PAIiIZ pumped up

The first five months of the year brought a record number of projects for the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ). The agency closed 31 investment projects successfully, compared to 42 completed projects in the whole of 2006. "PAIiIZ is fulfilling its task very well and it should serve as an example for the rest of the governmental agendas," says Marcin Korolec, Undersecretary of the State in the Ministry of Economy.

These projects have created 10,500 workplaces and attracted E746 (zł.2,825) million in direct investments. "We believe this year we can set another record and attract more foreign investments," says Paweł Wojciechowski, president of PAIiIZ. In 2006 Poland enjoyed $13.9 (zł.38.5) billion in foreign capital, while by the end of May this year some $6.4 (zł.17,74) billion had been invested in the country.

The biggest partners of the agency are companies from the US, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom and Spain. "For the first time this year we are also helping investors from China and we hope that their number is going to increase," Wojciechowski adds. Apart from Mazowieckie voivodship, the Lower Silesia and Kujowsko-Pomorskie voivodships also enjoyed a significant inflow of foreign capital. However, due to poor infrastructure, PAIiIZ says it is experiencing difficulties in attracting investors to Poland's eastern voivodships.