Another good year for Szczecin

It was another successful year for the Szczecin. 2014 was noted for intense cooperation with Scandinavian countries, development of the renewable energy industry and further work on business friendly climate in the city. The city also successfully continues cooperation with the scientific community and the business world, especially for the BPO/SSC/ITO sector.

An event that undoubtedly eclipsed all the other was a visit of the Danish Crown Prince Couple. On May 14, Danish heir to the throne and his wife visited the headquarters of the Multinational Corps Northeast operating in the NATO Force Structure. The Prince Couple also met with the crew of Niels Juel, the Danish naval unit, which is moored off the coast of the Embankments of Chrobry. Crown Princess Mary Elizabeth visited the Szczecin branch of Danish company kk-electronic that has been manufacturing parts for wind turbines since 2003. Crown Prince Frederik together with Kristen Brosbol, Danish Minister for the Environment, took part in the Energy Forum held in the Centre for Contemporary Art (Trafostacja).

Discussions revolved around two issues, namely renewable energy sources and waste management. The purpose of the first seminar was to draw attention to the prospects of wind power in Poland with reference to Danish experience and know-how within this area. The panel was also dedicated to opportunities for business sector development in Poland in relation to manufacturing and industrial technology, using Danish experience. The second seminar was aimed at developing energy and waste management strategies based on Danish experience. Its participants visited EcoGeneretor construction site, that is Thermal Waste Treatment Plant for the Szczecin Metropolitan Area located in Ostrów Grabowski. The purpose of the Crown Prince Couple visit to Szczecin was to revive and strengthen rapidly developing economic and cultural cooperation between Poland and Denmark and promote innovative solutions in selected sectors of the economy.

Another event, very important from the point of view of cooperation with Scandinavia, which is one of the strategic areas for Szczecin, was the organization of the Scandinavian Days venture. This unique event took place on 4-6 April and its purpose was to create long-term and cyclical forum for meetings to help establish business contacts and for the presentation of economic offer. The event agenda was based on four modules: business, sports, educational and cultural. Each module had various events assigned, starting from business conferences, artistic presentations, film shows, and open-air exhibitions to sporting events. Scandinavian Days began with a business conference entitled “Scandinavian Model of Cooperation in Szczecin: Exchange of Knowledge and Experience”. A panel dedicated to renewable energy sources turned out to be particularly interesting. The conference was attended by many prominent figures, including ambassadors of Denmark, Finland and Sweden to Poland. All ambassadors praised Szczecin for this initiative. The city was also visited by, apart from politicians and diplomats from Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, businessmen and artists.

On 23 June, Samsung Electronics Poland initiated cooperation with the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin as regards joint implementation of practical training course for students under the name “Samsung LABO”. The Samsung LABO project is based on a unique formula of a tripartite agreement between the company, the university and regional authorities. This initiative is aimed at developing strategic digital literacy and building a knowledge-based economy.

In July, Fitch Ratings affirmed the City of Szczecin long-term foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDR) at “BBB+”. Ratings Outlook is Stable. Fitch also affirmed the shortterm foreign currency rating at “F2”. The ratings reflect careful management of Szczecin financial resources, reasonable policy on operating expenses, ability to finance investments from the City’s own resources as well as secure debt ratios.

The investment under the name “Laying the necessary technical infrastructure to investment zones in Trzebusz and Dunikowo designated for industrial and storage uses” was completed. This was the reason to held a press conference in August with the participation of representatives of the City, the Province, the Industrial Development Agency and the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ). As part of the investment, more than PLN 70 million was spent to comprehensively fit out more than 50 hectares of land. They are located in the Szczecin Sub-zone of the EURO-PARK Mielec Special Economic Zone. All the necessary installations were laid on-site. The Trzebusz location is designed for service, production, and storage building development (inducing petrol station), whereas in Dunikowo production facilities, warehouses, storehouses and transport bases are going to be built. The Municipality of Szczecin and the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency signed an agreement at the conference. Under the agreement, the parties undertake to cooperate on creation of favourable conditions to attract foreign investors. PAIiIZ will train the City Hall employees to attract investors even more effectively. The Agency will also forward the City’s offers to investors and foreign partners.

On 9 October, the “Dialogue” conference was held dedicated to renewable energy and opportunities for companies from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to operate in Poland. The idea for the conference stemmed from growing interest of entrepreneurs from Mecklenburg, West Pomerania and Brandenburg in investing in Szczecin. The event was dedicated mainly to German investors, and was aimed at presenting Szczecin as an attractive place to invest as well as introducing economic and legal situation of the renewable energy sector in Poland to potential investors. During the conference, the guests were able to attend lectures addressing various issues, including the potential and business opportunities of renewable energy sources in Poland, political and legal determinants of renewable energy market, and the prospects of Polish-German cooperation in the wind energy sector.

The conference entitled “The Modern Services Sector as an Opportunity for Professional Development” of 3 December was dedicated primarily to students. The purpose of the conference was to familiarize undergraduates with the specifics of the industry along with opportunities provided by the modern business. Experienced speakers presented the latest trends in the development of the BPO, SSC and ITO sector. They advised young people how to stand out from the crowd of candidates and how to build their own brand as an employee. They also drew attention to competencies and skills currently most sought-after by employers. The speakers included Paweł Panczyj, ABSL Poland Managing Director, Wiktor Doktór from Pro Progressio and local representatives of the modern service and the science sector.

2015 promises to be just as intensive and arduous. The sectors expected to grow most rapidly include modern services, logistics, and e-commerce industry. The ICT industry is also expected to assume a pivotal role in contributing towards the economic growth of the region as the Technopark Pomerania, a modern building complex, will be finally put into operation. The City is also planning to organise a major conference addressed to people interested in the development of new technologies. The Scandinavian Days event is certainly going to be continued as it is to become a tradition of the City; many guests, including ambassadors to Scandinavian countries, have already declared their intention to regularly participate in the event. His Excellency Staffan Herrström, Swedish Ambassador to Poland, said that Szczecin has all chances to become an example of cooperation between Polish city and Scandinavia. In 2015, Denmark will be the City’s partner in organizing the Scandinavian Days event.

The City of Szczecin, Investor and Business Support Department