The rocky road to success
Speaking about the first year of his tenure in Poland the US Ambassador Victor Ashe commented on the recent decision by LOT to choose Boeing's 787 aircraft as its long-range airplane. He calling it "a commercial decision based on business criteria," underlining that the carrier's board had withstood considerable political pressure.
The Ambassador spoke about the growing US-Polish commercial relations at lat week's American Chamber of Commerce meeting. "The US is now the second largest investor in Poland," Ashe announced. He emphasized the fact that US firms have invested $15 (47.8) billion in Poland since the system change and business relations between the two countries could reach $2.5 (zł.8.80) billion this year.
Ashe also mentioned the main sectors of the Polish economy where US investments are visible - aviation (with over 16,000 jobs), automotive branch, environmental technologies and the information and communication sector.
With regards to the often criticized Lockheed Martin offset deal, the Ambassador said: "Although some try to poke holes in it, the offset is a successful stimulus to Polish-US commercial relations."
Ashe sees potential for further improvement and growth of the trade relations between the two states. He compared Poland's current situation to Spain's and Ireland's in the past.
"American exports to Ireland reached $8 (zł.25.5) billion, to Spain $6.6 (zł.21.0) billion and our exports to Poland are over $1 (zł.3.2) billion, so there's a lot of room for growth," he said.
But the Ambassador sees a major hindrance to even larger investments in Poland. "If there's anything that holds Poland back it is the roads," Ashe said. "Companies have to look twice before investing in a country where transport is based on two-lane roads," he added.
Ashe said that roads and highways are "urgently needed," because other countries in the region are benefiting from this disadvantage and because road construction is a long process.
He also praised Poland's input to the victory of democracy in Ukraine saying: "But for Poland's membership in the EU, the Union would have never taken the steps it took with regards to Ukraine."
