The Embassy of the Republic of Poland is currently hosting a touring multi-media exhibition highlighting Poland's heritage project by The National Library of Poland and themed A Commonwealth of Diverse Cultures: Poland's Heritage. The exhibition is being held under the patronage of President Eddie Fenech Adami and was inaugurated by Jerzy Chmielewski, the Rome-based Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Malta.
The Times Business took the opportunity to interview Mr Chmielewski on Poland's relationship with Malta in terms of trade between the two countries.
What sort of business takes place between Malta and Poland? How much does it amount to annually?
Polish-Maltese trade is growing constantly, even though there is still some space for further improvement. In 2007 the value of Polish exports to Malta amounted to €15.4 million and we imported from Malta goods for around €12.5 million. If we compare this data to the results from 2001 (exports €2.3 million, imports €5.3 million), we can see that our bilateral trade contacts have improved significantly. I am sure this relationship will be enhanced still further in the coming years.
What are the services and areas affected?
The structure of Polish exports is composed mainly of organic chemicals, tobacco and substitutes, meat, vegetables, tools and base metal as well as cars and electrical machinery and parts. On the other hand, from Malta we import pharmaceutical products, rubber and rubber goods, plastics, boilers, machinery and mechanical parts. Apart from that, we can notice a growing interest in tourism services exchange.
What sort of cooperation exists between the two countries? Are there any bilateral agreements?
There are a few bilateral intergovernmental agreements signed between our countries, such as on cultural and scientific cooperation, on economic, commercial and navigation cooperation as well as an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to income tax. Of course, as members of the European Union we have the full freedom of exchange of capitals, investments and people.
How large is the Polish community in Malta?
There are around 130 Polish citizens living in Malta as permanent residents, which is not a very big community. But every year, more and more Polish tourists discover the beauty of Malta. Only in 2006, almost 7,000 Polish tourists came to Malta. Most of them were young people coming for language courses. For Poles, Malta is becoming an interesting and attractive place for holidays and English language studies.
Are they involved in the business or financial sectors?
Polish citizens in Malta are working mainly in the services sector. In recent years, Polish IT specialists have been coming to Malta to work for Maltese branches of various international companies. Moreover, some of the Polish citizens run their small companies operating in businesses such as transportation and tourism. Others work as employees in gastronomy and hotel services.
Is there a Maltese community in Poland? If so, how large is it?
There is a small number of Maltese citizens living in Poland. But the periodical presence of Maltese citizens in Poland is growing from year to year. The majority of people who come from Malta to visit Poland are Catholic pilgrims who make religious trips to such holy places as Czestochowa, located in the southern part of Poland, or places linked with the life of Pope John Paul II such as Wadowice where Karol Wojtyla was born and Krakow where he worked for many years of his religious activity and which is one of the most popular destination points for tourists from all over the world. In this beautiful city you can see the Polish history, art and culture and participate in the real life of the European artistic bohemia.
What business areas have the most potential for growth between the two countries?
The Polish and Maltese economies are without doubt complementary. I see great opportunities in the development of tourism. Maltese tour operators already have trips to Poland included in their offers (mainly pilgrimages) but we would like to show more places in our country.
On the other hand more and more Poles come to visit Malta. To improve our tourist exchange we would need direct and regular flight connections between Warsaw and Malta, also after the summer season.
Secondly there are concrete business opportunities for Maltese investors in Poland. We have interesting incentives for foreign investors in our country.
Furthermore we could develop our existing cooperation in the area of pharmaceutical products and medical equipment and explore new opportunities in cooperation within the IT and innovation sectors.
Especially in this field of common relations, I see the big potential for cooperation. Poland is a country seeking new partners for developments of European programmes linked to information technology and Malta is perceived by the Polish government as a very attractive partner in this activity.
How has Malta's and Poland's EU membership benefited commercial links between the two countries?
Poland and Malta joined the EU at the same time (in 2004). In my opinion the accession was beneficial for both countries.
First of all, it simplified the trade exchange and investment flow. The statistics show that after the accession our bilateral exchange has doubled.
EU membership encourages our investors to get to know one another better.
We have more opportunities to meet each other in different fields of cooperation, i.e. by participating in multilateral EU projects and meetings.
A very significant benefit for both our countries is the participation in the Schengen agreement, which allows our citizens to travel without any bureaucratic obstacles and is also a favourable factor for business.
Furthermore, Malta has also taken another important step - the introduction of euro currency. This process in your country was very successful. Your experience might be helpful in our preparations.
"Exhibition on the occasion of European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 - A Commonwealth of Diverse Cultures - Poland's Heritage", consists of 10 short documentaries on Poland's heritage. The films present a general history of Poland and the National Library in Warsaw, and the different traditions whose legacy has influenced the Polish contemporary culture. The exhibition is on show at the Atrium, St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, and runs until July 27.
The Times Business took the opportunity to interview Mr Chmielewski on Poland's relationship with Malta in terms of trade between the two countries.
What sort of business takes place between Malta and Poland? How much does it amount to annually?
Polish-Maltese trade is growing constantly, even though there is still some space for further improvement. In 2007 the value of Polish exports to Malta amounted to €15.4 million and we imported from Malta goods for around €12.5 million. If we compare this data to the results from 2001 (exports €2.3 million, imports €5.3 million), we can see that our bilateral trade contacts have improved significantly. I am sure this relationship will be enhanced still further in the coming years.
What are the services and areas affected?
The structure of Polish exports is composed mainly of organic chemicals, tobacco and substitutes, meat, vegetables, tools and base metal as well as cars and electrical machinery and parts. On the other hand, from Malta we import pharmaceutical products, rubber and rubber goods, plastics, boilers, machinery and mechanical parts. Apart from that, we can notice a growing interest in tourism services exchange.
What sort of cooperation exists between the two countries? Are there any bilateral agreements?
There are a few bilateral intergovernmental agreements signed between our countries, such as on cultural and scientific cooperation, on economic, commercial and navigation cooperation as well as an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to income tax. Of course, as members of the European Union we have the full freedom of exchange of capitals, investments and people.
How large is the Polish community in Malta?
There are around 130 Polish citizens living in Malta as permanent residents, which is not a very big community. But every year, more and more Polish tourists discover the beauty of Malta. Only in 2006, almost 7,000 Polish tourists came to Malta. Most of them were young people coming for language courses. For Poles, Malta is becoming an interesting and attractive place for holidays and English language studies.
Are they involved in the business or financial sectors?
Polish citizens in Malta are working mainly in the services sector. In recent years, Polish IT specialists have been coming to Malta to work for Maltese branches of various international companies. Moreover, some of the Polish citizens run their small companies operating in businesses such as transportation and tourism. Others work as employees in gastronomy and hotel services.
Is there a Maltese community in Poland? If so, how large is it?
There is a small number of Maltese citizens living in Poland. But the periodical presence of Maltese citizens in Poland is growing from year to year. The majority of people who come from Malta to visit Poland are Catholic pilgrims who make religious trips to such holy places as Czestochowa, located in the southern part of Poland, or places linked with the life of Pope John Paul II such as Wadowice where Karol Wojtyla was born and Krakow where he worked for many years of his religious activity and which is one of the most popular destination points for tourists from all over the world. In this beautiful city you can see the Polish history, art and culture and participate in the real life of the European artistic bohemia.
What business areas have the most potential for growth between the two countries?
The Polish and Maltese economies are without doubt complementary. I see great opportunities in the development of tourism. Maltese tour operators already have trips to Poland included in their offers (mainly pilgrimages) but we would like to show more places in our country.
On the other hand more and more Poles come to visit Malta. To improve our tourist exchange we would need direct and regular flight connections between Warsaw and Malta, also after the summer season.
Secondly there are concrete business opportunities for Maltese investors in Poland. We have interesting incentives for foreign investors in our country.
Furthermore we could develop our existing cooperation in the area of pharmaceutical products and medical equipment and explore new opportunities in cooperation within the IT and innovation sectors.
Especially in this field of common relations, I see the big potential for cooperation. Poland is a country seeking new partners for developments of European programmes linked to information technology and Malta is perceived by the Polish government as a very attractive partner in this activity.
How has Malta's and Poland's EU membership benefited commercial links between the two countries?
Poland and Malta joined the EU at the same time (in 2004). In my opinion the accession was beneficial for both countries.
First of all, it simplified the trade exchange and investment flow. The statistics show that after the accession our bilateral exchange has doubled.
EU membership encourages our investors to get to know one another better.
We have more opportunities to meet each other in different fields of cooperation, i.e. by participating in multilateral EU projects and meetings.
A very significant benefit for both our countries is the participation in the Schengen agreement, which allows our citizens to travel without any bureaucratic obstacles and is also a favourable factor for business.
Furthermore, Malta has also taken another important step - the introduction of euro currency. This process in your country was very successful. Your experience might be helpful in our preparations.
"Exhibition on the occasion of European Year of Intercultural Dialogue 2008 - A Commonwealth of Diverse Cultures - Poland's Heritage", consists of 10 short documentaries on Poland's heritage. The films present a general history of Poland and the National Library in Warsaw, and the different traditions whose legacy has influenced the Polish contemporary culture. The exhibition is on show at the Atrium, St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, and runs until July 27.