Poland in US

On January 24, Ambassador Piotr Wilczek inaugurated the 2020 edition of the 60 Million Congress in Miami, which brings together the Polish community not only in the United States but from all over the world. This year's Congress was primarily business-focused. In his opening speech, the Ambassador emphasized the excellent state of Polish-American relations and pointed to the key role played by numerous Polish business circles that gathered during the Congress in the further development of economic relations between Poland and the USA. 

The Congress in Miami was accompanied by the annual Polonaise Ball, whose guests included Ambassador Piotr Wilczek, Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland Minister Adam Kwiatkowski, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Italy Anna Maria Anders, Honorary Consul in Miami Blanka Rosenstiel, as well as Consul Aleksandra Krystek. Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, made a special guest appearance. During the event, famous Polish-American basketball player Marcin Gortat and NASA engineer Artur Chmielewski received an award funded by the American Institute of Polish Culture in Miami.

Ambassador Piotr Wilczek's visit to Miami also served as an opportunity to promote economic cooperation between Poland and Florida. On the same day, representatives of the Embassy of Poland took part in a seminar organized by the World Trade Center Miami devoted to Polish-American relations. Dozens of business representatives from Miami and South Florida participated in the event. Ambassador Piotr Wilczek and counselor Paweł Gębski pointed to the main trade and investment opportunities in Poland and emphasized the great potential for the development of business cooperation between Poland and Florida. The seminar participants were particularly interested in Poland's development priorities (the focus on innovation and high technology sectors, reindustrialization, strengthening the global position of Polish enterprises, etc.), as well as investment opportunities in the region of Central and Eastern Europe (Three Seas Initiative). The day before, Paweł Gębski participated in the "Doing business in Poland" seminar organized in the city of Miramar by the authorities of Broward County (one of the most important economic centers in Florida). During his presentation, he pointed out the opportunities of commercial and investment cooperation with Poland. About 70 representatives of local business participated in the meeting.

Florida is the fourth state in the USA in terms of population and GDP (in 2018, Florida's GDP reached nearly USD 1.1 billion), and it is developing very dynamically and creating wide-reaching opportunities for cooperation with Poland, including transport and logistics cooperation. Florida, and in particular Miami and the surrounding area, is positioning itself as a gateway to Latin America - many companies have regional offices, and there are regular air connections between Miami and Fort Lauderdale and the entire region. As a result, contact not only between Poland and Florida, but also in a wider regional context (Poland as a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe), has great developmental potential. Cooperation between seaports (including Gdańsk-Miami) also enjoys positive prospects. A direct connection between Warsaw-Miami operated by LOT Polish Airlines has operated since June 2019; apart from developing tourism, it also supports the intensification of business cooperation. Interesting opportunities for bilateral business contacts are also emerging in the space, defense, automotive and yacht sectors. The local Polish community is strongly involved in promoting cooperation between Poland and Florida, and many Polish enterprises regularly participate in exhibitions and business events taking place in Florida.

 

Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington, DC