Georgia companies could be of assistance to Poland in its preparations to join the European Union in 2004, especially in terms of environmental clean-up, according to Witold Zabinski, president of the Polish-American Chamber of Commerce of the Southeast United States.
Poland, along with 10 other Central and Eastern European countries, is scheduled to join the EU on May 1, 2004. They each must meet a list of prerequisites within the next two years to be officially accepted as EU members.
“One of prerequisites for entry into the EU is to be environmentally sound, so Polish regions are currently looking for solutions to such things as waste management and industrial pollution control,” Mr. Zabinski told GlobalFax last week.
“American firms, when it comes to this field, are perceived in Poland as the most experienced and cost effective,” he said.
Mr. Zabinski will be visiting the Polish cities of Krakau, Lodz, Poznan and Warsaw for 10 days beginning Saturday, Dec. 7, to meet with local high-tech companies, as well as to explore opportunities for a waste management firm to begin operations there.
Mr. Zabinski, who is also managing principal of Corporate Strategies International Inc. (CSI), an Atlanta-based consulting and venture development firm focusing on Central Europe, said both his company and the chamber are assisting U.S. firms to set up operations in Poland while the opportunities are abundant and costs are still low.
“The cost of doing business in Poland is fraction of that in Germany or Scandinavia,” he said. “And if you get a license in Poland today, it will be good in the rest of Europe in two years.”
Opportunities also exist in information technology, he added, noting that the Polish president has announced a new initiative to bring more computers into classrooms, especially in higher education institutions.
Contact Mr. Zabinski at (404) 633-0015 or wzabinski@csicorp-usa.com or visit www.pacc-south.com for more information.