RIYADH: Poland offers a wide range of investment opportunities in preparation for the upcoming Euro 2012 Football Championship that is to be hosted by Poland and Ukraine, said Miroslaw Drezenwiecki, Poland’s minister of Sports and Tourism.
“Saudi businessmen will have plenty of viable opportunities in various sectors in Poland in view of the upcoming Football Championship,” said Drezenwiecki, while addressing local entrepreneurs during a presentation held at the weekend at the residence of Polish Ambassador Adam Kulach.
Although there are still 1,183 days to go before the UEFA 2012 Cup, the minister said Poles are already emotionally prepared for the event, but on a physical level the country needs more to do.
Drezenwiecki was in the region to invite investors to participate in the ongoing 2012 Football Championship preparations. “The construction and renovation of several facilities related to the UEFA 2012 championship is continuing thanks to funds allocated by EU-member countries,” he said.
He, however, added that more investors are needed to fund construction and the upgrading of stadiums, training facilities, road networks, railways and airports. He said the EU has pledged 70 billion euros for infrastructure development. About the football championship, he said, matches would take place in six Polish cities including Warsaw, Cracow, Poznan, Wroclaw, Chorzow and Gdansk.
“Poland is focusing on building new stadiums and renovating old ones. Transportation facilities such as roads, motorways, train stations, rail lines and airport terminals are being renovated and extended as well,” he said.
Enumerating the volume of investment involved in the upcoming projects in the selected cities, he said 1 billion euros is estimated for the airport, 121 billion euros for accelerating new projects, 126 billion euros for constructing roads and several billions for new hotels and related facilities.
Speaking about the current global financial crisis, the minister said that it has not affected banks in Poland. He said that despite the crisis, Poland’s GDP (gross domestic product) continues to grow, although admittedly at a slower rate than last year. “Still we are seeing a very positive sign of growth, three to four percent higher than other EU countries,” he said.
Saudi-Polish Business Council Chairman Yousuf Jarmi Al-Owaimer said there is a growing interest, especially from many Saudi companies, but we need actual investments from these parties. He added that bilateral trade is estimated at $750 million.
Poland exports foodstuffs, steel, electrical equipment and trucks.
