eef 2022
15th European Economic Forum – Lodzkie 2022
14–16 December 2022
The Forum proved to be one of the largest and most important economic events in Poland. The guests were offered the opportunity to attend tens of panels, workshops, lectures, and plenary sessions. The subject matter of this year’s edition was business in the era of innovation, which enabled to cover many areas where novel solutions are being successfully implemented.
At the same time, the EEF was a place where highly important agreements and understandings were signed. And thus, the Solidarity Transport Hub [Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, CPK] will transfer PLN 10 million for the purchase of new hybrid buses for the Lodzkie Region. This is the result of the signatures put on the related document by Government Proxy for CPK Marcin Horała, CEO of the CPK Mikołaj Wild, and Marshal of the Lodzkie Region Grzegorz Schreiber.
The Forum also provided an opportunity to discuss the allocation of EUR 2,745 million of funds that will be transferred to our Region from the European Funds for Lodzkie until 2027. The discussion was attended by: Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak, Deputy Minister for Funds and Regional Policy, and Grzegorz Schreiber, Marshal of the Lodzkie Region. And since so much money was at stake, the issues of digitisation and its development in business and administration – with Deputy Marshal Piotr Adamczyk actively involved in this topic, the innovation in agriculture – a panel participated by Lodzkie Region Board Member Andrzej Górczyński, the activation and active life of senior citizens – with the participation of Lodzkie Region Board member Robert Baryła; and the oncology prevention, or the drone market development were also addressed.
The latter subject was closely associated with a thematic strand that permeated the entire Forum, namely the situation in Ukraine. Guests from the war-stricken country explicitly admitted that they had come to Lodz for aid – both humanitarian aid, directly addressed to the inhabitants of the occupied territory, and aid to secure the country’s future, including business contacts to boost the Ukrainian economy. The EEF was attended by delegations from the Odesa Oblast, Vinnytsia, and local business representatives. All took part in panels dedicated to Ukraine and its current situation, which included, among others: “Drone war in Ukraine. The future of the UAV market”, “What can we do for Ukraine today?”. The Ukrainian guests also met with local government officials from the Region.
“It was of great concern to us that during the EEF, one of the most important events of the year in our region, the voice of Ukraine should be heard as loudly as possible,” emphasises Grzegorz Schreiber, Marshal of the Lodzkie Region. “In the difficult reality that directly affects us, it is essential for our actions to respond precisely to the needs of Ukraine, which is by all means the guardian of European security.”
The discussion with representatives of the European Committee of the Regions – the European Conservatives and Reformists – had a broadly international dimension. Local government officials from Italy, Finland, Czechia, Spain, and Hungary attended the debate titled “Together into the Future”, where the main topic was economic and regional cooperation in Europe in the face of the threats posed by the pandemic and the consequences of the war in Ukraine.
“We are all representatives of our local governments, which is what Europe is, in a nutshell,” said Grzegorz Schreiber, Marshal of the Lodzkie Region, referring to his guests. A formal highlight of the Forum was the Lodzkie Region Economic Award Gala “Biznes na PLUS”, at which enterprises that persistently build a positive image of the Lodzkie Region, generate the best economic results, pursue innovative projects, are appreciated at home and abroad, and make a spectacular contribution to the economic development of the Lodzkie Region were honoured. The gala was hosted by Agata Konarska and Tomasz Kammel, and began with a fashion show by Lidia Kalita. The models were the Amazons, female oncological patients who have completed their treatment or are undergoing it. The final feature of the evening was a concert by De Mono.
