28 3025 8450F: +44 [0] 28 3025 8489E: [email protected]

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The Government is currently focused on implementing deep structural reforms of the economy to prepare Poland to meet the strict

economic criteria for entry into the Eurozone. Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski is confident this could happen before 2016.

Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD notes that trade between Ireland and Poland is growing at a faster pace than growth in trade generally. He is confident that a trade mission to Poland in May, to be led by Minister of State John Perry, will help to further deepen and improve the growing trade relationship.

He tells Business Ireland Poland: “Since 2004, the year in which Poland became an EU member state, trade between Ireland and Poland has grown significantly. By 2011 the value of exports from Ireland to Poland had increased by 158% to €1.194 billion and the value of imports increased by 156% to €587 million. Ireland’s main exports to Poland are computer services and medical and pharmaceutical products, while Ireland’s main imports from Poland are computers, cereals and business services.”

Northern Ireland Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster says Poland and other nations in Central and Eastern Europe are markets that her department and business development agency, Invest Northern Ireland have identified as offering significant business opportunities for Northern Ireland exporters. In 2011/12, Northern Ireland companies exported over £53million worth of goods to Poland, compared with £45million the previous year, she points out.

The Growing Economic Relationship Between Ireland and PolandWhile many countries in the Eurozone remain in economic difficulty, one country that is bucking the trend is Poland, which has grown to become an economic powerhouse of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). In fact, Poland is now more attractive to investors that it was before the financial crisis with an Ernst and Young survey naming it the second most attractive destination for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) after Germany over the next three years.

Trusted for our Quality & Service since 1983 . . . .

Ireland [HQ]:Carnbane Business Park,Newry, Co. Down,N. Ireland, BT35 6QHT: +44 [0] 28 3025 8450F: +44 [0] 28 3025 8489E: [email protected]

Established in 1983 as a family-owned joinery

business, MJM Interior Build has evolved into

a leading international specialist offering new

build outfitting & refurbishment services to

the marine, commercial and private sectors.

Operating globally we offer a full turnkey outfitting

service backed up by our multi-disciplined in-house

manufacturing facility.

We have extensive experience in the outfitting of:. Cruise Ships. Ferries. Hi-Speed Craft. Accommodation vessels. Hotels. Educational Facilities. Retail Complexes. Performance Arenas & Stadia

For further information on our capabilities or

how we can help you to realise your project

please contact: Stephen McNulty

[email protected]

www.mjminteriorbuild.com

development has much to do with its solid economic foundations. The country gained worldwide attention with 1.8 per cent growth in 2009 — the one and only EU economy to escape recession. Poland has outperformed most of the rest of the Union ever since.”

Poland’s main advantage is its favourable location in the centre of Europe where the main trade routes intersect making it possible to export goods to all European countries, reaching over 500 million consumers. The country’s own 38 million strong consumer market is one of the biggest in Europe. Poland’s major trade partners are, among others, Germany, Russia, China, France, the UK, Italy, Hungary, Ukraine and Spain.

While the trade relationship between Ireland and Poland is still relatively small, it is growing and when it comes to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI),

“Invest NI maintains a strong working relationship with the British Embassy and UKTI in Warsaw and recently delivered a presentation on its services at a Polish Business Community Conference in Belfast. As well as organising regular trade missions and assisting companies to take part in relevant exhibitions, Invest NI now has experienced business advisors based in Warsaw to help companies with market information and lead generation,” Minister Foster says.

The image of Poland has changed in the eyes of investors, economic elites, foreign media and politicians and (apart from some ongoing foreign business disputes), it is now seen as a modern, developed and well governed country points out Jacek Jędruszak, Counsellor and Head of the Trade and Investment Promotion section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ireland.

He comments: “Poland’s sustainable

The vibrant commercial centre of Warsaw at night

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Ireland is the 19th biggest investor in Poland with total FDI worth €0.9 billion, according to the Bank of Poland (as of end of December 2011). The Trade and Investment section of the Embassy of Poland in Ireland estimate that there are over 100 Irish companies — mostly SMEs — currently operating in Poland. The biggest Irish investment in Poland belonging to AIB, Bank Zachodni WBK, was sold in 2011 for over €3 billion to Santander.

While Polish investments in Ireland are much smaller amounting to €0.3 million at the end of 2011, most of that sum was invested over the last five years. The Polish Trade and Investment section in Dublin estimate that there are over 300 small and micro companies of Polish origin operating in Ireland — mostly shops and providers of various services the IT, medical, construction, transportation and beauty /personal care sectors.

Exports into Poland from Ireland increased from €36 million in 2011 to €53 million in 2012, while imports from Poland showed a less significant increase from €31 million in 2011 to €32 million in 2012, according to the latest CSO figures.

The strongest performing market for Irish food and drink exports in 2012 was Germany (€500 million), according to Bord Bia figures, while Poland and Sweden were the only two other markets to show growth. All other major recorded lower exports in this sector in 2012.

Although some Irish companies have experienced well documented difficulties in operating in Poland, the Deloitte Foreign Expansion Survey 2012 which highlights the importance Irish companies place on overseas opportunities named Poland, the Netherlands and Spain as countries considered favourable for expansion after the UK, Germany, France and the US.

With the Polish population the largest minority in Ireland and Polish the most widely spoken language outside English, there is obviously a natural affinity between the two countries, points out Mike Hogan, Manager of Enterprise Ireland in Poland.

There are 14 direct air routes from Dublin, Cork and Shannon to the main cities in Poland and Irish meat, butter,

cheese, and alcoholic beverages like Guinness, Jameson, Tullamore Dew can now be found on the shelves of supermarkets in Poland. In Ireland today, there are Polish food stores in all the major cities and in many towns serving the large diaspora.

The Polish population in the Republic of Ireland numbered approximately 122,585 according to 2011 Census figures, and it is estimated there are some 30,000 Poles living in Northern Ireland. The data highlights considerable increases in the number of Polish-born women and children (aged under 14 years) living in Ireland compared to 2006. The CSO said this was a strong indicator of families being reunited here.

After Poland joined the EU in May 2004, Ireland was one of just three existing EU members to open its borders and welcome Polish workers (the others being the UK and Sweden). Ireland quickly became a key destination for Poles wishing to work outside the country — in 2004, a website advertising Irish jobs in Polish received over 170,000 hits in its first day. During the 2007 Polish general election, Polish parties campaigned in Ireland and voting locations were set up in Dublin, Cork and Limerick. Although there are no official figures for the number of Poles living in Ireland at the height of the boom, it is estimated that the population reached well over 250,000.

Although economic relations between Ireland and Poland are “very sound” and the trade relationship between the two countries is quite stable, Jacek Jędruszak says there is much opportunity for the growth of this economic link. The Ernst and Young attractiveness survey showed that Poland ranked eighth in Europe for the number of FDI projects in 2011, just beating Ireland. Investors reckon the Eastern European country is on a path of sustainable attractiveness as FDI inflows, once dominated by labour-intensive industry, are increasingly knowledge-centred, similar to Ireland. Warsaw has emerged as a leading financial centre in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, while Krakow has been rated as a leading emerging city worldwide for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) projects.

Despite cuts in the EU budget for 2014-2020, Poland will be the biggest recipient of the EU funds receiving a total of €106 billion, subject to approval by the European Parliament. Over €70 billion of these monies will be spend on cohesion policy

projects like innovation, motorways and expressways, environmental friendly transportation, R&D, green energy and many more. This means that Poland will remain the biggest construction site in the EU over the coming years, says Mr Jędruszak.

While a number of Irish construction companies including Kingspan, Sisk and CRH have had a presence in Poland since the late 1990s attracted by the opportunities presented by the billions of EU structural funds being invested in the massive modernisation programme of the country’s motorway network, many newer companies in different sectors from recruitment and BPO to mineral exploration and IT have now opened bases in Poland.

They include JFC Plastics, APB Food Group, Smurfit Kappa, San Leon (energy exploration), Fineos (claims management software), Southwestern (BPO), recruitment companies Grafton, Headcount and Sigmar, Codec (IT), PM Group (engineering), Mercury (engineering), Novostrat (insulation and packaging foam) and M.C. Building Chemicals.

Unfortunately, the Sisk experience in Poland has not been a positive one and the construction company is currently taking legal action against the Polish state in an effort to recoup the €50m-€60m losses it will incur in its 2011 annual accounts on the back of a failed

Jacek Jędruszak, Counsellor and Head of the Trade and Investment Promotion section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ireland

9


road-building project. In 2010, Sisk — through its 50:50 joint venture with Roadbridge, called SRB — tendered for and won three contracts from the Polish roads authority, the GDDKiA. Of these three projects, SRB completed one motorway last year, but it has abandoned the other two motorways, which were partially completed. The GDDKia has been blamed for the delays and cost overruns that led to the difficulties in the Sisk project and other Polish infrastructure projects due to their overly bureacratic approach.

And construction company, Siac was also forced to cancel a €400m Polish project due to a dispute with the GDDKiA. The company, which is seeking €22, compensation from the roads authority, has referred its case to the European Commission.

Mr Jędruszak agrees that there are challenges facing foreign companies who want to set up operations in Poland and that Poland’s performance is not yet satisfactory in some areas, but he points out that the country has moved up the ranking of the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index from 62nd to 55th place last year, making it the top global improver in 2012. The Doing Business report noted that Poland has enhanced the ease of doing business through four institutional or regulatory reforms, making it easier to register property, pay taxes, enforce contracts and resolve insolvency.

The main reasons to invest in Poland, according to the Trade and Promotion Investment section are the country’s strategic location; the size of the market; the country’s economic and political stability; the availability of a skilled labour force and its effective investment incentives system. The Polish economy grew by 15 per cent from 2008-2011 while the next best, Slovakia, grew by eight per cent and the overall economy of the EU contracted over the same period.

With no country entirely escaping the effects of the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone – Poland’s largest export market — the estimated growth in GDP last year was two per cent (compared to 4.3 per cent in 2011), but as Mr Jędruszak points out, that still leaves Poland one of the EU’s best performers.

The number of graduates leaving Polish universities every year is higher than in France with well-educated Polish

economists, engineers, IT specialists and scientists highly sought after.

The country offers a range of investment incentives, including the 14 Special Economic Zones (SEZ) which offer attractive tax exemptions, employment incentives and specially prepared sites. Exemption from income tax granted in the SEZ is regarded as publicly funded regional aid, which serves to speed up the development of the most poorly developed EU regions.

“I think that Irish investors might be interested in the recently announced investment programme in infrastructure projects in Poland. At the end of 2012, the Polish Government announced that a large investment project co-financed by the state bank and a special-purpose Government investment programme would be launched in mid-2013. The two entities will be capitalised to the amount of €2.4 billion each, which is expected to generate €9.6 billion in financing capacity and translate to some €24 billion in investments, explains Mr Jędruszak.

The Polish Investments Programme will focus on large infrastructural projects, such as gas and energy transmission, mining, energy generation, transport, maritime, port, road and railway infrastructure, as well as local government infrastructure. Examples include coal and gas power plants in Stalowa Wola, Kozienice, and Opole; infrastructure for the currently erected LNG terminal in Świnoujście, and construction of a pipeline from that city to the southern Poland as well as a new chemical factory on the Polish coast. Further information on the Polish Investments Programme can be found at http://www.msp.gov.pl/portal/en/16/3709/quotPolish_Investmentsquot_Program__FAQ.html

Mr Jędruszak says: “There are a number of incentives available to foreign investors in Poland. However, it is not just one solution that fits all. Governmental and local support is adjusted to the potential of investor depending on the size of investment and a number of jobs it creates.”

Investments in the priority sectors of automotive, electronics, aviation, biotechnology, modern services, research and development, may be eligible for a grant from the Polish Government. Another investment incentive available in Poland is the

Mike Hogan, Manager of Enterprise Ireland in Poland.

“ since 2004, the year in which Poland became an Eu member state, trade between Ireland and Poland has grown significantly. By 2011 the value of exports from Ireland to Poland had increased by 158% to €1.194 billion and the value of imports increased by 156% to €587 million - Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, TD

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exemption from local taxes and charges and from real estate tax.

The Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAlilZ) helps investors to enter the Polish market and provides information on the incentives available to them. It guides investors through all the essential administrative and legal procedures that involve a project and supports firms that are already active in Poland.

While the core function of Enterprise Ireland is to develop and grow the exports of Irish companies into global markets, the EI office in Poland is often the first port of call for businesses looking to establish an operation there.

Mike Hogan explains that Poland is now one of the top ten export markets for indigenous Irish companies but uniquely, a very high percentage of those exports are bound for neighbouring CEE countries. Food and drink account for 20-25 per cent of exports into Poland.

“Poland has been the number one location in Eastern for foreign direct investment with a lot of multinationals setting up here in recent years. Many of the companies providing services for the multinationals in Ireland support either the same company in Poland or the same sector. When Dell moved its manufacturing from Limerick to Lodz (pronounced Woodge) in central Poland, there was a huge loss of jobs but several Irish companies have followed Dell into Poland and are continuing to supply the company with products and services.”

There are Irish businesses exporting into the Polish agricultural sector and in animal nutrition and veterinary products. With Poland building up its dairy capabilities, Mr Hogan points out that opportunities in that sector range from machinery to software and it’s an area that Ireland has long experience in.

“We have had Irish construction companies involved in Poland and obviously there have been some difficulties here which have been well documented but the sale of physical product into Poland to support the large infrastructural projects has been less difficult. There are Irish companies selling equipment and services in from signs for construction projects to lamppost sockets and there are a couple of companies with specific skillsets for working on high buildings,” he says.

Poland - some FactsCapital: Warsaw

Language: Polish

Border Countries: Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Russia

Population: 38 million

Area: 322,575 sq km (124,547 sq miles, about size of New Mexico)

Time Zone: CET (UTC+1

Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

Climate: Temperate with mild summers and moderately severe winters

Currency: Zloty (PLN, zł), 1 zloty = 100 groszy

Government type: Republic, parliamentary democracy

Members of: EU, UN, NATO, OECD, WTO and many other

Holidays: 11 days a year

Country Code: PL

Poland is going through a major upgrade of its water and sewage systems under the EU Water Framework Directive requirements for water quality, and a number of Irish companies with experience in this area are involved in this work.

Mr Hogan adds: “In light engineering, a lot of Irish companies are providing components into the manufacturing industry here. The ICT sector is small but growing and we are looking to market Irish solutions for particular industrial groups into Poland, software solutions for particular enterprises. It’s true to say that the opportunities for Irish businesses here are fairly wide-ranging.”

For a number of years, Poland lagged behind the Czech Republic and Hungary in attracting FDI, including Irish investment, but it has now overtaken its neighbours.

“The main attraction of Poland’s for investors is its proximity to the Germany market and access to the population of the other countries around its border, including Russia. It is a good locality to establish a manufacturing facility, especially now that the poor state of the roads is gradually being rectified so people can get product in and out. Wage levels are low in Poland and the level of English spoken is quite high, particularly in Warsaw. You can also fly out of Ireland to anywhere in Poland relatively quickly and compared to other locations in Europe it’s pretty accessible,” Mr Hogan points out.

Irish people doing business in Poland constantly complain about the amount of red tape involved in setting up and running operations there and the enormous volume of paperwork. The accountancy and tax payment systems are improving but still relatively onerous, Mike Hogan explains, saying it is only when you go to other countries that you realise how streamlined the system is back home.

“From an Irish company point of view, the legal system is the biggest challenge. We are used to a common law system in Ireland, but Poland, like the rest of Europe, has a civil law system which is a highly codified system involving high levels of bureacracy and a lot of paperwork.”

As well as helping companies to identify routes to market and find distribution partners, Enterprise Ireland’s market advisors can also help business people to identify potential customers, introduce them to buyers and assist them to set up in the Polish market.

“ I think that Irish investors might be interested in the recently announced investment programme in infrastructure projects in Poland. at the end of 2012, the Polish Government announced that a large investment project co-financed by the state bank and a special-purpose Government investment programme would be launched in mid-2013- Jacek Jędruszak, Counsellor and Head of the Trade and Investment Promotion section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Ireland

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He made his first trip to Poland in 1998 and in 2004, he opened a state-of-the-art €4 million manufacturing

plant in the east-central voivodeship (province) of Dąbrówka. Since then, Mr Concannon has built two more factories in Poland and bought a further one which he has rented out.

The family-owned JFC Manufacturing Co Ltd was set up by John Concannon in Tuam, County Galway in 1987 to supply specialised plastic products to the agricultural industry. Today, the company has a turnover of €40m and employs 250 people in Galway, the UK, Holland and Poland, exporting plastic products for agriculture, industrial, civil, medical, marine and equine use throughout the world.

“I felt we needed to have an Eastern European presence, I wanted a stepping stone to Russia, Latvia, Estonia and the eastern markets. It is tough to compete in Germany and Holland from Ireland because of the cheaper manufacturing elsewhere. I was fortunate to meet a guy who I thought would do a good job of running the factory in Poland so I brought him in and my thinking turned out to be right,” explains Mr Concannon.

Like many of his foreign business counterparts, Mr Concannon has found the level of bureacracy and paperwork involved in doing business in Poland a challenge, but he says companies have

to be prepared for this if they want to set up there.

“That’s why it’s so important to have a local person who understands the system and has the patience and persistence, to stay with a project and make it happen,” he remarks.

Many of the products manufactured at JFC Polska are similar to those made in Tuam but there are some products specific to the Eastern Europe market and climate, eg insulated water drinkers and heated water containers for cattle.

While business has slowed up for JFC in Poland over the past year, Mr Concannon remains optimistic that things will pick up again and in the meantime, the company is actively focusing its efforts on developing new markets in the CEE region through trade shows in places like Russia and the Ukraine.

southwestern double size of centre in ŁódźCork-based Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) market leaders, Southwestern also chose Poland as their preferred location following a full trawl of Eastern Europe with the assistance of Enterprise Ireland.

David Kelly, Chief Commercial Officer of Southwestern explains: “Back in 2007, we were increasingly coming up against

companies competing in the BPO space who had what’s called a farshore operation available to their client.There was a lot of negativity about culture gaps and time zone differences between locations like India. While customers were saving money, ultimately they were not happy with the service they were getting. We decided on Poland for a number of reasons: the economy was in growth mode; we could serve Ireland and the UK from Poland and expand our services into Germany; the infrastructure was good and access to labour and languages was good.”

Irish companies set their sights on Polish marketWhen Irish business man John Concannon identified the need for an Eastern European presence for his plastic manufacturing company, he decided Poland was the ideal location as a stepping stone to the lucrative markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

John Concannon, owner of JFC Manufacturing Co. Ltd

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And it has proved to be a very positive decision for Southwestern. The company now employs 250 people at its delivery centre in Łódź, Poland’s third largest city and is expanding into a larger building in April.

Mr Kelly comments: “It has been a good move for us. We provide a 24/7 service 365 days a year from Łódź which is completely seamless to our clients. We have had no issue in terms of finding people with languages which was a big driver for us in setting up in this area. Our new building is twice the size of the existing building which shows we are committed to developing our business in Poland.”

Although the first 18 months were challenging in terms of setting up operations and the sheer volume of paperwork involved, Mr Kelly explains that Southwestern were well aware of these challenges in advance through advice from PWC and Enterprise Ireland and now, they have it “down to a fine art”.

Kingspan one of best known Irish brands in PolandAnother Irish company that has been operating successfully in Poland for over ten years is the Kingspan Group, a global provider of building products and solutions for the construction and property industry. The Kingspan plant in

Lipsko, south east of Warsaw, is a regional manufacturing hub for the company supplying insulated panels to both the local market and markets further afield in the Ukraine and the Baltic states. In addition, Kingspan Environmental Products operates one of the largest rotational moulding facilities in Europe at its plant in Poznan. Kingspan is probably one of the best known Irish brands in Poland.

A spokesman for the Kingspan Group explained that Poland was currently strengthening the existing legislation to put into effect the EU Directive – the EPBD – which would raise the minimum standards in insulation for buildings. This legislation would position Poland at the forefront of international efforts to encourage energy efficiency, he said.

“Kingspan’s insulation imprint in the Polish and regional markets is found in many sectors, including from ‘Farm to Fork’ in the foods sector, where the requirement for the highest standards of temperature-controlled insulated buildings are required at each step along the food chain. In Poznan, production has begun of a range of waste-water treatment systems to meet the growing market need in Poland as the country adapts to the EU Water Framework Directive requirements for water quality,” the spokesman added.

CRH in Poland since mid 1990’sGlobal leader in building materials, CRH has had a longstanding presence in the Polish market completing its first ever investment in cement manufacturing outside of Ireland through a shareholding in Cementownia Ozarów in Poland (a company it now owns) in the mid 1990’s. Since that time, CRH has extended its manufacturing interests in Poland to include bricks, ready-mix and aggregates.

Tailormade export beef range created by aIBPAIBP, the meat division of the ABP Food Group acquired a beef plant 35 km west of the city of Poznan in April 2011 and since then, they have made a large capital investment to both upgrade the facility and increase throughput. The facility currently has the capacity to slaughter and debone 60,000 head of cattle per annum.

Since the acquisition of their latest processing plant at Pniew in Poland, the Group have set about creating a tailormade export beef range. The range is being marketed under the label Wolowina z Pniew which translates literally as “Beef from Pniew”.

smurfit Kappa extends Pruszkow plantOne of the leading producers of paper-based packaging in the world, Smurfit Kappa Group has five plants in Poland producing corrugated packaging and recently opened an extension to its plant in Pruszkow outside Warsaw. The plant has an annual capacity of 100 million square metres of corrugated packaging and has been developed to service the biggest and most demanding customers in the region.

PM Group providing engineering and construction servicesThe Project Management Group has been operating in Poland since 1997, providing engineering design, construction management and project management services for blue-chip industrial, commercial and local institutional clients across a variety of sectors. PM Group’s multi-disciplinary teams operate from offices in Warsaw, Wroclaw and from project offices in Łódź, Kraków and Szczecin. Projects range from small consultancy studies to large-scale, complex, fast-track capital projects for private and public sector organisations.

Mercury Engineering one of first to make move eastOne of the first Irish building service providers to make the move east, Mercury Engineering have grown progressively in Poland to become one of the premier providers in this region,

David Kelly, Chief Commercial Officer with Southwestern

14


offering solutions for projects in the construction sector in four core business divisions: electrical, mechanical, fire protection and information technologies.

Having set their sights on Central Europe, Mercury opened their main office in Warsaw in 1999 and a second office in Poznan to service their clients in the western part of the country.

steripack Group offers one-stop- solution to clientsSteriPack is a leading global supplier of cleanroom sterilised packaging solutions for the medical device industry offering a one-stop-solution for companies looking to have their products assembled, packaged, sterilised and tested all under one roof.

Steripack Poland was established in 2006 to serve customers in Central and Eastern Europe. Specialising in contract manufacturing services, the 3,500sqm production facility is based at Jelcz-Laskowice near Wroclaw. The facility has grown significantly since 2006 to

meet the global demand of the company’s multinational customers.

san leon Group interests Energy exploration company San Leon, headquartered in Dublin, is a significant player in the Polish market, with interests in six licence areas and the potential for substantial revenue generation through the joint venture farm-out agreement with the Canadian Talisman Energy in the field of shale gas.

Rathdowney Resources and Project olzaAnd mineral exploration company, Rathdowney Resources is involved in a major $20m mining project in southern Poland. Project Olza hosts zinc-lead deposits in Poland’s historic Upper Silesian mining district, the largest of its kind in the world. In September 2012, Rathdowney announced the achievement of a major milestone with the release of a substantial zinc-lead mineral resource at Project Olza. The company is now moving forward to

develop this exciting deposit with local stakeholders.

Fineos opens service centre in GdanskDublin-based software development company, Fineos has also set its sights on the Polish market. The leading provider of claims management software for insurance and Government has opened a software service centre in Gdansk.

Irish recruitment companies target PolandIreland’s Grafton Employment Group has a significant presence across the CEE with Grafton Recruitment offices in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Russia and Slovakia. Grafton has five offices in Poland (Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, Wroclaw and Katowice). Recruitment specialists, Sigmar also have an office in Warsaw. ■

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British ambassador to the Republic of Poland, His Excellency Robin Barnett

Robin Barnett arrived in

Warsaw on July 4th, 2011

to take up his appointment

as British Ambassador to Poland. This is his third posting

to Poland which he remembers from the times of both

martial law and NATO accession. His previous career had

concentrated on Central and Eastern Europe and multi-

lateral diplomacy.

Mr Barnett’s third arrival coincided with Poland’s first

ever Presidency of the Council of the EU. He presented

his credentials to President Bronislaw Komorowski on

September 19th, 2011.

After studying Law at Birmingham University, Mr Barnett

began his career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

in 1980 as Desk Officer for Indonesia and the Philippines.

In addition to Poland, he has been posted to Vienna, New

York and Bucharest, where he was Ambassador.

His first posting to Poland was in 1982-85 as Third and later

Second Secretary. He returned to Poland in 1968, this time

as Deputy Head of Mission. He left Warsaw in 2001 to work

in the Afghanistan Emergency Unit at the FCO. Immediately

before his appointment as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to

Poland, Mr Barnett was Managing Director of the Business

Group in UK Trade and Investment where his main focus

included Inward Investment, the English trade development

network and corporate responsibilities.

Mr Barnett has a son and a stepson. He is a great admirer

of Sir Alex Ferguson and his favourite football team is

Manchester United.

ambassador Profiles

ambassador of the Republic of Ireland to the Republic of Poland, His Excellency Eugene Hutchinson

Eugene Hutchinson took up his post as Ambassador

of the Republic of Ireland to the Republic of Poland in

2010, presenting his credentials to President Bronisław

Komorowski on October 6th, 2010.

Prior to his posting to Poland, Mr Hutchinson served as

Ambassador to Malaysia (and also Thailand, Laos and

Vietnam) from July 2005. He was posted to Malaysia

from New York where he had been a hugely popular

Irish Consul since August 2001. He spent four years as

Consul at the Irish Embassy in London before returning

to New York in 2001 as General Consul.

A native of Magherafelt, County Derry, Mr Hutchinson

graduated from Trinity College in History and Political

Science. He started his diplomatic career in the economic

division of the Department of Foreign Affairs before his

first posting abroad to New York as Irish Vice-consul in

1976. He then took a position in the Permanent Mission

of Ireland to the UN in New York until 1983 when he

returned to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.

After his first stint in New York, he had a number of

foreign postings including Lagos, Brussels and Sarajevo.

During his time in Sarajevo, he spent a year working with

the top international team charged with implementing the

Dayton Accord for post-breakup Yugoslavia.

17


ambassador of the Republic of Poland in the united Kingdom and Northern Ireland, His Excellency Witold sobków

On August 31st, 2012, Ambassador Witold Sobków arrived

in Great Britain to take on the post of Ambassador of the

Republic of Poland to the United Kingdom and Northern

Ireland. He presented his credentials to her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth 11 at Buckingham Palace on November

14th, 2012.

The Ambassador is not new to the UK having served as

Deputy Chief of Mission in the Polish Embassy in London

earlier in his career from March 1993 to November 2000.

Before his return to London last year, Witold Sobków

served as Ambassador of Poland to the United Nations

from April 2010 and before that as Political Director since

January 2008. Prior to that, he was in the Department of

Strategy and Planning of Poland’s Foreign Policy, with the

rank of Ambassador, since 2007.

From October 2006 to December 2006 he served as

Under-Secretary of State for European Affairs. Mr Sobków

was Poland’s Ambassador to Ireland from September

2002 to July 2006, prior to which he had been Senior

Adviser to the Minister on European Affairs since October

2001.

From July 2001 to October of the same year, he was

Director for Non-European Countries and the United

Nations System, having served as Deputy Head of the

West European Department since November 2000. Before

embarking on his first posting to London in 1993, Mr

Sobków was Deputy Head of the European Department

and Adviser to the Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs

from March 1991 to March 1993. From August 1984 to

March 1991, he was a lecturer at Warsaw University. Mr

Sobków holds master’s degrees in English language and

literature, and Italian language and literature, both from

Warsaw University. He was born in Warsaw in 1961, and

is married.

ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Ireland His Excellency Marcin Nawrot

His Excellency Mr Marcin Nawrot was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Ireland in October 2010. He presented his letters of credence to President Mary Robinson at Áras an Uachtaráin on October 20th, 2010.

Following historic changes in Poland in 1989, Mr Nawrot held top posts in various Polish ministries and also acted for some years as Poland’s Permanent Representative to the UN. Prior to his Irish posting, Mr Nawrot served as Director of the UN and Global Problems Department of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

From 2007 to 2008, he was Deputy Head of the Foreign Economic Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from 2006 to 2007, he was Director of the UN and Global Problems Department. Mr Nawrot was Deputy Head and Senior Counsellor at the Ministry of Foreign Affair’s Information System Department from 2005 to 2006.

He served as Polish Ambassador in Azerbaijan from 2001 to 2005. Prior to this, he was Senior Counsellor in the Ministry’s Central and Southern Europe Department from 1999-2001. From 1995 to 1999, he served as Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland with the UN.

Mr Nawrot was Deputy Head of the Press and Information Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 1995. He worked in the Ministry of Defence’s Education and Training Department from 1990 to 1991.

Born in 1953, Mr Nawrot is a native of Warsaw. He studied at the Faculty of Physics and Applied Mathematics and the Faculty of Electronics at Warsaw University of Technology. He has an MA in history from Warsaw University. Before embarking on his diplomatic career, he had a varied career which included stints at a thermal electric power station, Polish national TV and radio, a lamp production plant and as a blind people’s guide.

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last year, 13.5 million foreign tourists visited Poland, according to Ministry of Tourism figures, including almost 40,000 Irish football

fans who travelled to the Euro 2012 championships. An estimated €22.5 billion was spent on getting the country into shape for the massive sporting event with the construction of new motorways, six world-class sports stadiums and new airport terminals in a number of the host cities.

Poland is the 19th most visited country in the world by foreign tourists (just below Canada) as ranked by the World Tourism Organisation. Visitors are drawn to the nation’s vibrant cities, the lakes and forests of its picturesque countryside and the sandy beaches of the northern coast.

The country’s most popular cities are Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, Lublin, Toruń while the historic site of the infamous Auschwitz German concentration camp in Oświęcim is a major draw for tourists. The top recreational destinations in Poland include the Masurian Lake District, the Baltic Sea coast, the Tatra Mountains (the highest mountain range of the Carpathians), Sudetes and Białowieża Forest.

Director of the Polish National Tourist Office based in London, Mr Boguslaw Becla explains that the Polish tourism market is dominated by Germany, followed by France and the UK.

Polish tourism enjoying a steady growthMillions of tourists from around the world visit Poland every year attracted by the Central European country’s fine culture, scenic landscapes and unique historical sights. The country’s tourism market has been experiencing a steady growth, particularly since Poland joined the Eu in 2004, with tourism a significant contributor to the national economy.

“A large proportion of visitors come from the countries east of the border: the Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. The Irish market is not as big but is certainly notable for a very dynamic growth,” he adds.

There is plenty to attract Irish tourists to Poland, says Mr Becla, from the breath-taking Alpine landscapes of the Tatra mountains, to the relaxing beaches of the northern coast. And, he points out, “the Baltic is warmer than the Irish Sea and not as crowded as the Costas”.

The Masurian Lake District in the north-east corner of the country has thousands of lakes and unspoilt green forests that shelter unique fauna and flora, such as the European bison in the primeval Bialowieza Forest.

While Poland enjoys warm summers with temperatures ranging from 21 to 32, the winters are usually very cold with heavy snowfall. The best time to visit is during summer, late spring or early autumn.

The Long Walk (Długi Targ) in Gdańsk, one of the city’s most notable attractions

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and Gdańsk with many setting up camp in Bydgoszcz, to support the Irish team.

“There is much tourism between Ireland and Poland, but not enough! After the Green Army invasion last June, we know the Irish can do better than that, and we are ready to take up the challenge. Pack up your bags, get on a flight from Dublin, Cork or Shannon, and invade us again! We will be waiting for you,” Mr Becla urges.

Top Tourist attractions in Poland

Kraków The most visited city in Poland, Kraków celebrated its 750th birthday in 2007. As the royal capital for 500 years, today the city is a veritable treasure trove of Gothic and Renaissance architecture. No other city in Poland can boast so many historic buildings and monuments or such a vast collection of artworks, with some 2.3 million registered. The Gothic Wawel Castle is home to the only preserved piece of the Polish Crown Jewels, the legendary sword Szczerbiec coronation sword.

Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life and is one of Poland’s most important economic hubs. The Old Town, which retains its original form from medieval times, attracts visitors from all over the world and is one of the 13 places in Poland that are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Its rich variety of historic architecture includes gothic, Renaissance and baroque buildings.

And the cosmopolitican city has no shortage of attractions and diversions of a more modern variety, with hundreds of restaurants, bars and music clubs tucked away down its cellars and narrow alleyways.

auschwitz-Birkenau Devoted to the memory of the murders in the infamous Nazi concentration camps during World War II, Auschwitz-Birkenau has been visited by more than 25 million people. Poland was the site of several Nazi concentration camps but

Mr Becla tells Business Ireland Poland: “City breaks are our strongest magnet for tourism due to a wide variety of cultural events and the historic character of many Polish cities, Kraków being the most often visited by foreign tourists. And Poland has many more such places. Many Irish tourists have already been to Gdańsk and Poznań, and as far as I know, they very much liked the medieval architecture and bustling social life in those cities. Wrocław, in the south-west part of Poland, is just as spectacular and also worth a visit.”

In terms of things to do, Mr Becla points out that Poland has plenty to offer its visitors. He recommends skiing on the mountains along the southern border between November and March and trekking there for the rest of the year. There are 23 first-class golf courses located around the country with a selection of spas, health and beauty centres situated nearby. Horse riding is also a popular leisure activity in Poland, with riding centres close to most of the major tourist spots.

The Polish National Tourist Office staff were in Dublin recently promoting Poland at the Holiday World Show 2013 and were delighted at the level of interest shown by Irish people.

“We are hoping that during this year and the next we will be able to expand our presence in Ireland and offer the Irish public more ideas about spending a holiday in Poland,” says Mr Becla.

The large Irish contingent who travelled to Poland for Euro 2012 visited Poznań

Snow falling on Krakow

“ There is plenty to attract Irish tourists to Poland, from the breath-taking alpine landscapes of the Tatra mountains, to the relaxing beaches of the northern coast. and the Baltic is warmer than the Irish sea and not as crowded as the Costas - Director of the Polish National Tourist office based in london, Mr Boguslaw Becla

21


Auschwitz-Birkenau became notorious for its enormous size and the number of prisoners who met their unfortunate end there.

Today the site is a museum where visitors can learn about the things that transpired there during its years of operation. The immense size of the camp is the first thing to strike visitors as they approach the entrance to the memorial and museum in Oświęcim, Poland. Visitors can see displays and exhibits related to daily life in the camp and pay their respects to the many victims who were killed there.

Masurian lakeland Located in an area that encompasses the lower Vistula River to the Lithuania border, the Masurian Lake District contains more than 2,000 lakes connected by an extensive system of canals and rivers. The Masurian Lakeland is the most popular of Europe’s lake districts for tourists. Hotels, guest houses and camp sites are plentiful in the villages that surround the lakes, and visitors often travel by bicycle or boat to tour the scenic area.

Malbork CastleThe gothic Malbork Castle was built in the 13th century by the Teutonic Knights, a German Roman Catholic religious order of crusaders. Today the Castle and its Museum is the most popular tourist attraction in the city of Malbork. The impressive structure is the largest castle in the world by surface area and the largest brick building in Europe.

Wieliczka salt MineLocated on the outskirts of Krakow, the Wieliczka Salt Mine is considered one of the oldest mines in the world. Salt has been mined from the site continuously since the 13th century. The site features an underground city, all carved out of the rock salt, including a chapel that is said to have the best acoustics of any structure in Europe. Dozens of ancient sculptures carved from salt have been joined by new sculptures from contemporary artists.

extensive damage it suffered in World War 11, during which 85% of its buildings were destroyed. The Old Town quarter is home to the Royal Castle, King Zygmunt’s Column, Market Square and the Barbican. The city’s oldest public park, the Saxon Garden is located with a ten minute walk from the old town.

The city’s diversity and richness means that it offers something for everyone. Historic palaces and churches meet modern architecture, and cosy cafes compete with fashionable music-filled clubs.

The Tatra MountainsThe Tatras range of mountains is the highest and most beautiful section of the Western Carpathian mountain range, which are located on the border of Poland and Slovakia. Increasingly becoming an attractive alternative to the Alps and Apennines for skiing and mountaineering, the granite peaks of the Tatras were formed over 60 million years ago and further shaped by glaciations, creating a rugged beauty.

Only a two hours drive from Kraków, the Tatras offer everything that a mountain vacation should — dramatic vistas, rich flora and fauna, emerald lakes, bucolic pastures, scented forests, cascading waterfalls, skiing in winter and other recreational activities like hiking, rock climbing, and cycling throughout the year. ■

Białowieża Forest Situated on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, this immense forest range, consisting of evergreens and broad-leaved trees, is home to some remarkable animal life, including rare mammals such as the wolf, the lynx and the otter, as well as the European Bison, a species which has been reintroduced into the park. The forest straddles the border between Poland and the Republic of Belarus, and there are border crossings for tourists on foot or on bicycles.

GdańskOne of Poland’s most beautiful cities, Gdańsk, on the Baltic Sea, is a major shipping port and tourist destination. The city’s Old Town, which was painstakingly restored to its Hanseatic League glory, after being levelled in World War 11 is a highlight. Most tourist attractions are located along or near Ulica Długa (Long Street) and Długi Targ (Long Market), a pedestrian thoroughfare surrounded by buildings reconstructed in historical style and flanked at both ends by elaborate city gates.

WarsawWarsaw, the capital and largest city of Poland, is home to a vast selection of historical sights, monuments, museums, theatres, shops and restaurants. Since 1980, the Old Town, one of the city’s main tourist attractions, has been a UNESCO World heritage site.

The city had to be rebuilt after the

The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is the largest castle in the world by surface area and the largest brick building in Europe.

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Minister leo Varadkar TD attends the Irish Road Hauliers association 40th anniversary Dinner1 Ciaran Marshall, AIB Finance & Leasing, Eoin Gavin,

President IRHA and Minister Leo Varadkar TD 2 Michelle

Edwards, Patricia McMahon and Finola Delaney, Cork 3

Paul Connole, Denise Gavin, Eoin Gavin, President IRHA,

Minister for Transport Tourism and Sport Leo Varadkar

TD and Pat Hehir 4 Catherine Molony IRHA and Pat

O’Donovan 5 Fionnuala O’Donovan, and Nina Byrne

TOPAZ 6 Michael Collins, Collins Transport, Joe Crann

MD, Westward Scania (Sponsor), Minister for Transport

Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar TD and Eoin Gavin,

President IRHA 7 Daniel & Noreen Dennehy, Millstreet

Photos: Tony O’Connell Photography

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Digishare360 New Digital link with Poland

Portstewart-based digital marketing specialist, Digishare360 has been

assisted by Invest Northern Ireland to develop a business partnership in Poland.

The County Londonderry company, who have developed an online marketing system that integrates email and Facebook to increase business, used Invest NI’s Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) to help in identifying potential partners in Europe. EEN is an EU funded initiative delivered by Invest NI to help local companies to explore business in Europe.

The pan-European information service offers companies an opportunity to post a profile of their business, their products and services on a database. European companies interested in doing business with them can then seek assistance to develop a relationship. Using the service, Digishare360 pinpointed Wieczorek Systems in Poznan, western Poland.

Michael Carlin, Digishare360 Managing Director said: “Through the EEN service, we were able to identify a potential business partner and request more information about company. I used this information for my initial discussions with its management which led directly to agreement to work together.

“As a result of this service, Wieczorek Systems is now marketing our system throughout Poland. What our system does is to offer customers a fully integrated, multi-channel marketing platform for a broad range of products and services. It provides a single on-screen dashboard that customers can use to harness mobile, internet and social media to develop business in Poland.”

Mr Carlin said the EEN service had enabled his company to enter the Polish market very cost-effectively and had been immensely important in providing them with a platform for expansion in this significant European market.

Motivations of Irish emigrants explored at TCD symposium

Contemporary Irish emigration echoes Polish emigration in many ways with the more

skilled and the better educated are leaving their home country, a symposium at Trinity College Dublin heard.

The motivations, identities and movements of the new generation of Irish migrants were explored by leading social scientists at the Trinity Week Academic Symposium on April 10th, as part of the Trinity Week 2013 programme.

Contemporary Irish migrants are highly skilled and are seeking experience, adventure and improved quality of life as much as higher wages, according to Professor James Wickham, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, who presented his research comparing Irish graduate emigration to

that from Poland in the last decade at the symposium.

Entitled Irish Migration Today and Yesterday, the symposium was the centrepiece of Trinity Week 2013, which focused on the social, cultural and economic perspectives of the Irish Diaspora.

Professor Wickham explained: “In Ireland, we still often understand emigration in terms of the coffin ships and the emigrant wake. Yet emigration from Europe today is very different – at its simplest, it is the skilled and the better educated who are most likely to emigrate. One way to understand what this involves is to look at the experience of the many young Polish people who came to Ireland during the Celtic Tiger boom; it turns out that they were the pioneers of forms of European emigration that we see now not just in Ireland but in other crisis countries such as Greece.”

Noting that contemporary Irish emigration echoes Polish emigration in many ways, Professor Wickham said it was the more skilled and the better educated who were leaving.

“Migration today often takes the form of commuting, shorter term stays, circular and even serial migration rather than the traditional move-work-settle pattern of the past. It is not just jobs, but quality of life, gaining experience and even adventure that motivates Ireland’s present day migrants and for this new generation of emigrants, national identity is worn lightly and reflexively.”

NEWs

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an Taoiseach, Enda Kenny’s visit to usa1 Taoiseach Enda Kenny talks with the press outside the White House, after a meeting with US President Barack Obama 2 Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his wife are greeted by US Vice President Joseph Biden as they arrive for a breakfast with at the Vice President’s Official Residence 3 Taoiseach Enda Kenny gives remarks during a breakfast with US Vice President Joseph Biden, left, at the Vice President’s Official Residence 4 Taoiseach presents President Obama with the customary bowl of shamrock 5 Displaying their Certificates of Irish Heritage are, from left, Maureen Dowd, Alice McDermott, Rep. Richie Neal, Rep. Peter King, and Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones during a reception in Washington, DC 6 Taoiseach Enda Kenny rings opening bell at New York Stock Exchange 7 Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the Chicago St Patrick’s Day Parade

Photos: merrionstreet-ie

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Historically situated at the crossroads between the Western and Eastern Europe, Warsaw (known in

Polish as Warszawa) is the capital and largest city of Poland. The city is a major international tourist destination and an important economic hub of Central and Eastern Europe. With the entry of Poland into the EU in 2004, Warsaw is currently experiencing the biggest economic boom of its history.

It is known as the “phoenix city” because it has survived so many wars throughout its history. Most notably, the city had to be painstakingly rebuilt after the extensive damage it suffered in World War 11, during which 85% of its buildings were destroyed, including the historic Old Town and the Royal Castle. The reconstruction effort, unprecedented on a European scale, was included on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List in 1980.

Located on the Vistula River, Warsaw has a population of over 1.7 million making it the ninth most populous city in the EU. It is said to be one of the tallest cities in Europe. Of the 21 tallest skyscrapers in Poland, 18 are situated in Warsaw. The city also has wonderful examples of architecture from the gothic, renaissance, baroque and neoclassical periods, all of which are located within easy walking distance of the town centre.

Political Centre of PolandAs the capital of Poland, Warsaw is the political centre of the country with the Polish Parliament, the Presidential Office and the Supreme Court all located there. In the Parliament, the city and the area are represented by 31 MPs (out of 460).

Like many cities in the CEE region, infrastructure in Warsaw suffered considerably during communism. However, over the past decade it has seen many improvements due to solid economic growth, an increase in foreign investment and funding from the EU. In particular, the city’s underground metro system, roads, footpaths, healthcare and sanitation facilities have seen marked improvements.

Today, Warsaw has some of the best medical facilities in Poland and Central Europe. The city is home to the Children’s Memorial Health Institute, (CMHI), the highest-reference hospital in all of Poland, as well as an active research and education center. The 700-bed 10-floor Maria Sklodowska-Curie Institute of Oncology is one of the largest and most modern oncological institutions in Europe.

Warsaw: a City of Many Faces Warsaw is a contrasting blend of past and present with an architectural landscape of historical buildings nestled close to post-modern skyscrapers. The past is magnificently represented by the post-war reconstruction of the old Town which was completely destroyed in World War II. The city’s post-modern architectural landscape was shaped by such designers as abraham Epstein, Norman Foster or Daniel libeskind.

It is known as the “phoenix

city” because it has survived

so many wars throughout

its history. Most notably, the

city had to be painstakingly

rebuilt after the extensive

damage it suffered in World

War 11, during which 85% of

its buildings were destroyed,

including the historic old

Town and the Royal Castle.

27


Warsaw’s Castle Square (Plac Zamkowy w Warszawie), a historic square in front of the Royal Castle

universities, museums and theatresWarsaw is also home to some of the finest institutions of higher education in Poland, including four major universities and over 62 smaller schools of higher education. The city boasts over 30 major theatres, including the National Theatre (founded in 1765) and the Grand Theatre (established 1778) as well as a large number of museums and musical venues.

The National Museum hosts an extensive collection of Polish paintings (from as far back as the 13th century) and foreign works. The gallery of Egyptian art was initiated by the Polish archaeologist professor Kazimierz Michałowski. The medieval collection and the contemporary art collection have works by Matejko, Chełmoński, Wyspiański, Boznańska, Gierymski, Malczewski and Podkowiński. For those who prefer contemporary art, there is the Zachęta Gallery with its temporary exhibitions or the Centre for Contemporary Art in the Ujazdowski Castle.

Although the Warsaw of today is a fairly young city, it has many attractions to offer tourists. There is the Old

Town quarter with its Royal Castle, King Zygmunt’s Column, the Market Square and the Barbican. Further south is the Royal Route with its many classicist palaces, the Presidential Palace and the University of Warsaw campus. Wilanow Palace, the former royal residence of King John III Sobieski, is notable for its baroque architecture and parks.

Warsaw’s oldest public park, the Saxon Garden is located within a 10 minute walk of the old town. The city’s biggest public park is the Royal Baths Park, established in the 17th century and given its current classical shape in the late 18th century.

Jewish culture and historyThe Powazki Cemetary is one of the oldest cemeteries in Europe, full of sculptures, some of them by the most renowned Polish artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Nearby is the Okopowa Street Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. In many places in the city, the Jewish culture and history resonates down through time.

In Warsaw, there are many places connected with the life and work of Frédéric Chopin. The heart of Polish-born composer is sealed inside Warsaw’s Holy Cross Church and during the summer time, pianists hold concerts at the Chopin

Statue in the Royal Baths Park. Many references to another famous Warsaw person Marie Curie, her work and her family can be found, including her birthplace and the Radium Institute at Wawelska Street for the research and treatment of cancer which she founded in 1925.

Almost every other door in the centre of Warsaw is an entrance to a restaurant or bar, where tourists can eat quickly and cheaply. For typical Polish cuisine, it’s worth checking out the city’s famous restauranteurs like Magda Gessler’s U Fukiera in the Old Town Square, or the Kampania Piwna on Podwale Street.

There are many large shopping malls in Warsaw, mostly on the left side of the Vistula, which are home to hundreds of shops, restaurants and cinemas. The most popular are: Galeria Mokotów, Arkadia, Złote Tarasy and Blue City on the left side. On the other side of the river, there is the Promenada, M1 and Centrum Handlowe Targówek.

Warsaw is a child-friendly city with many play parks, a zoo, the Copernicus Science Centre and the Technical Museum in the Palace of Culture and its planetarium. Almost all of the shopping malls have attractions for children and there are also plenty of swimming pools and aquaparks throughout the city. ■

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Contact: +48 58 766 [email protected] www.kainos.com

A Thriving Technology Company

Delivering Value to the Public Sector for over 25 years

Specialising in the latest Cloud, Portal and Mobile technologies

Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of The Year 2013 launch1 Linda Kiely, Voxpro, Colette Twomey, Chef Executive Clonakilty Blackpudding and Sarah O’Connor, Ernst & Young, Enhancing the ambitions of Cork’s entrepreneurs and unlocking global opportunities for the region at Hayfield Manor Hotel 2 Ronan Murray, Ernst & Young, Niall Olden, Kernel Capital and Dermot McHugh from Certus 3 Alan Kingston, Glenilen Farm Ltd, Cormac Fitzgerald, Blue Haven and Frank O’Keeffe, Partner Ernst & Young 4 Jean van Sinderen-Law, UCC and Dave Ronayne, Mainport 5 Rhona Abbey, Ernst & Young and Renate Murphy Cameo PR 6 Frank O’Neill, Ernst & Young and Olan Wixted from Davy 7 Lisa Herlihy and Mary Mulvihill from Dairymaster 8 Jim Barry, Barry Group and John Buttimer, Lord Mayor of Cork

Photos by Gerard McCarthy

1 2

3

6

4

7

5

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Contact: +48 58 766 [email protected] www.kainos.com

A Thriving Technology Company

Delivering Value to the Public Sector for over 25 years

Specialising in the latest Cloud, Portal and Mobile technologies

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INSURANCE BROKERFrost Insurances Limited 3 The Crescent Limerick061 [email protected]

DESIGN & PACKAGINGMunster Packaging Ltd Enterprise Centre, Hospital, Co. Limerick061 383377 [email protected]

TAX ADVISERS TaxAssist Accountants 3 Roches Street, Limerick061 513320 087 245 11 [email protected] www.taxassist.ie/limerick

ASSET MANAGEMENTThomond Asset Management 82 O’Connell Street, Limerick061 [email protected] www.thomondam.com

PRINTERSFitzsimons PrintersTeach Elto, Shanagolden, Co. Limerick087 135 78 [email protected] www.fitzsimonsprinters.ie

COLLEGE OF EDUCATIONKilmartin Education Services 83 O’Connell Street, Limerick061 [email protected] www.kes.ie Limerick City College Arthurs Quay House, Arthurs Quay, Limerick061 [email protected] www.limerickcc.ie

GAMES EQUIPMENTDKM Commerce and Service Ltd 30 William Street, Limerick085 760 85 42 or 087 776 38 [email protected] www.excellentsun.eu

Membership Directory

FINANCIAL SERVICESPOD Financial Services Kilfinane Road, Ballylanders, Co. Limerick087 [email protected] www.podfinancial.ie

ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTREEnglish Language Company061 311426 087 219 43 [email protected]

DESIGN & PRINTINGInk Tree Unit 62, Eastlink Business Park, Ballysimon Road, Limerick061 603306 087 923 58 [email protected] www.inktree.ie

RESTAURANTSCaffe Waffe 1A Lower Mallow Street, Limerick085 759 19 [email protected]’s Café 42 Catherine Street, Limerick086 855 59 [email protected] Belle LSS Unit 10 Docklands Business Park, Dock Road, Limerick086 855 70 18

SOLICITORSGerard J. Meehan Solicitors49 Catherine Street, Limerick061 [email protected] Connolly Sellors Geraghty 6/7 Glenworth Street, Limerick061 [email protected] & Co. Solicitors98 Hill Street, Newry, BT34 1BTT 028 3026 1102. F 028 3026 [email protected] Gillen & Co Solicitors3 Old Kenlis Street, Banbridge, Co. Down, BT32 3BD028406 26639,

Fax: 028406 [email protected] www.gillenandcosolicitors.co.uk Higgins – Hollywood – Deazley Solicitors296 Cliftonville Rd, Belfast, BT14 6LE+44 (0)28 9077 0770 [email protected] www.hhdsolicitors.com O’Neill Solicitors135 Cromac Street, Belfast, BT2 8JET +44 02890 311214F +44 02890 [email protected]

CONSTRUCTIONRoadbridge Ballyclough, Ballysheedy, Co. Limerick061 414874HOME INSULATIONSolid Insulation 086 209 61 19 The Heat Loss Fighters T 01642 677 363M 07592328231www.theheatlossfighters.com [email protected] 9, Clayton Court, Stockton – on – Tees TS18 3QX

HOTELGeorge Hotel Shannon Street061 460400

RETAIL7 Camicie 24 Patrick Street, Limerick061 409300

INFORMATION MANAGEMENTDeeque Ltd Powerfield, Fedamore, Co. Limerick061 748877

ACCOUNTANTS & FINANCIAL SERVICESMercury Financial Services 3rd Floor River Front, Howley’s Quay, Limerick061 401111 M B McGrady & CoRathmore House, 52 St Patrick’s Avenue, Downpatrick, BT30 6DSNorthern Ireland

T 028 4461 6321F 028 4461 [email protected]

DENTAL SERVICESRathcoole, Co. Dublin

DATA BACKUP SERVICEData Grid University House, Business Complex, National Technology Park, Limerick085 7682650www.datagridbackup.com

IT SERVICESKainos4-6 Upper Crescent, Belfast, County Antrim BT7 1NT, United KingdomT: +44 (0) 28 9057 11006-7 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland+353 1 636 9000Centrum Biurowe Gnilna 2, ul. Gnilna 2, IIIp, 80-847 Gdansk, PolandT +48 58 766 7585 F +48 58 766 7586 www.kainos.com

BUILDING CONTRACTORSO’Hare & McGovernCarnbane House, Shepherd’s Way, Newry, County Down, BT35 6EE. +44 28 3026 4662The Business Centre, Blackthorn Business Park, Coes road, Dundalk, Co. Louth(+353) 42 939 5817www.ohmg.com

MANUFACTURINGBrookventBrook House, Dunmurry Industrial Estate, Dunmurry, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT17 9HUT +44 (0)28 9061 6505F +44 (0)28 9061 [email protected] www.brookvent.co.uk Delta Packaging10 Kennedy Way Ind. Est.,Blackstaff Road, Belfast, BT11 9DTT 00 44 2890 628626F 00 44 2890 301505ISDN 00 44 2890 [email protected] www.deltapack.com

SHIPBUILDING CONTRACTORSMJM Interior Build Carnbane Business Park Newry, Co Down, N.Ireland BT35 6QH +44 [0] 28 [email protected] www.mjminteriorbuild.com

WEB DESIGNSunnu Design, Belfast077 042 624 [email protected]

BUSINESS CONSULTINGOrcus ConsultingBelfast(+44) 028 [email protected]

HUMAN RESOURCESHaitro ConsultingDublin+353 83 3833 [email protected] www.haitro.com

FINANCIAL SERVICESKaplan Business ConsultingDublin +353 860 [email protected]@Kaplan.ie www.podatki.ie

MEDICAL Hebe ClinicOmaghEnterprise, Great Northern Road, Omagh,028 82249494 ext 261/ 079 5514 [email protected] www.hebeclinic.co.uk

TRAVEL AGENCYSelective Travel ManagementMurray’s Exchange, 1 Linfield Road, Belfast, BT12 5DR+44 (0) 28 90 96 2000 [email protected] www.selective-travel.co.uk

Shanagolden, Co. LimerickTel: (069) 76226/76231

Fax: (069) 76377

Email: [email protected] www.fitzsimonsprinters.ie

Advert Fitzsimons Printers .indd1 1 19/04/2013 13:08:26

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The Hebe Clinic Introducing the most scientifically advanced anti-aging clinic in Ireland

The Hebe clinic in Omagh provides a complete suite of medical anti-aging treatments to clients based on the latest medical research in anti-aging therapy.

The clinic is led by Dr Gabriela Mercik, a UK-wide leading anti-aging consultant specialising in Biomimetic Mesotherapy. Dr Mercik regularly lectures at national and international conferences and trains other doctors and nurses in the art and science of Biomimetic Mesotherapy.

Dr Mercik is Medical Director of Hebe Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine Clinics and is founder and Medical Director of Dermagenica Ltd. Her research career began in Poland 15 years ago in cardiology and internal medicine.

For the last five years, she has been working in hospitals in Northern Ireland in general medicine, cardiology, and in the palliative care and rehab departments. She developed an interest in aesthetics three years ago and has studied dermatology with a special interest in skin rejuvenation. She is an advanced aesthetic trainer in Biomimetic Skin Rejuvenation Mesotherapy, dermal fillers and botulinum toxin.

The latest and most exciting development in anti-aging medicine, Biomimetic Mesotherapy is based on Nobel Prize-winning nano-peptide skin messenger cells which stimulate the growth of new and beautiful skin. The therapy is particularly effective in the treatment of lines and wrinkles, pigmentation problems, acne and facial scarring, local fat and cellulite, skin and hand rejuvenation and hair loss.

In addition to Biomimetic Mesotherapy treatments, the Hebe clinic also provide other popular beauty treatments such as wrinkle relaxing injections, dermal fillers for facial line softening, lip enhancements, medical skin peels, liquid face lifts, excessive sweating injections, medical microneedling and advanced medical skin care.

The Hebe clinic is open for appointments Monday to Sunday and all your medical beauty needs will be met in the strictest of confidence. Initial consultations are free and without obligation. Why not go along or give the clinic a call to avail of a free consultation?.

Hebe Aesthetic & Anti Ageing Clinic, Unit 8 Block A, Omagh Business Complex, Great Northern Road, Omagh, BT78 5LU Tel: 0044-07594534735

The Heat loss Fighters ltd is a specialist external wall insulation contractor operating in the UK.

The company aims to be the UK contractor of choice for green retrofit refurbishment works specialising in external wall insulation and to play a key part in the delivery of the Green Deal and ECO Project.

Since the company’s inception, The Heat Loss Fighters Ltd has structured its business around quality and delivery of projects.

Founded in 2011 and registered in Northern Ireland, the company developed a reputation for delivering quality at a competitive price, and as a result the business grew at a fast pace through repeat orders. Within two years, The Heat Loss Fighters Ltd became one of the best recognised installers in England surpassing many of its rivals with much longer trading histories. The company currently has orders of approximately 10.000 m2 of external wall insulation.

The Heat Loss Fighters Ltd offers a full inhouse design service. They have the ability to integrate the design of external wall insulation, render and other finishes to meet their clients’ needs.

In their projects, they use the Termo Bravo system developed in Poland. Termo Bravo is a well recognised system used for over ten years with great results on the EU market. They also hold ETAG004 certificate and CE Mark. The company has applied for a British Board of Agreement (BBA) certificate and their system is under testing.

Their system can be applied without disruption to the household and does not reduce the floor area of the house. It renews the appearance of outer walls, improves waterproofing and sound resistance and fills cracks and gaps in the walls and also around the windows, which will reduce draughts. It also increases the life of walls by protecting the brickwork, reduces the condensation on internal walls and can prevent damp.

The Heat Loss Fighters Ltd offer experienced, highly skilled and well trained staff and all works are guaranteed. All materials are tested and approved to EU standards. The company offer a free survey and consultation with their designer and they can also help with building control or planning issues.

In addition to their regular activities, they also offer a high quality scaffolding system designed exclusively to support wall insulation projects.

This fast growing company now covers all regions of the UK and Republic of Ireland and is looking for installers and businesses interested in selling their products.

For further information, go to www.theheatlossfighters.com or email [email protected] or phone 0044 1642 677 363, mob. 0044 7592328231

Chamber Member Profiles

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M.B. McGrady Wide portfolio of accountancy services for the modern growing business

Founded in 1951, M.B. McGrady has emerged as one of the largest and most respected independent chartered accountancy practices in Northern Ireland. They have offices in Belfast, Downpatrick and Newtownards as well as surgery offices in Castlewellan, Magherafelt and Toomebridge.

Over the past 50 years, M.B McGrady has grown into a progressive, highly professional company with clients throughout Ireland. They have successfully managed to combine this international feel with their determination to remain local, friendly and approachable.

As well as expanding the team and the number of offices, the company have also extended their portfolio of services to ensure that they can support all the requirements of the modern growing business. In addition to the traditional audit, accountancy and specialist taxation services, they also offer management consultancy, systems analysis, forensic accounting and litigation.

M.B. McGrady have approachable staff who specialise in providing forward planning tax advice for areas like business structure and cash extraction plans, as well as assisting with compliance regarding VAT and PAYE bureau.

By taking the time to learn about you and to understand your individual business needs, M.B. McGrady can provide a comprehensive range of services that meet your needs and enable you to achieve long-term growth and sustainability.

The company’s strength lies in the professionalism and integrity of their highly skilled team. They are committed to the continuous development of their team to guarantee the highest levels of service and ensure that clients have the broadest possible range of specialist knowledge, best practice and expertise at your disposal.

In recent years, M.B. McGrady have also developed their provision of services to reflect international trade. Many businesses need assistance in establishing a base in the UK/ROI market and they can assist your business with a cost-effective option for developing your business locally. They work closely with a number of stock handling and logistics businesses which mean a local presence can be developed quickly and effectively.

M.B McGrady can also assist you with the key tax issues that businesses of all levels experience. Very often assistance is required on whether to locate in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland where differing corporation/VAT rates apply. So whether you are starting up in business and need straight forward practical advice or your requirement for taxation advice or response time is not currently being met, please feel free to contact M.B. McGrady for a free consultation with their director, Conaill McGrady FCA at one of their offices. For further information email: [email protected] or go to www.mbmcgrady.co.uk


o’Hare & McGovern 40 Years in Business for O’Hare & McGovern

Newry-based O’Hare &

McGovern are celebrating

reaching their 40 year milestone

by ensuring that the emphasis

is very much on the future. Managing Director Eamon

O’Hare, MD is delighted and proud to have reached such a

significant milestone.

Over the last 40 years, the company has enjoyed a

well-established record of accomplishment of delivering

significant infrastructure projects and a reputation for

managing PPP/PFI contracts on time and on budget.

The firm specialises in sectors such as education, health,

local Government, housing, retail, office, industry and civil

engineering. Recent projects have included construction

of The Obel Tower above ground in Belfast; Downshire

Civic Centre, Downpatrick; Castlewellan Road Housing,

Newcastle which consists of 150 houses; Cecilias’s Walk,

Derry which consists of 61 houses; Carrick Primary School

in Warrenpoint and Scoil Na Fuiseoige School in Belfast.

Newry is the prime location from where to take on

contracts North and South of the border and from here,

O’Hare & McGovern have also completed projects such as

Jurby Prison and a new hotel on the Isle of Man, which has

led to the recent award of additional work on the island.

O’Hare & McGovern have also branched out into new

markets such as England, Scotland and Wales, where

they have offices based in London, Manchester, Edinburgh

and Cardiff. There is a specific focus on Great Britain,

and they have recently completed social housing projects

in Scotland, and private developments in the South of

England.

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Kainos Kainos continues to exceed market expectations

Kainos is a thriving technology company with particular expertise in three core markets – healthcare, financial services and the public sector.

For more than 25 years, Kainos has worked with an extensive base of global and local brands integrating IT applications and delivering solutions that offer measurable business and cost efficiencies. Their solutions are optimised and deployed using the latest portal, mobile and cloud technologies but what they really do is make organisations work smarter, faster and better.

The company’s 350 plus employees are true professionals, combining deep engineering and design skills with business brains and a work ethic that their customers say is unique. When Kainos say that their employees are one of their core differentiators, they absolutely mean it.

Based in Belfast, Kainos enjoyed significant growth during Ireland’s economic boom. To satisfy the needs of a rapidly expanding customer base in Ireland and the UK, the company needed to increase its workforce in line with growing project demands.

Kainos identified Gdansk as the ideal city for a new office and the company opened an office there in 2007 which has enabled them to keep up with demand in their target markets and to continue to provide the highest level of service to customers. The Gdansk office continues to be a hotbed for new talent and a crucial element in the company’s continued growth and success.

Despite the recent slowdown in economic conditions, Kainos continues to exceed market expectations. Last year, it announced the addition of 40 new clients and 12 major new contracts. Total recent orders have exceeded €20m in value, and revenues generated by the business in Ireland alone have increased by more than 30%.

With this ongoing growth, Kainos continues to seek ambitious individuals who have a passion for IT services and technologies, and over the last year has employed more than 140 people across its various office locations.

In Gdansk, there are now over 60 software and infrastructure engineers, testers and technical architects working for Kainos – a far cry from the team of seven software engineers that opened the office six years ago.

Looking back at Kainos’s investment in Poland, Stephan Sakowicz, head of Kainos’s Gdansk operations, identifies a flourishing relationship between its complementary teams in Ireland and Poland.

“Over the years we’ve recognised the real similarities between our two cultures, and as a result, have been able to have remote teams working collaboratively, sharing ideas and providing truly innovative technology solutions to our customers. We will continue to grow our Polish office base and create job opportunities in this market,” he concludes.


Brookvent Heat Recovery Ventilation systemsBrookvent launch next generation of Heat Recovery

Ventilation systems

Brookvent have been proudly designing, manufacturing,

and installing market leading Heat Recovery Ventilation

(HRV) systems direct from their Belfast based

headquarters for well over 16 years, perfecting the

technology over four generations of products.

The company specialises in the manufacture of energy

saving ventilation systems designed specifically for the

needs of the domestic/residential market, with products

ranging from efficient HRV systems, to high performing

glazed-in window vents.

Over the years, HRV systems have become a standard

feature in many sustainable homes. HRV works to save

heat by extracting it from stale air generated in kitchens

and bathrooms, which then warms the fresh, filtered

incoming (outdoor) air that is used to ventilate all of the

habitable rooms in your home.

Suitable for homes with a good levels of air tightness, the

next generation of HRV systems, the aircycle 1.2 and 2.2

have just been launched by Brookvent.

The new HRV models benefit from built-in, automatic

intelligence for frost protection, humidity control and a

unique ‘tempering’ summer bypass which responds to

a temperature range between 20 degrees Celsius (no

bypass), and 27 degrees Celsius (full bypass) ensuring full

user comfort during summer months. You can also choose

from timed boost, auto boost and local boost, in units that

are super efficient at 0.5 w/l/s, run silently, are lightweight,

quick and easy to install and have easily accessible filters

for maintenance.

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Tell us a little about Headcount Solutions and your business in Poland in particular?

Headcount Solutions Ltd was formed in Dublin, Ireland in early 2005 by three experienced professional engineers with extensive knowledge of recruiting, resourcing and managing project teams for the design, construction, commissioning, start-up and ongoing operations of process, manufacturing, industrial, infrastructural and commercial facilities. Headcount offers an exciting new alternative, principally because of the experience of its key senior players. Stephen Kelly, Rory Devlin and Donal Flynn have been well known and respected names within the design, construction, process and manufacturing sectors in Ireland and abroad over the past 20 plus years.

I joined the founding team in early 2006 as a highly experienced recruitment professional with over 15 solid years in an international-based capacity. With proven delivery capability across the CEE and CIS, I have reinforced Headcount’s market entry in the emerging markets and beyond. Based in our Warsaw office, my team covers the entire region, bringing a depth of expertise, experience and knowledge that positions Headcount as a leader in

senior personnel placement across the region.

Headcount Engineering Services leaped into the future of design when it implemented the world’s latest tools for designing 3D and 4D plant facilities.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a method of design which replaces the current 2D method of design, resulting in lower cost, less rework and a proven record of up to 30% less change orders at construction stage.

Headcount leaders in senior personnel placement in CEE regionRegional Managing Partner of Headcount solutions Poland, seamus Pentony talks to Ireland Poland Business News about his experience of living and working in Poland over the past 12 years.

INTERVIEW

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The importance of the ‘I’ in BIM is the ‘information’ contained within the model. Everybody dreamed of someday being able to review, check and approve a design based on a virtual tour of the facility. Now it can be done with great ease and at a lower cost than current 2D practices (eg. Clash detection).

Headcount Engineering Services have invested in 3D and 4D design packages as well as the expertise to deliver BIM to all of our clients. The proof of success with BIM is in the savings, not just the design or build cost but also the maintenance costs going forward.

All design projects in Headcount Engineering Services design department in Ireland and globally are now done using the BIM design philosophy as a design standard.

Why did Headcount target the Polish market and how long has the company had a presence there?

As the largest member of the ‘new’ entrants to the EU, Poland was chosen for its exciting opportunities, and also its massive human resource levels of highly educated and highly skilled people. The Polish mentality is very similar to the Irish in that location is not an issue and they are, like us, highly mobile.

What kind of jobs are you recruiting for and where are they based?

We primarily recruit in the mid-management skill levels upwards across a multitude of sectors including manufacturing, finance and accounting, engineering, oil and gas, property and real estate, food sector, consultancy businesses in the construction, design and cost management sector, to name but a few.

Current searches are covering Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium and Russia. Some examples are: CEE Finance Director based in Warsaw; Commercial Director Germany; Design Manager, Germany; Quality Manager/Chemist Ukraine; Finance Controller Czech Republic; Managing Director Europe of

a leading consultancy business; Acquisitions Director Poland for a Private Equity Group out of New York and many many more roles. So yes, it’s busy.

What has your experience of doing business in Poland been like overall?

Our experience has been, in the main, extremely positive. It’s how you approach the system that’s important. Like any jurisdiction, it has its own quirks, and you work with them, not against them. The system was here before us and will be here long after us. Don’t fight it! Also, one must remember that Poland is technically only 22 years old. When the wall came down on November 1st, 1989, the country entered a new era and a new beginning. Poland entered a market economy and

has had to adapt its existing system into the new one. People forget that.

Do you speak Polish yourself?

I’m not fluent by any means, as it’s an extremely formal language, but I can get by.

How long have you been living in Poland and how do you like the country?

My first day in Poland was Tuesday, 9/11 2001... A day everyone remembers where they were. I like it a lot. I’ve settled here with my Polish wife and two daughters. It’s a great base from which we cover the region, and it’s a safe place too. All this counts when running a business and bringing up a family. I like it a lot.

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an economical route to dental careadam Krawczyk, Managing Director of CheapDentist.ie talks to Diplomat about his business, an Irish registered dental consultancy that claims to offer a comprehensive range of dental treatments with savings of up to 70%.

INTERVIEW

Tell us about yourself and your background in business:

I am 34 years old and an enthusiastic and positive person. I have been Managing Director of CheapDentist.ie since 2010. Our patients and friends say that I am very communicative and well organised, but I would also describe myself as an effective team leader and good decision maker. I have a master’s degree in political science and I have studied business to business marketing management. With more than 12 years of experience in customer service, I have had a number of medical trainings which gave me essential dental knowledge and helped me to understand how to approach and care for medical patients.

Why did you decide to set up a CheapDentist.ie clinic in Ireland?

My main goal was to organise dental trips to our state-of-the-art clinic in the city of Bydgoszcz in Northern Poland where you can save up to 70% on the cost of dental work and still get a high quality of treatment. It makes more financial sense if patients require major dental work such as dental implants, rebuilding bone loss or dental crowns. The savings are significant.

Since last year when we began to notice a large number of inquiries regarding minor dental work such as fillings, root canal treatments etc, we have started to offer a minor work dental service here in Dublin at affordable prices.

How does the business operate?

Cheap Dentist represents two dental clinics which are located in Bydgoszcz. The initial consultation takes place in Dublin, where our dentist will draw up a dental plan outlining the procedures the patient requires before flying to Poland. Our expert dentists in Poland provide a range of dental services which include dental implants, crowns, bridges etc. There are regular flights to Bydgoszcz which is only two hours away from Dublin. For those who cannot fly to our dental clinic in Poland or do not require major

dental procedures, we offer dental treatment provided by our resident dentist in Dublin.

How busy have you been since you set up here in 2010?

Every year the number of patients is increasing, but the major turning point for us was after the Holiday World trade show in Dublin in which we participated and after we were featured on Pat Kenny’s radio show at the beginning of 2012.

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How many people have travelled from Ireland to Bydgoszcz for treatment to date?

So far we are proud to say we have had over a couple of dozen of patients make the trip to Bydgoszcz.

What are the most popular treatments in your clinic in Poland?

The most popular treatments are dental implants and crowns.

How much can people save? Give examples of how much they can save on a crown, veneers and implants.

Average savings are between 50-70%, for example a dental crown at our state-of-the-art clinic in Poland costs €249 compared to approximately €600 in Ireland. Dental implants cost €650 whereas here in Ireland, the cost is approximately €1400.

Why does dental treatment cost less in Poland?

In Poland, wages, rental and material costs are much less than in Western European countries. However, the high quality of Polish dental services is acknowledged all over Europe.

Pictured at the recent Holiday World trade show in Dublin are (L-R) Adam Krawczyk, Managing Director of Cheap Dentist.ie with patients Jason Howard and Michael Murphy and clinic nurse Sylwia Krawczyk.

Do the cheapdentist.ie dentists have the same level of training and use the same materials and techniques as their Irish and British counterparts?

CheapDentist.ie represents well recognised dental clinic in Poland. All our dentists and implantologists who treat international patients have more than 10 years experience. They are continuously refreshing and improving their professional skills by participating in national and international courses and workshops. Our surgeries are equipped with state-of-the-art devices, and products of the best-known brands.

What happens if a complication occurs following a treatment?

This is unlikely to happen, but very rarely infections can arise, even when the treatment has been carried out with the utmost care. If this happens, we encourage patients to contact our 24 hour on-call nurse immediately or visit our dental office in Dublin which is open from Monday to Saturday.

What are your plans for the future?

To improve my dental business as I believe there is always room for improvement. Also, after a few years of flying with our patients and getting their feedback, I would like to introduce a new project which can be a platform between Poland and Ireland for tourism and new business opportunities. At the moment I am looking for a Irish business partner to get involved in this new project. The name of the project is ‘Enjoy Poland and Promote Ireland’. After Euro 2012 in Poland, 80% of the 50,000 Irish supporters who travelled to the games declared that they will return to Poland in this year.

“ average savings are between 50-70%, for example a dental crown at our state-of-the-art clinic in Poland costs €249 compared to approximately €600 in Ireland.

For further information, go to www.cheapdentist.ie

T: 061 409300E: [email protected]

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83 O’Connell Steet Limerick & Bindon St., Ennis. 061 444 989 Website: www.kes.ie info@ kes.ie.

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You began your career in tourism in 1967 as trainee manager at the Great Southern Hotel in Sligo and joined Hastings Hotels in 1972. Tell us about the changes you have seen in the Northern Irish tourism market over the years.

I began my training at Rockwell Catering School in County Tipperary and it was here that I learned the fundamentals of the business, down to doing a very bad job of wringing the neck of a live chicken. I started my career as a trainee manager at the great Southern Hotel in Sligo, before moving on to the Savoy in London on a trainee manager programme. I returned to the Grand Central Hotel on Royal Avenue in Belfast as a junior assistant manager in 1967 and a year later, I started with the Hastings Hotels Group where I have remained since. I became a board director of Hastings Hotels in 1993 and general manager of the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa in 2003.

The tourist trade in Northern Ireland was really buoyant in the late 60s when I came back from London. There was a lot of investment in hotels at the time but the Troubles totally decimated the hospitality industry in Northern Ireland. The hotel business had to swing over to music and entertainment and open night clubs just to keep the doors open.

Founded over 40 years ago, Hastings Hotels is Northern Ireland’s premier hotel group with six luxurious hotels set in key locations across the North. Tell us a little more about Hastings Hotels Group.

The Hastings group has six luxurious hotels of character and distinction, each set in key locations across Northern Ireland. The group also has a 50% stake in the Merrion in Dublin.

The 110-bedroom Stormont hotel is located adjacent to Stormont Castle and Parliament buildings, the seat of Northern Ireland’s Government on the edge of Belfast city. Our world-famous Europa hotel is home to some pretty important people when they visit Belfast city centre — including presidents, prime ministers and celebrities.

Nestled high in the Holywood Hills overlooking Belfast Lough is the Hastings Group’s most luxurious hotel, the Culloden Estate and Spa. Originally built as an official palace for the Bishops of Down, this stunning spot set in 12 acres of secluded garden, is the jewel in the crown of County Down.

setting the standards in HospitalityJohn Toner talks to Business Ireland Poland about his role as a Director of Hastings Hotels Group and General Manager of the slieve Donard Resort and spa in County Down.

Everything about the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa, where I myself am general manager of course, spells luxury. This magnificent 115-year old building — formerly a railway hotel — is the perfect spot for some well-earned pamper and play. There’s a world-leading ESPA Spa on site and the renowned Royal County Down golf course is on our doorstep.

The Group’s hotels also include Ballygally Castle located on the tip of the Causeway Coastal Route, overlooking the golden sands of Ballygally Bay and the luxurious but laid-back Everglades hotel, just five minutes from Derry City centre.

What does your role as Director of the Group and General Manager of the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa involve?

I am general manager of the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa with responsibility for the day-to-day running of this busy hotel and a main board Director of Hastings Hotels.

Last year’s tourism figures (from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) suggesting a significant fall in the number of tourist going to Northern Ireland were challenged by the Tourism Minister and industry experts. What is your opinion on this?

The tourism figures for Northern Ireland in 2012 have not been good,

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IssuE 1 | bUSINESS lITTlE IslaND

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IssuE 1 | bUSINESS lITTlE IslaND

they showed a drop-off in numbers. To be honest, the Slieve Donard seems to be bucking the trend. We had one of our best years ever last year driven by the international golf market. Royal County Down is rated number 3 of the top 100 golf courses in the world which is fantastic. Business has been buoyant for us in all respects over the past few years.

Who are the Slieve Donard’s main markets?

The leisure market is our largest, mainly visitors from Northern Ireland, the Republic and the UK. We also have a very strong golf market with the US leading, followed by Europe and Ireland. We have been developing a very strong Southern Ireland market more recently with leisure weekends in Newcastle and Portrush becoming popular again. The people of Dublin traditionally flocked here in the months of July and August and last year, we saw a significant revival of that business for the first time in many years.

What are the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa’s biggest selling points in your opinion?

Our biggest selling point is, without a doubt, our location at the foot of the Mourne mountains where the

mountain sweeps down to the sea and adjacent to the seaside town of Newcastle. And of course, having the Royal County Down golf course on our doorstep is a major attraction.

What are the North’s biggest challenges in growing tourism figures at this time?

Our biggest challenge is sustaining the growth that has taken place. There’s a lot of positive stuff happening. The G8 talks that are taking place in Fermanagh in June will raise the profile of Northern Ireland all around the world and should be very positive for us. Eight of the world’s most powerful leaders will be here for the summit which will be the biggest event ever staged in Northern Ireland.

What are the Hastings Hotels Group’s plans for the future?

The Hastings Group has six hotels at the moment and a 50% stake in the Merrion in Dublin but we are constantly looking for opportunities and if the right opportunity arrives, we would be in a position to further develop the Group.

You have spent most of your life working in hotels. What is the best hotel you have ever stayed in as a guest (apart from a Hastings Hotel, of course)?

When I look at a hotel, I don’t look at its services or structures, but at its location. For this reason, the Cliff House Hotel just outside Dungarvan in County Waterford would be my favourite hotel in Ireland. It has a stunning location right on the edge of a cliff overlooking Ardmore Bay. Outside Ireland, it would have to be the legendary Waldorf Astoria in New York. Again, it has a fantastic location on Park Avenue in midtown Manhattan and there’s always a special buzz about the place.

Do you employ many Polish staff in your hotel?

With the secession of the Eastern European countries to the EU in 2004, we had our first staff from those countries, particularly Poland. We started off with two or three initially but now out of 110 staff in the Slieve Donard, we have 20 to 25 Polish workers.

My experience of the Poles is that they are akin to the Irish. They adapt and fit in well and are very loyal. A lot of the people who started with us nine years ago are still with us. They are very positive and have a great working relationship with the rest of the staff in the hotel. ■

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Making a difference......to fixing the banking system■ Agreement reached with European

Parliament on the Single Supervisory Mechanism, a key step towards banking union and breaking the link between banks and sovereigns.

■ Agreement reached with the European Parliament on the Capital Requirements Directive, known as CRD 4. It is aimed at protecting taxpayers by building stronger European banks, while placing limits on bankers’ bonuses.

Making a difference.....to how Eu countries plan their jobs and growth programmes■ Agreement with the European

Parliament on the ‘Two Pack’ measures designed to improve budgetary and economic coordination among eurozone countries.

Eu Presidency half-way point: How has Ireland made a difference so far?on 1 January this year, Ireland assumed the Presidency of the Council of the European union with a policy programme for the country’s six month term in office. at the Presidency’s half-way point, the office of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the Eu (www.eu2013.ie), outline what has been achieved so far, and how these achievements make a difference. The Presidency still has three months of work ahead in continued pursuit of its objectives of stability, jobs and growth.

Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore

■ First stage of the European Semester economic planning process completed, aimed at reaching EU2020 targets and supporting growth-friendly consolidation and job-friendly growth.

Making a difference......through leading negotiations on the Eu’s c. €1 trillion budget

■ Presidency is leading on finalising

agreement between the Council and

the Parliament on the Multi-annual

Financial Framework (EU budget

2014-2020), following agreement at

the European Council in February.

■ Intensive work continues in parallel on

the legislation enabling the c.€1 trillion

in the MFF to be mobilised on time

(i.e. CAP/CFP, Cohesion, Horizon

2020, Youth Employment, Erasmus

for All etc) in support of growth.

44


Making a difference....on youth employment■ Policy programme is focused on

measures and sectors that will help tackle youth unemployment.

• €6 billion of resources under the 2014-2020 EU Budget are to be placed in support of the EU’s Youth Employment Initiative, including the Youth Guarantee Recommendation agreed under the Irish Presidency in February.

Making a difference....on new trade for our goods and services■ Ireland is prioritising trade agreements

with key EU partners, a series of which could together add over 2% to the EU’s GDP growth, or €275 billion. A special EU Trade Ministers’ meeting was convened by the Presidency in Dublin in the second half of April.

■ The EU and the US have agreed to pursue a Trade and Investment Partnership – this could ultimately lead to annual benefits of over €150 billion to the EU and US economies.

■ Irish Presidency playing a critical role in the opening of EU-US talks by working out the details of the mandate among member states.

■ Also, over the St Patrick’s Day period in March, the Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) discussed this with President Obama in Washington while the Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) did so with Secretary of State John Kerry.

■ Official negotiations have also been launched for a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Japan.

Making a difference....through farming and fisheries reforms■ Agreement reached within Council on

key reforms of the Common Agricultural

Policy.

■ Swift and effective response to the

mislabelling issue, as well as agreement

secured on discards in European

fisheries and an improved pet passports

regime.

Making a difference....to innovation■ Single Market / Intellectual Property:

signature of the Unified Patent Court (UPC) Agreement, a major final step leading to a unitary patent system in the EU and a key element in completing the Single Market.

Making a difference....on energy and the environment■ Energy: Agreement on a proposal

Minister for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton, TD

45


for safety of offshore oil and gas prospection, exploration and production activities.

■ Aviation Emissions – agreement reached regarding greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation sector, with a view to facilitating an eventual global measure in this area.

Making a difference to....health and safety■ Agreement on health and safety

requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (electromagnetic fields).

■ Agreement on an international treaty on the protection of human health and the environment from exposure to mercury.

Making a difference...in justice and home affairs

■ Agreement on an EU-wide Civil Protection Order (improving the protection of victims of domestic violence across Europe).

■ Continued progress on key aspects of the data protection proposals.

Making a difference....with the Eu’s neighbours and the world■ Development Aid: the EU agreed to

resume development aid to Mali, as announced at a meeting of Development Ministers in Dublin chaired by the Presidency. Up to €250 million in EU funding will be made available in 2013.

■ EU membership: maintaining momentum for EU enlargement in terms of final steps before Croatia’s expected accession on July 1st and in terms of other candidates and potential candidates.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the flag-raising ceremony to launch the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU At Dublin Castle on December 31st, 2012.

The Eu and the us have agreed to pursue a Trade and Investment Partnership – this could ultimately lead to annual benefits of over €150 billion to the Eu and us economies.

46


Ryanair’s Robin Kiely, Kasia Gaborec and Patrycja Wagner presenting Anna Maruszeczko from the TVN Foundation with a €100,000 cheque, the sales proceeds of the Ryanair 2013 Cabin Crew Charity Calendar.

Marcin Kowalik at sol art Gallery February 22 – February 28, 2013

an exhibition of the work of renowned artist Marcin Kowalik was held at the Sol

Art Gallery in Dublin 2 as part of a Polish Gathering.

The exhibition, which opened in the Gallery on Dawson Street on February 22th last and ran until March 28th, was called Mirror Phase. It was inspired by the literary story of Alice in Wonderland and the theories of Jacques Lacan.

The event was organised by Anna Tchorzewska whose Irish husband encouraged her to organise a Gathering to which Poles in Ireland could invite their family and friends. She contacted Mr Kowalik, who is from her native Zamosc in Poland and he agreed to come to Ireland to exhibit his work.

Born in 1981, Marcin Kowalik graduated from the local high school of fine arts. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow in the workshop of Professor Adam Wsiokowski. Under his supervision, he also achieved a PhD degree. Kowalik performs painting and art within the scope of installations, object and performance. He is an organiser, art curator and artistic supervisor.

Ryanair Crew donate €100,000 to Poland’s TVN Foundation

Ryanair has presented the TVN Foundation in Warsaw with a €100,000 raised through sales of the Ryanair 2013 cabin crew calendar.

All 10,000 copies of the 2013 calendar, which featured 12 Ryanair cabin crew members, sold out in record time and broke records with over 400,000 views on YouTube to date.

The crew selected the TVN Foundation from over 450 charity applications to receive the entire proceeds of the 2013 calendar, which will be used to purchase hospital equipment to help children suffering from cystic fibrosis.

Ryanair’s cabin crew calendars have now raised over €600,000 for charity since 2008 and preparations for the 2014 calendar are already well under way, with the application process for this year’s charity partnership set to open in June.

Ryanair’s Robin Kiely said: “80m passengers will fly on Ryanair’s ultra-low fares this year where they will be looked after by our fabulous cabin crew, whose voluntary efforts have raised €100,000 for the TVN Foundation and over €600,000 for various charities in just six years. Ryanair is delighted to support the TVN Foundation and its outstanding work in helping children with cystic fibrosis.”

TVN Foundation’s Deputy CEO Anna Maruszeczko said the charity was going to allocate the funds raised from the sales of the calendar to finance purchases of rehabilitation equipment and medical treatment of children diagnosed with cystic fibrosis who are under the Foundation’s care.

“The “You Are Not Alone” TVN Foundation has for years focused on patients with this incurable disease as they demand the utmost care and substantial financial expenses significantly exceeding the financial capabilities of the average family,” she explained.

Established in 2001 by the Polish television network TVN, the TVN Foundation was the initiative of a group of journalists and reporters who were confronted with the human suffering brought about by illness, poverty and loneliness while gathering material for a series of TV documentaries.

The Foundation is primarily focused on providing support to people suffering from incurable diseases who are in need of expensive medical treatment. It supports a variety of projects that enhance the quality of life of disadvantaged people by covering the costs of therapeutic treatments and rehabilitation. For many years the TVN Foundation has been taking care of deaf and hard-of-hearing children seeking to receive cochlear implants, as well as persons with cystic fibrosis.

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Global Diaspora Forum DublinThe European strand of the Global Diaspora Forum will take place on May 14th and 15th, 2013 in Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel, Killiney, Co. Dublin.

Organised by the Irish International Diaspora Centre, the event is expected to be of great value and interest to all those concerned with diaspora matters, including business, policy and civil society representatives.

Among the leading speakers already announced for the programme are: An Tánaiste, Eamon Gilmore, (Irish Deputy Prime Minister); Robert Guest, Business Editor with the Economist; Kathleen Newland, Co-Founder, Migration Policy Institute; Hélène Conway-Mouret, Minister Delegate for French Nationals Abroad; Sean Brown, Director of Global Alumni Relations, McKinsey; Abdirashid Duale, CEO, Dahabshiil; and Professor David Leblang, University of Virginia.

An important feature of the event will be a live link-up to the Global Diaspora Forum event in Washington. The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has been invited to participate in this section of the programme.

For more information visit www.gdf.ie or call us on +353-1-4200580.

Drive to make Ireland the internet capital of Europe

a total of 2,000 additional ICT graduate-level professionals will be provided in the coming year

through the education system and the employment permits system, as part of a series of reforms aimed at making Ireland the internet capital of Europe.

The reforms are being driven by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, and the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD.

The changes are part of Action Plan for Jobs 2013, and have an ultimate aim of providing Ireland with the highest proportion of ICT graduates as a share of third level graduates by 2018.

A series of new reforms to the employment permits system announced by Minister Bruton will target an increase of 50%, or 700, in the number of employment permits granted over the coming year in the ICT sector. International research has shown that for every high-tech job created, a further four to five jobs are created elsewhere in the economy.

The reforms also aim for a reduction of 33% in the processing time for employment permits and improvements in the appeals process and a reduction in the number of appeals.

The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD, said:

“The ICT sector forms a key part of the Government’s plans for jobs and growth, and since we have come to office we have seen an increase of more than 11,000 in the number of people at work in this sector. We in Government are determined to sustain this growth with ambitious action to make Ireland the internet capital of Europe.

“In order to do this, we must have structures in place, through the employment permits system as well as the education system, to ensure that Irish and multinational businesses in the sector can hire the skilled workers they need in Ireland.”

The Ministers described the reforms as “a win-win for Ireland” and expressed his determination that through implementation of a range of ambitious reforms, the Government would deliver on their aim of making Ireland the Internet Capital of Europe.

Irish students investigate Polish education system

Four students from a County Leitrim secondary school have travelled to Poland to compare

the Polish education system to the current Irish curriculum as part of an RTE documentary.

The students from Ballinamore PPS were teamed up with a similar sized school in Smardzewice, Poland. The Ballinamore students were the first to test the system, while students from schools in Limerick and Kells are being sent to Spain and Finland for the same objective in May.

Transition year students Brian Deering, John Joe McGovern, Cianna Stringer and Kayla Galligan Maguire attended school for five days in the central Polish town earlier this month (April).

They took classes, mixed with students and lived with Polish families in an effort to compare school life for teenagers in Poland and Ireland. The differences in education will be observed from the students’ perspectives for an investigative journalism series.

The documentary, filmed by Esras Films, who produced a series on district nurses for RTE last year, is expected to be aired this Autumn.

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Poland is situated in the very heart of Europe. Having access to the Baltic Sea, Poland links in a natural way with Northern and

Southern Europe, as well as Western Europe (Germany borders Poland to the west) and with Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus. It is by far the largest country in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region and with its size and population comparable to Spain, it is one of the largest countries in the European Union. Poland’s population of 38.1 million people makes the country the 33rd largest market in the world and the sixth largest in the EU with the GDP over USD 766 billion in Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) based on IMF estimations (2011).

Gross domestic productPoland’s GDP increased by 2.3% year on year in the second quarter of 2012, after growing by 3.6% in the first quarter, according to the most recent estimates from the Polish Main Statistical Office (GUS) published in October 2012. At the same time, investments increased by an estimated 1.3%, while domestic demand shrunk by 0.4%. These data already indicate a visible economic slowdown, compared with the previous year, when GDP grew by 4.3% in the entire year with investments increasing by 9.0% and domestic demand by 3.4%. The GUS and Eurostat data indicate that in terms of 2011 GDP growth rate, Poland ranked fourth among 27 EU member states, falling behind the three Baltic States.

In the light of the newest forecasts by the European Commission, Polish GDP growth is to amount to 2.7% year on year in 2012 and will be the highest amidst all the EU member states. In 2013, the EC anticipates, Polish GDP may increase by 2.6%.

Inflow of European union fundsFrom Poland’s accession to the European Union until the Polish presidency of the European Union Council in the second half of 2011, the country has come a long way. A strong support in this process has, and continues to be provided by the

inflow of structural funds granted in the framework of the EU’s cohesion policy. In the EU’s 2007-2013 budget, the subsidies for Poland amounted to nearly EUR 68 billion, the highest sum among the EU funding beneficiaries.

Since the launching of EU subsidies programmes of the 2007-2013 framework, authorities and beneficiaries signed 76,580 contracts for the total sum of PLN 326.7 billion of qualified expenses, including co-funding on the part of the EU amounting to PLN 225.1 billion, which constitutes 80 percent of the allocation for the 2007-2013 period. This is according to the Regional Development Ministry’s data as of October 28th, 2012.

Poland: the leading investment destination in Europe

By the Trade and Investment Promotion section of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in london

50


Human ResourcesThe total population of Poland is around 38.32million and it is the sixth largest country in the EU. Poland has the largest working population in Central Europe.

The Polish population is the youngest on the continent. Some 47% of Poles are less than 35 years old and 32% are under 25 years of age. Over the next 10 to 20 years, no shortage of human resources is expected.

Human resources should be regarded as a very special asset of the Polish economy. Despite the difficult Communist heritage in the form of a high unemployment rate, the Polish labour force is considered well educated and flexible. The structure of employment is different from the EU average. Some 13% of the Polish population works in agriculture, the sector service hires another 57% and 30% are employed in industry. The average numbers for the EU are respectively 5%, 68% and 26%.

The Poles were the world’s third longest working nation in 2009, according to OECD data. The Polish labour market can boast of increasing work efficiency, as well as of one of the lowest rates of trade union membership in the state sector, reaching 14%. By comparison, this rate is 45% in Ireland and 80% in Scotland. Poland is moving in the direction of re-establishing country’s economy to one based on information and knowledge.

InvestmentThe types of investment in Poland are far ranging and include the acquisition of state-owned companies being privatised, setting up a limited liability company or stock company, the purchase of shares on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, and providing venture capital to the growing entrepreneurial sector. As well as direct investment, there is considerable indirect investment through the import of capital goods, spare parts, and other assets.

The Polish Agency for Information and Foreign Investment (PAIZ:www.paiz.pl) is the main Government organisation assisting investors in Poland. Its mission is to increase the flow of foreign investment into Poland and it provides

foreign investors with comprehensive information on the investment environment and guidance throughout the initial stages of the investment process.

Poland is recognised and appreciated by international companies as a good location for offshore/shared services centres. The companies choosing to launch business operations usually have emphasised such factors as: convenient location, excellent economic conditions for investment, skilled favorable labor costs, and in particular the availability of flexible, well-educated, highly-qualified human resources. Poland is the undisputable leading outsourcing destination in Europe and is recognised by Hackett Group as one of three most favorable locations worldwide and by Everest Group as one of the world’s top five mature outsourcing locations, just after China and India.

The business services sector began developing in Poland about eight years ago, mainly in the sphere of international service centres, focusing more in the KPO areas related to finance, engineering, R&D, application development and high tech sectors. Poland’s main advantages in attracting these types of projects include its favorable investment climate with a highly educated workforce and the development of the modern office space market.

The World Investment Prospects Survey 2011 conducted by UNCTAD, has ranked Poland the sixth most attractive location for FDI in the world and the most attractive in Europe. In addition, UNCTAD says that the inflow of FDI to Poland increased by 46.7% in 2011, while the worldwide

increase in FDI amounted to 17%. Another acknowledgment of Poland’s competitiveness in the world in terms of investment attractiveness is the AT Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index in which Poland has taken sixth place and is first among the CEE countries.

The biggest clusters of services centres are located in major Polish cities, however the list of potential locations covers 39 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. These cities are emerging as a backup for such activities. Therefore Poland has much more to offer than other countries from the region in this field.

The biggest metropolitan areas have been developing very dynamically for the last eight years with regard to the services investment inflow. At the moment, the modern service sector is employing nearly 90,000 skilled employees specialising in IT, advanced financial services and accounting. The growing number of employees with knowledge of foreign languages makes Poland an attractive location for new economy investment projects.

The inflow of foreign direct investments (FDI) to Poland amounted to EUR 13,567 million in 2011 and was 30% higher than the previous year, according to revised data from the National Bank of Poland (NBP) published at the end of October 2012. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data, FDI inflow to Poland increased by as much as 71% in 2011 to over USD15.1 billion.

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The European Football Championships of 2012 which was hosted by Poland and the Ukraine proved to be a major stimulating factor for the development of construction, service and tourism sectors. Euro 2012 enhanced the demand for the country’s wireless technology products and led to the improvement of athletic facilities.

The latest figures on FDI’s in Poland (January 2013) show that PAIiIZ is currently conducting 155 investment projects with a total value of EUR 4.65 billion, which could create 28,740 jobs. The list of major investors is unchanged: most investments come from the US (46 projects worth EUR 833.95 million, planned 7,101 jobs). This is followed by investors from Germany (18 projects, EUR 642 million, 3,719 jobs), China (14 projects, EUR 795 million, 3,553 jobs), the UK (13 projects, EUR 42.6 million, 1,581 jobs) then France, Belgium and Finland (six projects). The most popular sector for investment is still the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector (29 projects, worth EUR 31.95 million, declared 6,918 jobs), followed by the automotive sector (24 projects 1,619.5 million, 8,298 jobs); the R&D sector (15 projects); machinery (11 projects) and ICT (10 projects).

Incentives for investorsInvestors fulfilling relevant criteria may apply for investment, training or employment grants. Typical criteria include large investments, five-year employment guarantees, or technological innovations. A number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have also been established to encourage investment in areas of high unemployment. These zones potentially offer total exemption from corporate income tax for 10 years for up to 50% to 65% of the amount invested. There are 14 SEZs covering an area of 6,324 hectares.

More than 15 years have already passed since the establishment of SEZ in Poland. During this period, the zones have become a vital part of the business environment and it is difficult to find a large investment project today which is not located in one of them. To date, a total of PLN 79,700 million has been invested in SEZ creating 183,000 new jobs. ■

Poland has become a competitive market, attracting a growing number of foreign investments. With a talented and well educated, young labour force, strategic geographic location and sizeable market, Poland has attracted a significant number of new private investments. Poland has also proved to be resistant to external shocks, mainly due to the country’s significant internal market and diversified export structure. The risk of financial crisis also held steady on a low level (public sector debt amounts to 55.0% GDP while the EU average equals 80.0% GDP). The sectors which are most attractive for investors include power generation, environmental technologies, defence equipment, IT products and services, gas-related industries and medical equipment.

“ The Poles were the world’s third longest working nation in 2009, according to oECD data. The Polish labour market can boast of increasing work efficiency, as well as of one of the lowest rates of trade union membership in the state sector, reaching 14%. By comparison, this rate is 45% in Ireland and 80% in scotland.

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The first steering committee of the Irish Polish Society (IPS) was set up on January 7th, 1979 and the Pope’s visit to Ireland later

that year united the organisation even more. On September 30th 1979, a historic meeting between the Pope and his fellow countrymen took place in the Papal Nunciature in Dublin.

Honorary Secretary of the IPS, Hanna Dowling points out that the Polish community was very small in number back then with not more than 100 Poles living in Ireland, but they were very well integrated into Irish society. A number of Poles made valuable contributions to the arts, science, business and culture in Ireland.

After the imposition of martial law in Poland on December 13th 1981, the IPS began actively lobbying for democratic changes in Poland. The Society also managed to organise substantial aid to Poland with the help of their Irish friends. Some 20 containers with food, medicines and clothes were shipped from Dublin to Poland between 1981 and 1983.

The meetings and gatherings of Poles and their families and friends used to take place in Milltown College, where the Society’s founder, Fr Klaus Cieszynski, was then a student. A generous legacy from the estate of Wanda Petronella Brown — a Polish lady who married

an Irishman — allowed the Society to purchase a large Georgian building at 20 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin in 1986. This became the home of the Irish Polish Society.

A new chapter in the development of Irish Polish relations began with the collapse of the communist system in Poland. In 1991, the Irish Polish Society established contacts and co-operation with the newly opened Embassy of the Polish Republic in Ireland.

Irish Polish society promoting links between Ireland and PolandThe election of a Polish Pope John Paul 11 in 1978 inspired the small group of Poles living in Dublin at the time to form an organisation to foster Polish culture and traditions in Ireland and to promote links between Irish and Polish people.

“ The purpose for which the society is established is to promote greater mutual interest and understanding between the Irish and Polish communities through social and cultural activities - Hanna Dowling, Honorary secretary of the IPs

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Ms Dowling explains: “The purpose for which the Society is established is to promote greater mutual interest and understanding between the Irish and Polish communities through social and cultural activities and to promote, sponsor, teach, study, advance and encourage interest in and knowledge of the culture, history, peoples, language and traditions generally of Poland and Polish people.

“The Society organises a wide range of cultural and social events to suit different age groups including lectures, concerts, art exhibitions, literary events, discussions, craft workshops, talks by visiting and local speakers, social gatherings, barbecues and outings, including trips to Poland. The IPS celebrates the main cultural and traditional festivals and holidays of both countries. Membership is open to all who live on the island of Ireland and have an interest in Poland and Polish-Irish relations.”

In advance of EU enlargement, the IPS hosted several meetings and conferences with politicians and well-known public figures, both Irish and Polish. The organisation was absolutely committed to enlargement, and, in particular, to Poland’s accession to the EU.

In 2004, the greatest shift in the relationship between Ireland and Poland came with the opening of the Irish labour market to Polish workers, says Ms Dowling. The aim of the IPS today is to encourage integration of the new Poles through events, information and social gatherings.

The Irish Polish Society is at present the only Polish organisation in Ireland with full EUWP membership (Union of Polish Communities in Europe). It is a voluntary, non-profit and non-political group. A committee made up of Irish and Polish people is elected annually to run the Society. A newsletter is sent to members at least every two months. Membership of the IPS is € 12 annually, or € 17 per family (students €10).

Recent IPS events have included an illustrated talk on the life and art of Casimir Markievicz in the Hugh Lane Gallery (to commemorate the 80th anniversary of his death); a traditional Polish Irish Christmas party and a lecture on some current geological activities in Poland, which may influence the future Polish economy.

Having lived in Ireland since 1960 and married an Irishman, Hanna Dowling says she feels very much Irish now although she has retained the accent of her native country albeit with an Irish lilt. She worked

as a freelance journalist and interpreter, covering among other stories, the first visit of an Irish president to Poland when Mary Robinson went there.

“Quite a lot of Polish people came to Ireland under communism and very much integrated into Irish society. It was not easy to come to Ireland at that time, it was not a country for immigration, but quite a lot of Poles did good things for Ireland. I go back to Poland quite often but I live in Dublin and Dublin is my home,” she remarks.

The original Polish community in Ireland could never have foreseen the huge influx of their compatriots into this country after Poland joined the EU and during the Celtic Tiger years. Having been Honorary Secretary of the IPS for many years now, Ms Dowling would like to hand the reins over to somebody younger and the Society is seeking new members who will help to provide new services in a changing environment.

Photo Supplied by the Irish Polish Society

For further information, go to www.irishpolishsociety.ie

54


Poland Has No Decision on Yet on Pension Funds

The Polish Government has not yet decided on whether it will cut contributions to privately

managed pension funds to narrow the budget deficit, acccording to Finance Minister Jacek Rostowski.

The Minister said any information about a reduction in pension fund contributions was pure speculation at this stage as the Government was only at the beginning of a general review of the pension system.

The state may limit the transfers by taking over the part of the contributions that the funds would invest in bonds, the Warsaw-based newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza has reported. The government is also considering shifting the assets that funds already hold in government securities into social security, it said.

In an article Bloomberg Businessweek warned that Poland was facing its worst slowdown in 12 years. The budget deficit reached 61 percent of the annual target at the end of February as tax revenue declined. This year’s shortfall may be about 10 billion- zloty ($3.1 billion) more than planned, according to Citigroup Inc.

Minister Rostowski said that while the budget situation was “tough,” the review of the pension system had nothing to do with the country’s fiscal situation. Fourteen Polish pension funds managed 271 billion zloty of assets at the end of last year, with about 45 percent invested in government debt.

In 2011, the government reduced cash transfers to privately-managed pension funds to 2.3 percent of a worker’s pay from 7.3 percent to help narrow the deficit and trim public debt. It also pledged to gradually increase the level of contributions to 3.5 percent.

The government will present proposals for how to pay out retirement benefits from the privately managed system by May or June.

New Eu Patent will boost entrepreneurship

The introduction of a unitary EU Patent system from January 2014 will lessen

the red tape and reduce the cost of registering a new invention in a boost to entrepreneurship across Europe, according to Sean Kelly MEP.

A member of the European Parliament’s Industry Committee, Mr Kelly said it had taken 40 years, but the unitary European Patent would come into force from January 2014 - a historic move in the right direction for the Single Market.

Currently, Member States have varying rules for registering new inventions or commercial products in order to secure the rights to the discovery or creation. This has led to many complex legal situations and created much uncertainty over jurisdictions.

“The new Patent system will almost be Europe-wide, with 25 Member States, including Ireland, supporting its introduction. I would call on Spain and Italy, who decided not to opt-in, to do so very soon so that we can press ahead with the completion of the Single Market for the benefit of business in Europe,” the Ireland South MEP continued.

Mr Kelly said it was estimated that the new system would reduce patent costs by 80% by creating a single transaction with one office, the European Patent Office, which would offer free linguistic

assistance and a greater legal certainty. The cost of registering a patent under the current system can reach €36,000 in some cases and this could be reduced to under €5,000 under the new EU Patent.

“There are far more new patents registered in both China and the US than in Europe – triple or quadruple the European number in fact. So, it is clear that we urgently needed to address this situation and I think we will see a substantial uptake in European patents in the EU as a result, thus encouraging budding entrepreneurs to pursue their ideas commercially,” he added.

World’s biggest statue of Pope John Paul II in his native Poland

The world’s biggest statue of former Pope John Paul II has been lifted into place in his native Poland.

The 46-foot high white structure was installed at the Miniature Park in Czestochowa ahead of an official unveiling on April 13.

Pope John Paul II, who led the Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005, was beatified in 2011 bringing him a step closer to sainthood.

Widely credited for his role in bringing about the downfall of Communism in Poland, he visited 129 countries around the world while in the church’s highest office.

The statue is being built after another one in Rome had to be redesigned because it looked nothing like him. When it was first unveiled in 2011, passersby said that it looked more like Italian dictator Mussolini than the leader of the church.

NEWs

55


Cooperation with latvia enables easier access to Polish visas in Belarus

People living in the Vitebsk Oblast (region) in Belarus travelling to Poland may now apply for

Schengen visas in the Consulate of the Republic of Latvia in Vitebsk.

This has been made possible as a result of an annex to the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Poland and the Government of the Republic of Latvia on mutual visa representation, signed in Riga on February 13th, 2013 by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs.

The Vitebsk Oblast, which has a population of approximately 350,000 has one of the largest populations of people of Polish nationality in Belarus.

The Agreement applies to Schengen visas, i.e. those that enable the holder to enter and stay in the territory of the Schengen area for no longer than three months within a six-month period. It does not cover visas granted for the purposes of employment, study, or other activities that require a permit.

In 2012, Polish consulates in Belarus – located in Minsk, Brest, and Grodno – issued a record 350,000 visas to

Belarusians. The Polish MFA strives to issue the largest possible amount of visas, which is difficult due to the limited number of consuls. Unfortunately, several requests to the Belarusian authorities to allow for more consuls have not yielded results.

A potential 1.1 million Belarusian citizens from the Brest and Grodno could gain the possibility of entering Poland and staying in the border zone in the event of the implementation of the Local Border Traffic Agreement between Poland and Belarus. The Polish side ended the ratification process for the agreement on September 17th 2010, when Polish President Bronisław Komorowski signed the document. However, an analogous notification has not taken place on the Belarusian side.

Pursuant to the Polish-Latvian agreement, the following Polish diplomatic missions will issue visas: Polish Embassy in Baghdad (Iraq), Polish Embassy in Wellington (New Zealand), Polish Consulate General in Los Angeles (United States of America) and the Polish Consulate General in Sao Paulo (Federal Republic of Brazil). Apart from Latvia, Poland is also bound by visa representation agreements with five other EU countries: Estonia, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. This makes it possible to obtain Polish visas in global regions where Polish consulates are not present.

Move towards sale of majority share in airline

Poland is moving towards privatising its national airline LOT as the government

proposes legislation that will allow for the sale of a majority stake in the cash-strapped carrier.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk told a press conference in Warsaw that privitisation remained the only realistic option if the country did not want to keep funneling public funds into this “bottomless pit”.

LOT recorded an operating loss of 115 million zloty (28 million euros, $36 million) at the end of 2012, instead of a forecast profit of 52.5 million zloty.

In December, the airline received the first slice of a billion-zloty rescue package, prompting the European Union to determine whether Warsaw broke subsidy rules when it threw LOT a lifeline.

The airline last month sent government officials a restructuring plan that must be presented to the European Commission for approval.

The troubled company had pegged its hopes on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner — becoming the first in Europe to use the plane — but the plan was thwarted when Dreamliners were grounded in January because of battery problems.

Poland owns 67.97 percent of the airline, which employed 2,063 people at the end of last year. The national treasury has been required until now to maintain at least a 51 percent stake in the carrier, which announced in February that it would axe 500 jobs, or a quarter of its total workforce.

Under European regulations, Poland can allow non-European companies to acquire only minority stakes in strategic companies like airlines. LOT was sold to Swissair in 1999, but the company went bust and Poland re-acquired the shares.

NEWs

56


The six months of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU marks a hugely exciting and

important time for Ireland, according to Noelle O’Connell, Executive Director of European Movement (EM) Ireland, representing a vital chance for Ireland to re-establish its credibility and reputation on both the European and the global stage.

As well as representing Ireland’s seventh rotation as President of the Council of the EU, 2013 has been designated the European Year of Citizens by the European Commission and marks the 40th anniversary of Irish accession to the EU.

Ms O’Connell comments: “From EM Ireland’s perspective, these factors combine to result in a unique and exceptional year-long opportunity to engage with Irish citizens on European issues. To that end, in addition to our usual activities, from January to June 2013, we are placing significant focus on communicating the issues, policies and priorities of the Presidency to a grass-roots audience. In order to achieve this, we have undertaken a number of bespoke projects and programmes to maximise these opportunities for engagement.”

Citizen’s Dialogue

EM Ireland welcomed the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso to Dublin City Hall in January for the launch of the European Year of Citizens 2013. This launch was followed by a citizen’s dialogue — an open and frank discussion between 200 citizens and Vice-President of the European

Developing links between Ireland and EuropeExecutive Director of European Movement Ireland, Noelle o’Connell talks to Business Ireland Poland about the projects the organisation is undertaking in 2013 to mark the Irish Presidency of the Council of the Eu, the European Year of Citizens and the 40th anniversary of Irish accession to the Eu.

Commission, Viviane Reding and Minister of State for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD.

Following on from the success of this citizen’s dialogue and the interest from members of the public in this event, EM Ireland are organising a series of public regional dialogues to take place around the country over the coming months. The first of these took place in Cork City

Hall on February 15th with a panel of speakers which included the Tánaiste and Ambassador of Denmark to Ireland, HE Niels Pultz, and an audience of almost 200 local people.

“These regional dialogues are fundamental to encouraging local awareness of, and engagement with, the Irish Presidency and with the Irish-EU relationship more generally — allowing

57


European Movement Ireland Founded in 1954, European Movement Ireland (EM Ireland) is the oldest organisation dealing with EU affairs in Ireland. It is a politically independent, membership-based organisation that aims to develop the connection between Ireland and Europe and to promote reasoned, robust and fair discussion on European issues in Ireland.

EM Ireland run a wide range of education programmes, training courses and advocacy campaigns to facilitate this. Among their flagship projects are the Accountability Campaign, a Report Card which allows them to track, measure and ‘grade’ Ireland’s engagement with the EU at all levels through the measurement of key legislative indicators; the Blue Star programme, an education initiative for primary school students across Ireland to foster better understanding and knowledge of the EU and how it affects the lives of Irish citizens; and the Grad Jobs in Europe Campaign, a multi-faceted approach to making Irish graduates and jobseekers more aware of the career opportunities available in the EU system.

citizens a direct opportunity to voice their concerns and share their issues with local and national political and economic leaders,” Ms O’Connell explains.

Further information on dates and regional venues for these dialogues will be confirmed over the coming weeks.

Youth Media and Irish Presidency Programme

EM Ireland has recruited a team of young citizen journalists who, for the duration of the Irish Presidency, will report on official events and bring a fresh young perspective to coverage of European affairs here. Twenty-five young people from across the country were chosen to blog, record, photograph, draw and connect with the Presidency as part of the Youth Media and the Irish Presidency Programme (YMIP), offering an alternative, youthful and regional perspective on the six months.

Every six months, EM Ireland issues a six-month Presidency calendar, highlighting key dates in Ireland and Europe during the rotating presidencies of the EU. The Irish Presidency edition of this calendar is now available to all to download for free from the EM Ireland website. This calendar is, in turn, complemented by an interactive online calendar, featuring information on events and activities taking place across the country throughout the year.

In keeping with their mission of encouraging and facilitating reasoned, robust debate on European issues in Ireland, throughout the Presidency, EM Ireland’s regular Just the Facts information briefings will offer jargon-free analysis of topical Irish-EU matters; their Green Book guide to interning and working in the EU will include a Presidency overview aimed at Irish third-level students, graduates and stagiaires, and they will continue to offer bespoke training courses on all issues related to Ireland’s relationship with the EU, including the Irish Presidency.

“As an organisation, European Movement Ireland’s goal is to help every Irish person feel that their voice can be heard at a European level. We work to ensure that we all take responsibility for the role we play in EU matters and for how we as a people, and as a country, actively engage with Europe. More than ever, during the Irish Presidency, Europe is effectively in our back garden. Let’s make the most of this opportunity and embrace it,” says Noelle

O’Connell. ■

For more information on all of EM Ireland’s Presidency projects, programmes and events, visit www.europeanmovement.ie.

“ as an organisation, European Movement Ireland’s goal is to help every Irish person feel that their voice can be heard at a European level. We work to ensure that we all take responsibility for the role we play in Eu matters and for how we as a people, and as a country, actively engage with Europe - Noelle o’Connell, Executive Director of European Movement Ireland

58


The Role of an Honorary Consulby Jerome Mullen, Honorary Consul of Poland in Northern Ireland

The role of an Honorary Consul is perhaps not one that is widely understood. Most countries

around the world use the services of a Honorary Consul to provide localised diplomatic coverage for their country. Honorary Consuls operate and are recognised under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963, which gives them limited diplomatic status.

Honorary Consuls are usually chosen by the accredited state in conjunction with the Government of the receiving state from citizens of that country. This gives the country appointing an Honorary Consul the benefits of having an influential advocate for that country’s interests and someone who will be very familiar with the Government of the receiving State and the laws and regulations of that country. For the most part, it is very much an honorary position, attending occasional functions and ceremonies, accompanying their Ambassador or Government Ministers when visiting the region they have responsibility for, and keeping them up to date with local political events. For countries with a large population of migrant workers, this has presented a much busier and more challenging role for those Honorary Consuls affected.

I was very honoured to have been appointed Honorary Consul in 2008 to represent such a great country as Poland and to be given the opportunity to help open up a new and historic relationship between our two countries. It is a great privilege and an equal responsibility to be a bridge between peoples of such ancient and illustrious history, and who both have made such a contribution to western civilization.

Coming from a business background, I was very keen to promote business development between our countries, and to that end, along with the two Honorary Consuls in the Republic of Ireland, we set up the Ireland- Poland Chamber of Commerce in 2011.

My involvement with Poland since my appointment has proved to be a very challenging experience as Poland has the largest population of any country represented by an Honorary Consul in Northern Ireland. I have had to deal with many difficult issues and problems experienced by Polish citizens against the background of the current economic recession. There is also the particular challenge in dealing with families who have lost love ones, often in tragic circumstances.

Against these challenges I have had the great pleasure in promoting the rich cultural history of Poland in Music, Arts and Literature.

The work of a Honorary Consul, within the Diplomatic Service in general, moves at a very special depth of relationships between peoples and nations. Our role makes us work to appreciate and understand what is common to all in their cultural, social, economic and political aspirations. It makes us sensitive to the particular problems that arise from time to time, makes us creative in our resolution of these, and honoured to have such responsibility and sense of duty placed upon us. It puts us in touch with the enriching inheritance of other peoples, and challenges us to be ever vigilant, ever alert, ever active toward the well being of those whom we represent. ■

“ I was very honoured to have been appointed Honorary Consul in 2008 to represent such a great country as Poland and to be given the opportunity to help open up a new and historic relationship between our two countries

59


First Chinese Gathering of 2013 arrives In Ireland

a delegation of Chinese investors and entrepreneurs visited Ireland earlier this month (April),

taking part in the very first official ‘Gathering’ of 2013 from China.

The group – whose visit was assisted by Tourism Ireland – included four senior managers from the Shaoxing Hi Tech Zone, as well as eight entrepreneurs from Shaoxing City. Shaoxing is one of China’s economic hotspots right now. The Shao Xing Hi Tech Zone recently purchased the Irish Pavilion, built for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai and they now plan to invest about €100 million to convert the pavilion into a multi-functional building, cultural hub and permanent landmark in Shaoxing.

Before embarking on this major project, the group from Shaoxing undertood a fact-finding visit to Ireland. As Cork is twinned with Shanghai, it was the first stop on their itinerary, where they had a meeting with representatives of the city council. They also spent time in Dublin where they took in some of Ireland’s major attractions including Trinity College and the Book of Kells and the Guinness Storehouse.

Susan Li, Tourism Ireland’s manager in China, said: “Although the major focus of Tourism Ireland’s promotional activity to highlight The Gathering this year is in countries with a strong diaspora connection – like Britain, the US, Canada and Australia – Tourism Ireland is also working hard in emerging tourism markets, like China, to raise awareness of Ireland. We have a busy programme of promotions under way throughout 2013, placing the spotlight on the many great festivals and events taking place right around Ireland as part of The Gathering. Our message for Chinese holidaymakers is that there has never been a better time to visit.”

Celebrating 600 years of Poland-Turkey relations

The 600th anniversary of Poland-Turkey diplomatic relations takes place in 2014 and preparations are

already being put in place to celebrate this historic event.

A Declaration of Intent concerning the celebration of the 600th anniversary was signed by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoğlu, who paid a one-day working visit to Poland on March 21st last.

“2014 will mark the 600th anniversary of Poland-Turkey diplomatic relations. This is an exceptional event in both European

Pat Ledwidge, Cork City Council (third left), with Mr Zhang Tiefei, entrepreneur; Mr Wang Guangshan, director of the Didang sub-district office, Yucheng district in Shaoxing city; Mr Zhao Dingguo, Shaoxing Hi-tech Zone; Mr Mao Qinlag, Shaoxing City Management Law Enforcement Bureau, Economic Development branch; Mr Zhou Tan, Shaoxing Hi-tech Zone; and interpreter Ms Linlin Yu.

“ 2014 will mark the 600th

anniversary of Poland-

Turkey diplomatic

relations. This is an

exceptional event in both

European and global

history of diplomacy -

Minister sikorski

and global history of diplomacy,” said Minister Sikorski.

Poland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs has already started work on preparations for the big celebration and an interministerial anniversary celebration team has been appointed under the patronage of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The 600th anniversary of Poland-Turkey diplomatic relations will offer an opportunity for Poland to strengthen cooperation with Turkey, a regional power with a strong economy and considerable demographic potential. Joint projects to be undertaken to coincide with the anniversary will help boost Poland’s positive image in Turkey. “I believe that the Poland-Turkey diplomatic contacts are some of the world’s most long-standing, if not the most long-standing,” noted Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. The history of diplomatic relations between the two countries dates back to 1414. According to the “Chronicles” by Jan Długosz, four years after the battle of Grunwald Sultan Mehmed I Çelebi received the first Polish diplomatic mission at his court in Bursa, which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire at the time. In the Polish collective memory, Turkey is a country that never recognised the partitioning of Poland.

The Polish Embassy in Ankara operated without interruption during WWII, while Turkey’s authorities provided relief to refugees from Poland and helped evacuate the state gold reserves of the Bank of Poland. For close to 600 years, Poland and Turkey have maintained strong political, economic and cultural ties.

60


Marketing Institute of Ireland Ball 2013

1 Grainne Murnane and Tanya O’Sullivan Red FM at the Marketing Institute of Ireland Red Carpet Ball at the Silversprings Moran Hotel 2 Michael Mulcahy, Editor, Diplomat, Ann Maria O’Connor, Bru Columbanus and Jonathan Smith 3 The Organising Committee, Vincent Scanlon MII, Brendan Hyland MII, Brendan Coughlan MII and Paul O’Connell MII, Judy Hopkins, Hopkins Communications, Claire Mc Loughlin MII, Audrey Burke McCarthy MII, Mandy Young, Chairperson MII, Leighann Carroll MII, Colette Quinn MII and Norina O’Callaghan MII 4 Ian Corbett, Operations Marketing Manager, Toyota Ireland ( Sponsor ), Minister Simon Coveney TD, Mandy Young, Chairpeson MII and Stephen Tormey, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Ireland 5 Vincent Scanlon, MII, Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr. Joe Kavanagh and Alan Shortt MC for the Ball 6 Mandy Young, Chairman MII, Ian Corbett, Marketing Manager, Toyota Ireland (Sponsor) and Minister Kathleen Lynch TD 7 Zuzana Brosnan, Clarion Hotel , Leighann Carroll, CIT and Katie Sloane, Clarion Hotel

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Irish Polish Society committee members Jarosław Płachecki and Hanna Dowling speaking at the first event of the Tracing Polish Footprints project recently in Dublin.

Tracing Polish footprints in Ireland

a project dedicated to the history of the Polish community in Ireland in particular to those members of

‘old Polonia’ who made a very valuable contribution to Irish life has begun.

The Śladami polskości: Tracing Polish Footprints in Ireland project involves a series of talks on topics connected with Poles who lived and worked in Ireland in the past.

The project is aimed mainly at students of Polish schools in Dublin, their teachers and their parents. The Polish schools in Ireland operate at the weekends and provide classes in the Polish language. The main organiser of the project is the Polish Educational Association (Polskie Stowarzyszenie Edukacyjne) in co-operation with the Polish Embassy in Dublin.

The first event took place on Saturday, March 9th in St Benildus College, Dublin. There was a presentation of the recently published bilingual book Polish Emigration

in Ireland in the 20th and early 21st Centuries which was followed by two short talks. The speakers were committee members of the Irish Polish Society: Jarosław Płachecki, Hanna Dowling and Patrick Quigley.

Honorary Treasurer of the IPS and author of The Polish Irishman: The Life and Times of Count Casimir Markievicz, Patrick Quigley spoke on the topic of Kazimierz Markiewicz and his Ireland. Markievicz was an actor in silent film, an artist, journalist, lover, novelist, playwright, producer and soldier. He linked the histories of Ireland and Poland when he married Constance Gore-Booth.

Other events for 2013 include a lecture on the topic of 1913: a critical year for Casimir and Constance in the United Arts Club Dublin, a Casimir and Constance walking tour with the Temple Bar Cultural Trust and performances of his patriotic Irish play The Memory of the Dead.

advances towards Common European asylum system

The Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union has taken an

important step towards completing the final two legislative measures forming part of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

Representatives of the Member States approved proposals for compromise texts on the recast of the Asylum Procedures Directive and the Eurodac Regulation which emerged from meetings with the European Parliament in March. It is hoped that the texts approved by Coreper will form the basis of an early agreement.

Welcoming these developments, the Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter, Chair of the Justice and Home Affairs Council, said completing the Common European Asylum System would be an important milestone towards ensuring the consistent and equitable treatment of asylum seekers irrespective of the Member State in which they presented their asylum application.

He stated: “327,345 asylum applications were received in the European Union in 2012, an increase of 7.8% on the previous year. It is vitally important that the Union has a system that ensures that procedures for processing applications are both fair and effective but also robust and not open to abuse. I am pleased that the Irish Presidency has been able to advance discussions with the Parliament and we are now hopeful of reaching an early agreement on this basis.”

The adoption of both of these measures remains subject to the approval of the European Parliament and the Council.

“ 327,345 asylum applications were received in the European

union in 2012, an increase of 7.8% on the previous year.

It is vitally important that the union has a system that

ensures that procedures for processing applications are

both fair and effective but also robust and not open to

abuse -Mr. alan shatter, Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence

NEWs

63


New undersecretary for Ministry of Foreign affairs

The Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk has appointed Professor Artur Nowak-Far

Undersecretary of State for Legal and Treaty Issues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski presented the nomination on April 2nd to Professor Nowak-Far, who will replace Professor Maciej Szpunar in the position of MFA Undersecretary of State for Legal and Treaty Issues.

Artur Nowak-Far is a Professor of EU Commercial Law at the Warsaw School of Economics and the University of Warsaw. He was born in 1967 and studied law at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. He was a recipient of the European Commission scholarship at the University of Copenhagen, and of the Kościuszko Foundation at DePaul University in Chicago. In 1996, he received a PhD from the Poznań University of Economics and in 2001, he received his habilitation from the Faculty of Law and Administration of Adam Mickiewicz University. Professor Nowak-Far is a member of the scientific board of the “Try Fine Food” programme operated by the Minister of Agriculture, a founding member of the Polish Association of European Law, and a member of the Regional Bar Council in Warsaw.

He is the author of numerous analyses and opinions in the field of European law and economic analysis of law, including for the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, the Chancellery of the Sejm, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Regional Development. He speaks English, Danish, Russian, German, and Czech. He is married with two children.

adoption of landmark uN arms Trade Treaty

The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore T.D., has

welcomed the adoption of an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, through a Resolution co-sponsored by Ireland.

The text of the new Treaty was adopted following a ten-day conference in which Ireland’s delegation played an active and prominent part.

Welcoming the adoption of the Treaty, the Tánaiste said: “For too long, the global arms trade has operated in a wholly unregulated manner, with no internationally recognised rules, obligations or even guidelines for States. This has devastating consequences — exacting a heavy toll on lives, crippling economies, and deflecting precious resources away from sustainable development. Too often, the most vulnerable pay the highest price. This Treaty will change that. It contains important provisions that, if effectively

implemented, will reduce human suffering and save lives.”

The resolution was adopted by the General Assembly, with 154 yes votes, 3 no votes, and 23 abstentions.

The new Treaty prohibits a State from authorising arms exports where it has knowledge that the weapons will be used in the commission of genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949 or other war crimes. It will also oblige States to minimise the risk that weapons would be diverted into the wrong hands or to the illicit market, and to adhere to robust, comprehensive and legally-binding standards.

The Tánaiste confirmed that Ireland will sign the new Treaty when it opens for signature on June 3rd and will move quickly to ratify it domestically.

“This Treaty is an example of how the UN can deliver and make a contribution to international peace and security. While it was negotiated by States, the strong advocacy role of civil society organisations has helped to bring this Treaty about. I encourage all UN Member States to sign the ATT on 3 June so that it can enter into force without delay,” he said.

“ For too long, the global arms trade has operated in a

wholly unregulated manner, with no internationally

recognised rules, obligations or even guidelines for states - Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore

NEWs

64


Heir to Johnson and Johnson fortune dies at age of 76

The Polish heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune and one of the world’s richest women, Barbara

Piasecka Johnson, died on April 1st, 2013 at the age of 76.

The rags-to-riches tale of the farmer’s daughter who emigrated to the US to work as a maid for a wealthy American heir before marrying him, appeared to epitomise the great American dream.

The third wife of John Seward Johnson Sr, Johnson inherited much of the Johnson & Johnson fortune after a sensational battle with her six stepchildren from her late husband’s two previous marriages. She emerged from the lengthy legal battle with about $300 million from a fortune worth more than $500 million.

A resident of Monaco, humanitarian and philathropist, Johnson used her wealth to become an art collector, amassing works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Gauguin and Raphael.

Born in 1937 in Staniewicze, a hamlet of prewar eastern Poland that now lies in Belarus, Johnson went by the diminutive ‘Basia’. In 1950 the family moved to Wroclaw, where Basia helped with the farm’s administration before attending the University of Wroclaw to study Art History.

After graduation she left Poland in 1967, arriving in the United States with just $200 in her pocket and no English. There John Seward Johnson’s second wife, Esther, hired her as a cook for their home in Oldwick, New Jersey. Her cooking, however, left much to be desired, and she soon exchanged roles with the maid. Though she stayed in the job for less than a year, she caught the eye of Seward, who arranged for her to work as curator for his new art collection. Before long he was presenting her with costly gifts, including two homes in Italy and a $500,000 trust fund.

By 1971 Esther and Seward had divorced. He swiftly married Basia, 42 years his junior. The six Johnson children were not invited to the wedding. The couple went on to enjoy a fabulously

luxurious lifestyle, buying works by Monet and Picasso and building a Georgian-style mansion in Princeton, called Jasna Polana after Tolstoy’s estate.

The marriage lasted until Seward’s death in 1983. His health had been declining for several years, leaving Basia in the role of nurse. Seward’s will, signed one month before his death from prostate cancer, bequeathed most of his fortune to his widow. Though he had established trust funds for his children in the 1940s, they stood to lose out on the majority of the fortune.

The children contested the will depicting their stepmother as a gold-digger and claiming her ailing 87-year-old husband was not of sound mind when he signed the new will. Basia disputed this portrayal arguing that her late husband did not want to leave his stepchildren any more money because he was disappointed by what she called their greed and “scandalous behaviour.”

A settlement was reached in 1986 under which she kept more than $300 million, with the remaining going to Seward’s children, the oceanographic institute he had founded, taxes and legal fees.

With the fall of Communism in Poland, Basia made a commitment to invest up to $100 million to save the historic shipyard at Gdansk. She withdrew from this project amid labyrinthine legal negotiations and a tussle over workers’ pay a year later. However, she did make donations to Polish welfare centres and the Polish

Church, founding a school in Gdansk for autistic children.

Much of her charitable work, in Poland and elsewhere, was conducted through The Barbara Piasecka Johnson Foundation, established in 1974.

She lived latterly in Monaco, and also had homes in Italy and Poland. She never remarried and claimed Seward was the love of her life.

Basia was buried in her native Wroclaw following a funeral mass in the city’s cathedral on April 15th.

Energy financing in CEE

uK Trade and Investment (UKTI) Poland partnered in delivering a conference on Central and

Eastern Europe Energy Financing in Warsaw.

Organised by energy conference events organiser (EEL), the 9th annual conference on CEE Energy Financing brought together businesses and decision makers from the across the region to discuss a number of crucial subjects, trends and opportunities within the sector. It represented a huge potential business opportunity for a wide number of UK companies at both small, medium and multinational level.

The conference agenda included energy policy discussions, transmission grid upgrades, conventional and unconventional gas, risk management, and renewables, with financing a broad theme.

British Ambassador to Poland, Robin Barnett made the keynote speech at the event, setting out the UK’s range of experience in this area, including its strong project management and consultancy base, world-class financial experience, regulatory proficiency and business to Government support package. He emphasised the importance of the region working together, in a global race to access the funding necessary to deliver the energy future the market needs to ensure industrial competitiveness and domestic affordability.

NEWs

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The Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit membership based organisation whose aim is to promote, support and enable business opportunities in Ireland and Poland for its members.

Trade between Ireland and Poland continues to be of great importance and offers potential for growth for both markets as well as potential for the creation of synergies and partnerships on a European and Worldwide level.

The Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce was established by the three Honorary Consuls of the Republic of Poland on the Island of Ireland:

■ Michael Mulcahy- Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Cork, Kerry and Waterford. [email protected]

■ Patrick O’Sullivan- Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland for the Limerick and Clare. [email protected]

■ Jerome Mullen- Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Northern Ireland. [email protected]

Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce has the support of the Polish Embassy in London and Dublin.

Our Aims ■ to facilitate and encourage

investments, develop structures, joint ventures and co-operation■ to create productive networking and

business opportunities■ to promote further development of

trade between Ireland and Poland ■ to provide representation to the Polish

community on the Island of Ireland■ to provide a platform for them to start

and grow their business in Ireland and Poland

■ to provide quality business information, training and supports

■ to encourage and provide practical services to aid Irish companies and Polish entrepreneurs in Ireland to export into Poland

■ to provide a support and introduction service to Polish enterprises who wish to consider Ireland as a location for their investments

■ to support all other Polish organisations and bodies who share our objectives

■ to encourage discussion groups, training, seminars, liaison between established bodies in Poland and Ireland

■ to facilitate trade shows and trade missions between Ireland and Poland

■ to provide translation services

Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce

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Benefits

■ professional, friendly and personal approach to each individual enquiry

■ one reference point for doing business in Ireland and Poland

■ increasing your visibility and profile within the Ireland Poland business community

■ specifically targeting the Polish community in Ireland to help them start or grow their business

■ access to director level commercial and government decision makers

■ access to seminars, trade shows and trade missions

■ support for importers and exporters from Ireland and Poland

■ quality Information and up-to-the-minute economic and market information

■ updates on doing Business in Ireland and in Poland and what effects doing business in Ireland and Poland at this time

■ access to Members Only area on the website and ‘Member to Member’ offers

■ excellent networking opportunities■ certified training■ discounts on translation services■ advertisements in quarterly published

Business Ireland Poland magazine

If you require any further information do not hesitate to contact us:

Cork Office 2413 Euro Business Park, Little Island, Cork, Ireland Tel: + 353 21 5003050 Fax: + 353 21 [email protected]@irelandpolandchamber.com

Limerick Office 66 O’Connell Street, Limerick, Co. Limerick, IrelandTel: +353 61 279 [email protected]@irelandpolandchamber.com

Newry Office Town Hall, Bank Parade, Newry, Co. Down, BT35 6HR, Northern IrelandTel: [+44] 028 3000 2099, [+44] [email protected]@irelandpolandchamber.comalina.holyst@[email protected]

1Founding MembershipAnnual Fee: £1,600 or €2,000 or 8,300 PLN

■ Prestigious representation as a Founding Member of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce.

■ Inclusion of your company logo and a listing in the Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce website as a Founding Member.

■ A unique opportunity to showcase your business to all people viewing the Ireland Poland Chamber website.

■ Sponsorship of the annual Ireland Poland Business Awards.■ Priority reservation of prestigious seats or a table at Ireland Poland Business Awards.■ Exclusive ‘Meet & Greet’ of politicians and guest speaker at the pre-dinner Reception

Ireland Poland Business Awards.■ Prominent recognition of your company on the website as a Founding Member.■ 4 full page colour advertisements in Business Ireland Poland magazine.■ On-going editorial opportunities in Business Ireland Poland magazine.■ A full page profile of your business in one edition of Business Ireland Poland

magazine.■ Inclusion of your company logo as a Founding Member in Business Ireland Poland

magazine.■ 10 Complimentary copies of each issue of Business Ireland Poland for your

business.

2 Corporate MembershipAnnual Fee: £400 or €500 or 2,000 PLN

■ Prominent representation as a Corporate Member of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce.

■ Inclusion of a listing in the Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce website as a Corporate Member.

■ A unique opportunity to showcase your business to all people viewing the Ireland Poland Chamber website.■ Exclusive ‘Meet & Greet’ of politicians and guest speaker at the pre-dinner Reception

at the Ireland Poland Business Awards.■ 4 display colour advertisements of ¼ page in Business Ireland Poland magazine.■ Editorial mention in one issue of Business Ireland Poland magazine.■ A quarter page profile of your business in one issue of Business Ireland Poland

magazine.■ Inclusion of your company logo as a Corporate Member in Business Ireland Poland

magazine.■ 5 Complimentary copies of each issue of Business Ireland Poland for your business.

3Standard Membership Annual Fee: £200 or €250 or 1,000 PLN

■ Representation as a Member of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce.■ Inclusion of a listing in the Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce website as a

Standard Member.■ A unique opportunity to showcase your business to all people viewing the Ireland

Poland Chamber website.■ Exclusive ‘Meet & Greet’ of politicians and guest speaker at the pre-dinner Reception

at the Ireland Poland Business Awards.■ Directory listing in each quarterly edition of Business Ireland Poland magazine.■ Inclusion of your company logo as a Standard Member in Business Ireland Poland

magazine.■ A Complimentary copy of each issue of Business Ireland Poland for your business.

4 Individual Membership Annual Fee: £80 or €100 or 415 PLN

■ Representation as a Member of Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce.■ Inclusion of a listing in the Ireland Poland Chamber of Commerce website as an

Individual Member.

Straightforward support and advice to keep your business movingThousands of Northern Ireland businesses are taking positive action to succeed in these difficult times. How? By seeking the advice and support available under Invest Northern Ireland’s Boosting Business campaign.

Why not join the 12,000 who have already looked to Boosting Business under its five key themes: jobs, skills, exports, technology and research and development.

Find out how Invest NI can help you boost your business:

Call 0800 181 4422Text BOOST to 78886Visit boostingbusinessni.com

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