By Francisco Yeh, International Affairs Department of TEEMA
To better assist the electrical and electronic member manufacturers to further understand the markets of Poland, enhance economic dialogue between Poland and Taiwan, and pave the way for more business cooperation and new investments, Department of Investment Services Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency co-organized “Poland Investment Opportunities Forum” at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Taipei on May 18th, 2022.
Prestigious guests include Grzegorz Piechowiak, Poland's Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Technology; Emile Chang, Director-General of the Department of Investment Services (MOEA) ; Winner Yu, Managing Supervisor of Board (TEEMA) ;Aleksander Siemaszko, Deputy Director, Department for Trade and International Cooperation, Ministry of Economic Development and Technology; Agnieszka Dudra, President of Bureau of Chemical Substances During the forum, Winner Yu, Managing Supervisor of Board (TEEMA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Krystian Szczepański, Director of The Institute of Environmental Protection-National Research Institute (IEP-NRI) , one of the main management agencies of the Polish government for the promotion of its electric vehicle policy. Alicja Pawłowska-Piorun, Acting Head of Low Emission Transport Unit, National Center for Climate Change (Affiliated to IEP-NRI) participated in the "Taiwan-Poland EV Industry Business Cooperation Webinar " held by TEEMA on April 20th, 2021, Dr. Pawłowska-Piorun shared her thoughts on “NCCC in the Context of E-mobility in Poland” and the role that NCCC plays in the Polish electric vehicle industry. To facilitate the Taiwan-Poland electric vehicle industry cooperation, TEEMA agreed to sign a MoU with IEPNRI aiming to deepen the Taiwan-Poland electric vehicle industry partnership, and in the hope of further cooperation in the field of electric vehicles and environmental protection in the future.
Highlights of this MoU include: IEP-NRI and TEEMA agreeing to establish and cooperate in the fields of electromobility and climate change; a partnership between IEP-NRI and TEEMA in electricvehicle research and development and highlighting the unyielding commitment from both parties to improve cooperation; the facilitation of bilateral visits of official business representatives and technical specialists to seek mutual benefits in the context of conducting and sharing research finding; to create and maintain the exchange of information in the fields of electric vehicles and climate change with activities supported by public administration in terms of environmental protection and host informative events; agreeing to hold regular meetings for the exchange of ideas on carbon neutrality, zero-emission technologies, and electric vehicle issues; to advise on government and private companies for achieving a carbon-neutral economies. TEEMA will collaborate with our international partners to realize even greater business opportunities worldwide.
Emile Chang, Direct or-General of the Department of Investment Services (MOEA) said that as of now, there are 31 Taiwanese enterprises operating in Poland and these companies together had already invested over US$223 million, wellknown manufacturers include Compal, Garmin and Acer. According to the data from Taiwanese customs, bilateral trade between Taiwan and Poland was increased to US$1.65 billion (by 33.6%) from 2020 to 2021.
According to statistics, since Taiwan and Poland signed the memorandum of understanding, Taiwan's investment in Poland has increased more than 120%, mainly in auto parts, synthetic rubber manufacturing, electronic components, etc; Poland's investment in Taiwan has also increased by nearly 80%, including wholesale and retail, computer software and other industries, showing that the both sides have achieved good results. If Taiwanese companies are interested in investing in Central and Eastern Europe, the government has established the "Taiwan Central and Eastern Europe Investment Fund", which helps provide necessary financial assistance.
Grzegorz Piechowiak, Poland's Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Technology expressed the Polish government’s interest in the increase in investments from Taiwanese companies. Poland is eyeing Taiwanese investments in semiconductors, electronics and other advanced technologies, and is willing to provide supportive measures to foreign investors such as tax exemptions and loans. Poland is an ideal hub for international transportation because of its central location in Europe. Although many Taiwanese companies have already entered Poland, the level of cooperation has yet to be improved. He hoped that through this visit to Taiwan, including today's forum, the Polish government would be able to expect investments in advanced technology industries such as semiconductors and electric vehicles.
During the forum, Marcin Fabianowicz, Director, Centre for Strategic Investments, Polish Investment and Trade Agency briefly introduced "Investment and Market Opportunities in Poland"; Zbigniew Bednarski, Director of the Branches Coordination Department, Industrial Development Agency expounded on the subject of "Polish market overview, business environment, future strategic planning and measures; Jakub Kaczmarski Deputy Director, Research and Innovation Department, Łukasiewicz Research Network explicated the country's prospects in the gallium nitride technology and microelectronics industry, and hoped to provide more investment and cooperation opportunities for Taiwanese companies.
