Business Opportunities with Poland.
Following the recent enlargement of the European Union Thurrock is seeking
to deepen links with the new Member countries. In particular Thurrock
is developing strong ties with Plock in Poland, this is intended as a
serious partnership built around lasting mutual advantage. Thurrock sits
at the gateway to Europe and is determined that business opportunities
will be at the heart of this relationship with Poland.
Delegations have visited both Thurrock and Plock and these early meetings have clearly stated that this will not be an ‘old-style’ twinning but rather a strong relationship founded on growth enhancement and commercial opportunities. Fundamentally it is believed that by working together both Plock and Thurrock can prosper.
The
strength of the potential relationship lies in the similarities between
the two locations: Plock is a river port, a major road centre
and home to substantial industrial activity. 
As well as a varied manufacturing
industry Plock is home to a major petrochemicals sector. The parallels
with Thurrock are striking and clearly offer great commercial potential.
This potential is deepened further by the fact that Plock are particularly
interested in enhancing their logistics operations – an area of
great expertise in Thurrock. As a first stage to opening up this commercial
potential Plock are keen to build links with Thurrock business groups
and the Thurrock Business Forum is pleased to be involved.
To develop this relationship further a dedicated Business Breakfast
is taking place at the Orsett Hall at 8.30am on 21st September. This
event will outline the commercial opportunities of involvement with Plock
and we are delighted that the key-note speaker will be Mr Piotr Kozerski
the Head of the Economic & Commercial Department of the Polish Embassy.
Other presentations will focus on the support available to local companies
to work with Poland. A full schedule of the meeting is linked below.
The meeting was arranged by Thurrock Council and will be conducted specifically
with businesses in mind. The event is free, with a 10.30am close and
an invitation is extended to all local companies. To attend please contact
Kristina Smith of the Thurrock Council External Funding Unit on 01375
652480.
Key issues which will be covered include the value of information, trust and reputation but there will be a clear emphasis on commercial potential and the beneficial opportunities of sharing best practice.
For those companies with an established interest in trading with Poland
or a particularly strong desire to learn more, the British Embassy in
Warsaw is holding a seminar on 6th September. Held in Poland this event
will specifically cover the opportunities for accessing EU funding through
Polish relationships. Please see the link below for further information
including advance notice of week dedicated to developing ties further.
For more information about investing in Poland please visit: www.poland.pl/info/invest
For more information about Plock please visit: www.plo.pl (Polish language)
For more information about support for trading overseas please visit: www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk