Waldemar Pawlak, Minister of Economy was patron of the conference, which was attended by more than 150 exporters and officials from the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Regional Development and Ministry of Finance. The need to prepare a comprehensive document that will detail the basic principles, objectives and directions in the nation’s pro-export policies until 2015 was stressed during a panel discussion chaired by the director of the Foreign Trade Research Institute, Prof. Ryszard Michalski. Such a comprehensive document would ensure strategy compatibility with the country’s development strategy for 2007-1015.
Participants in the discussion pointed to the need to equate pro-export policies with direct support tools for exports. Key parameters for exporters, such as currency exchange rates, interest rates or taxation rules are beyond reach of such pro-export policies. Such factors are often much more important for export enterprises then the possibility of using direct support tools.
If export is to remain the main factor in contributing to a thriving Polish economy it is essential to ensure cohesive actions developed in such a way so that they will not create barriers for exporters. First of all, beneficiaries of such a strategy would be enterprises with Polish capital, especially small and medium sized. Companies with foreign capital, especially those that are part of trans-national corporations for various reasons need less support from the nation’s pro-export policies. In consequence, the export development strategy can reverse the duality trend in the Polish economy, that is, the growth in the division between an aggressive sector of companies with foreign capital and a sector of remaining enterprises that are gradually marginalised.
Polish exporters also showed interest in the strategy allowing Poland to enter the euro zone. According to Katarzyna Zajdel-Kurowska, Under Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, we should first start to build support for changes to the constitution, which will be essential to introduce the euro, and to maintain a balance in the economy. The better the economy will be prepared the fewer concerns about significant fluctuations in currency and exposure to speculative assaults. The programming conference was a good opportunity to honour outstanding exporters. The title of Leader of Polish Export, together with a medal and congratulatory letter, was awarded to 45 companies that achieved the highest export levels.
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