Polish companies reluctant to invest abroad, cite government restrictions

Polish companies are reluctant to invest abroad, according to a recent report from the National Bank of Poland (NBP), with foreign investment barely exceeding $1 billion. This low figure reflects the attitude of Polish businessmen about making money abroad. Polish entrepreneurs claim they are doubtful they could be competitive enough to keep afloat in foreign economies. Investors also claim part of the blame should be placed on the Polish government, which looks unfavorably on firms investing abroad. Yet specialists claim that the biggest obstacle, apart from inhibition, is the lack of information about the procedures and conditions for investing abroad. Poles seem to prefer markets in the countries of the former Soviet Union, in which their position is much stronger. According to NBP, Polish direct investment abroad last year was $123 million higher than in 1999, when it reached $1.024 billion The biggest and most active Polish foreign investor thus far has been the Polish Treasury, which holds a $219 million stake in the International Bank for Economic Cooperation and the International Investment Bank. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1) J.K.