At the event’s opening, the deputy minister highlighted the importance of the Forum as an initiative for bilateral dialogue focused on exploring and discussing new opportunities and ideas for Polish-Swiss business cooperation. Declaring that Polish producers are open to closer cooperation in various technological areas, the head of Polish diplomacy emphasised Switzerland’s technological potential as a global innovation leader. “Poland has a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem with over 45 specialised companies grouped around the #CyberMadeInPoland cluster,” said the deputy minister. “In cybersecurity, we specialise in industrial systems security, software code security, identity verification, and cryptography. Another promising field of cooperation is photonics, one of the fast-growing areas in Poland. Photonic technologies can have many applications, including fintech, medtech, IT, and green technologies,” he added.

The panel discussion allowed an exchange of views in the context of the new geopolitical circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine, the energy and energy fuels crisis, and the reindustrialisation of the European economy. Also raised was the modelling of global supply chains to ensure their security. Deputy Minister Jabłoński highlighted in particular the new opportunities for Poland and its strengths in view of the current horizontal changes. “Poland, as a geographically close country with a high level of human capital and relatively low labour costs, is a very attractive destination to relocate production facilities, in particular as regards industrial processing. Poland has resisted deindustrialisation, a phenomenon we have seen in developed European countries over recent decades. And the diverse structure of our industry has further made it more resilient to external shocks,” he observed.   

In the margins of the Forum, Deputy Minister Jabłoński also met with Head of the Federal Department of Finance of the Swiss Confederation, Urlich “Ueli” Maurer. Their talks covered sanctions against Russia, the future reconstruction of Ukraine, challenges in the energy sector, independence from Russian energy fuels, Poland’s FATF (Financial Action Task Force) membership aspirations, as well as bilateral cooperation within the framework of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank constituencies.

 

Łukasz Jasina

MFA Spokesperson