"While analyzing the 'dark clouds' over Polish politics, we were looking for a 'beacon' and this is how we found Jan Rokita," Henrik Jelert, president of the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce, introduced the leader of the Civic Platform (PO) at a meeting held at the Radisson Hotel June 1.

Rokita presented members of the Chamber with the main elements of his party's economic agenda. PO intends to drastically decrease public debt, simplify the tax system (CIT, PIT and VAT), lower non-salary related labor costs ("I consider it my personal ambition, since this is a way to reduce unemployment," Rokita said) and limit bureaucracy.

The newly established Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce associates companies from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. It has almost 200 members, for whom it holds seminars, conferences, business mixers and meetings with politicians.

The Chamber's board members include 12 Scandinavian businesspeople-three representatives of corporate interests from each country. Denmark is represented by Henrik Jelert, who presides over the Chamber and is the managing director of Dar Natury, a company which belongs to the corporation Nestlé Waters. The other Danes are Bjarne Sander Hansen, vice president of Nykredit Bank Hipoteczny, and Peter Pulawski-president of Grand Cru Sp. z o.o.

Swedish members of the board are: Fredrik Näsberg, corporation banking director at Svenska Handelsbanken; Jan Sondberg, a representative of Vattenfall AB and director of the board of Elektrociepłownie Warszawskie SA; and Alexandra Kazimierski, president of the board of TUiR Partners SA.

Finland is represented by Johan Puotila, director for corporate affairs of Philip Morris Polska Sp. z o.o.; Janne Karjalainen, deputy director of the Scandinavian corporate banking department of Nordea Bank Sp. z o.o.; and Timo Paavola-managing director of Myllykoski Sales Sp. z o.o. Representatives from Norway are Kristian B. Hausken-president of Statoil Polska Sp. z o.o.; Izabela M. Staniszewski-director of Fibra Polska Scandinavian Textile Group Sp. z o.o.; and Jacek Materkowski-managing director of Norske Skog Polska Sp. z o.o.
E.H.