Third day of #efglodzkie2023 – international talks

The third and final day of the European Economic Forum had an international dimension. Foreign partners and investment opportunities in other parts of the world, including very remote ones, were presented. And thus, we had panels such as Lodzkie Goes to… India, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, or Southeast Asia. However, the programme for the day also featured a summary of the recent activities of the Lodzkie House in Brussels and a focus on economic cooperation between Polish and Ukrainian entrepreneurs.

Japanese and Korean guests proudly presented their investments in Poland. Entrepreneurs and business organisation representatives from these countries showcased what they have achieved so far, including in the Lodzkie Region (JTI has its factory near Poddębice and Daikin will manufacture heat pumps in Ksawerów). They expressed their highly appreciative opinion of the employees from the Lodzkie Region working in their companies. When asked about what made them choose Lodzkie as an investment destination, they always highlighted, apart from the qualified staff and a good atmosphere for entrepreneurs, the road infrastructure and logistics facilities. Their only regret was the decreasing number of available workers, which is a result of low unemployment. The conclusions of these panels will enable a better offer presentation during EXPO 2025 in Osaka.

The panel devoted to the cooperation between Lodzkie Region and Southeast Asia was exceptionally vivid: Indonesian guests invited to Bali, and Kinga Wojtczak, the owner of a coffee roasting plant that sources its beans directly from the island of Flores, shared her experiences of cooperation with Indonesian farmers.

During the panel concerning “the right direction of development” practitioners (entrepreneurs), spoke about cooperation with Ukrainian businesses. Everybody was impressed that in spite of the war, deliveries from Ukrainian companies are always on time.

At the same time, Grzegorz Schreiber, Marshal of the Lodzkie Region, hosted delegations from partner regions in Ukraine. He discussed the development of cooperation, investment opportunities, and economic partnerships with representatives of the Vinnitsa, Volyn, and Odessa oblast administrations.

The Marshal also met with entrepreneurs from the Lodzkie Region to listen to their needs and look for the best solutions together. “We want to set shared goals with you,” said the Marshal.

And since business is not all, there was also a place for the social economy. During the panel entitled “Let’s empower them”, the support for social service providers was discussed. Their representatives talked about cooperation with local authorities.

“For activities in this area to be effective, they must be long-term rather than immediate,” concluded Deputy Marshal Zbigniew Ziemba who at the end of the panel presented special acknowledgements to social economy support centres from three sub-regions of the Lodzkie Region.

There was also room at the Forum to discuss the first deployment of the innovative CAR-T therapy for the treatment of blood cancers at the Copernicus Memorial Hospital in Łódź. This very expensive treatment – amounting to more than one million PLN per infusion – is fully reimbursed by the National Health Fund.

“Once again, the Forum has proved to be an excellent platform for cooperation and dialogue between a wide range of stakeholders. The government, local government, business, science were all strongly represented. We hosted many foreign guests. We involved young people and senior citizens in the discussion,” said Marshal Grzegorz Schreiber to sum up the three-day Forum.