The success of Polish transformation was largely due to the development of small and medium-sized companies, which today constitute the strength of the Polish economy - assessed experts in the build up to the upcoming conference titled, “25 Years of Renewal of Polish Business and Enterprises”.
“25 years with a free economy is a huge success. We started as a country much poorer than Hungary, and in fact today Warsaw is wealthier than Budapest” stated Richard Petru, President of the Association of Polish Economists. He added, “Our success lies in the fact that 80 percent of Poland’s GDP comes from small and medium-sized enterprises. On this you can build. It is important for these companies to grow”.
Lech Wałęsa emphasizes the huge role that Polish entrepreneurs have to play. “In Europe, there are over six million unemployed young people. Let's help entrepreneurs create more jobs for young people so they can earn money in which they can live more stable and comfortable lives” stated the former president. He continued, “I am ready to show the entire world Polish economic success. If we do not help those who are able to work hard and are willing to grow, the world will be hopeless. We have to expand our cooperation and start thinking about global development”.
Therefore, the Lech Wałęsa Institute in this commemorative year of political changes and the lasting free market, has been actively involved in the debate regarding Polish enterprises in the process of transformation, their role in battling economic challenges, and expanding their opportunities to compete on the international stage.
One such opportunity will be the Economic Forum “25 Years of Renewal of Polish Business and Enterprises” scheduled for August 29th this year. It is not by chance that the conference will be held in Rzgów near Łódź. “This is a place where it can be seen just how successful the transformation in Poland has been thanks to the efforts of small Polish companies. These efforts were made with the famous words of Lech Wałęsa in mind, ‘Take matters into your own hands’”, says Piotr Gulczyński, president of the Lech Wałęsa Institute.
Located in Rzgów since the early nineties is the “Ptak” Trade Center which currently employs 7,000 and creates 70,000 other jobs directly related to the wholesale trade business.
This Economic Forum will be accompanied by the International Fashion Fair and Fashion Trends Festival. “These events can be catalysts for the country. We will host 3,000 exhibitors – until now, never have so many exhibitors been in one place at the same time. This is a great opportunity for our producers”, praised Thomas Szypuła from the “Ptak” Trade Center.