Janne Karjalainen, deputy chair of the Scandinavian-Polish Chamber of Commerce (SPCC), talks to Michał Andrzejczak.

■ What advantages are there for the international companies representing Scandinavia to be members of a single business association?
Formerly, companies from all the Scandinavian countries, that is, Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, were associated with their own business clubs. The reasons to establish a common platform were of an organizational nature. First, having more members in the same institution results in a better visibility and more interest from the decision makers. Second, in previous years, the Nordic clubs were actually competing with each other when organizing their official events. Combining their efforts rather than arranging the same events on their own proved much more efficient. Discussing legal or tax issues is usually of interest to all members, not only to just one particular nation.

The overall result of setting up a joint business club, that is, the SPCC, is that Scandinavian companies have more power, connections and resources to organize events of social or official kind. Acting together, we are more likely to attract new members and thus develop successful business relationships.

■ Is there any essential difference between Finnish companies and other Scandinavian firms doing business in Poland?
We are all different, even though we are usually perceived as being the same. The fundamental distinction of Finnish companies is that we are quite cautious doing business anywhere. We are not a kind of “conquerors of the world,” in the sense that we don’t “shoot first and ask questions later.” The Finnish way of doing things means consistency of action, whereas some of the fellow Scandinavian members might be less risk-averse and more adventurous in their approach to operating in Poland.

The Finns are quite cautious when making decisions. In fact, several Finnish enterprises are now approaching Poland, due to the country’s accession to the European Union. When one looks at their way of operating in the new situation in Poland, one may think their decision to enter the Polish market was very carefully thought through.

■ Do all the SPCC members encounter the same obstacles in doing business in Poland?
Every company in the world inevitably encounters some kinds of obstacles, which differ, depending on the size, complexity and type of business. But regardless of whether we mean a Poland-based production or importing enterprise, we share the similar view on one significant obstruction—bureaucracy. The thing is that even Poles sometimes fail to understand the current legal framework, so how do you expect foreigners to find their way through it? Anyway, this bureaucracy issue applies to all the businesses, irrespective of their nationality.

■ Can Polish companies that are interested in the Finnish market look for information in the SPCC?
Polish enterprises doing business with Scandinavian companies or trading with Scandinavian countries are welcome to contact us. The SPCC is a perfect place to obtain valuable contacts and access not only to Finland but to all of Scandinavia and their network at the same time. The role of the Finnish section within the SPCC is to be a very active discussing partner and a contact for companies doing Finnish-related business. That means that Polish entrepreneurs interested in learning about the Finnish market are invited to the SPCC. To summarize, our mission is to establish durable economic relations between Poland and Scandinavia.