In fact, the drive to host the championships was initiated by Kiev and Hryhoriy Surkis, the Ukrainian businessman, politician and activist. The European Football Championships are regarded as the world’s third most significant sporting event after the Summer Olympic Games and FIFA Football World Cup, in terms of rank, the size of television audiences and financial flow.

“In Poland and Ukraine the wheels have to start turning earlier than anywhere else,” said Minister of Sport Mirosław Drzewiecki opening the 1st Poland-Ukraine 2012 Economic Forum which was held over two December days in the Gromada Hotel, Warsaw. Minister Drzewiecki was referring to the fact that, unlike Austria and Switzerland who are the hosts of this year’s European football championships, neither Poland nor Ukraine have a sufficient number of sports stadiums, motorways, airports, hotels, restaurants and other facilities necessary to hold such an event. Austria and Switzerland may focus on modernizing a few stadiums and choosing the Euro 2008 mascot. “We need to undertake complex investment programmes valued at billions of euros”.
This, in short, was the keynote of the Forum. Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksandr Motsyk, present at the Forum’s opening ceremony, expressed his regret that not many of his nationals attended the event. He explained they weren’t able to make it due to visa procedures. Thus, already in the beginning, he revealed one of the major problems facing the organizers of Euro 2012. A situation when an event of this size and significance is organized by two countries lying on opposite sides of the Schengen area border is unprecedented.
The Forum was attended by many VIPs such as former Minister of the Economy Jacek Piechota, who was a member of the cabinet when the decision in favour of the efforts of the Polish Football Association to be chosen as the host of Euro 2012 was taken. Elżbieta Jakubiak, currently the President of the Physical Education and Sport Committee, formerly the Minister of Sport and the person responsible for preparations for Euro 2012, was also there.
Adam Olkowicz of the Polish Football Association in charge of preparations for the Euro 2012 described the course of negotiations and the arrangements made with the Union of European Football Associations. It was pointed out that the documentation which the Polish delegation was expected to present in Nyon had over 3 thousand pages.
The two-day conference provided an opportunity to put forward various aspects of the giant task facing Poland and Ukraine. During many panel discussions, economists and lawyers expressed their professional opinions. Among them were: Professor Krzysztof Opolski (Warsaw University), Professor Witold Orłowski (Pricewaterhouse-
Coopers Poland), director Adrian Furgalski (TOR), lawyer Michał Kurzyński and Tomasz Sommer PhD. Lech Pio-
trowski, an expert in hotel management, spoke about the requirements which will need to be met by hotel owners; Warsaw Metro Chairman Jerzy Lejk presented the planned construction of the second line of the underground. Lope Seco Gonzales shared the solutions to transport problems found by Madrid authorities and the general manager of Poland’s General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways Zbigniew Kotlarek revealed the road construction plan complying with the needs of Euro 2012. A very personal (and critical) viewpoint was presented by Czesław Bielecki – renowned architect and of late an active politician.
The forum offered a chance for a fruitful exchange
of views on the topic. It highlighted the multitude of
tasks the hosts of Euro 2012 will need to cope with. Po-
land and Ukraine are facing a great challenge – this is for sure.