Foreign investors bypass Poland for neighboring countries

"If the situation remains like this, then there is a threat that companies will invest in neighboring countries more often," warned Michalis Michael, managing director at Synovate, a company maintaining an Investment Environment Barometer among foreign companies. According to the estimates of the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ), Poland received about $5.5 billion of F DI in 2003, compared to over $6 billion in 2002. According to Andrzej Zdebski, president of the Agency, the lower inflow of capital was caused by the economic situation, as well as higher activity and competitiveness of other states in the region. Poland has far fewer motorways than the Czech Republic and Hungary. "However, one should not forget about our important advantage, which is access to the sea," added Zdebski. Foreign investors perceive Poland, as a country with much better educated managers than its neighbors and lower costs of labor. (Parkiet, p. 6) M.M.