This year the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) is celebrating 15 years of pioneering change in Poland. The steady growth of AmCham and the success of American companies can be attributed to the experience our member companies have gained from being pioneers on the Polish market. As a network organization representing the voice of business, AmCham has been able to play an important role in promoting a better business climate in Poland. At the same time, we have been supporting foreign investment, which has ultimately been vital to Poland's economic success.

Investment barriers remain among our major concerns. While progress has been made, we continue to work towards eliminating them. Some of the more perpetual barriers, such as poor infrastructure, remain daunting, while other barriers, such as lack of judicial reform, are works in progress. Finally, there is the risk of new barriers taking root, the latest of which is the new government's apparent reluctance to engage in a dialogue with the business community. While this situation keeps us busy and somewhat frustrated, other factors are working in Poland's favor to create a booming economy.

The investment trend we see today is a mix of new investment and reinvestment. AmCham companies have pioneered 15 years of change in Poland, the latest trend being a shift from manufacturing investment to off-shore investment. Companies that have been successful in their traditional business of making widgets, for example, have convinced their corporations to look at other types of investment in Poland such as global service call-centers. At the same time we see reinvestment in the classical sense with expanded production lines as well as the construction of new factories.

Poland is still riding the post-EU accession wave, with small to medium-sized companies from Europe and the United States looking strategically at the opportunities presented by New Europe and Poland in particular. On the one hand, it is a low-cost country and companies looking to expand or break into Europe are choosing to launch their operations in the East before moving West. On the other hand, Poland and the region are ripe for more sophisticated products and services that were previously held at bay.

Outsourcing is the mantra of the day and there is a plethora of call-centers and service-centers cropping up around the country, especially in the southern regions around Cracow and Wrocław. Poland has shown it has the right mix of numerous educated and energetic young people to make these centers work and grow. Equally important, local governments have learned to be proactive in promoting their cities and working with businesses for win-win solutions. As a result of this political and economic collaboration, research and development parks are popping up all over Poland; university and private business collaboration is expanding and Poland as a whole is becoming an increasingly attractive market for investors.

Despite the challenges that AmCham faces, most of our member companies continue to be successful in Poland. We see enough new investment to be certain that Poland is on solid ground as a global competitor, and will remain an attractive market for American companies.
Dorota Dabrowski