As shown by the report prepared by the Warsaw School of Economics and the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland (AmCham), announced in mid-2023, the value of American investments in our country reached USD 26 billion. This amounted to 12 percent. all foreign investments in Poland. American companies were the second most important group of foreign investors, after German companies.
A debate “American investments in Poland” was held during the European Economic Congress.
As noted by Tony Housh, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland (AmCham), who led the discussion, investments from overseas had a huge impact on the Polish economy, especially in sectors such as energy, logistics, production technologies, aerospace and defense industry.
– They not only provide jobs, but also improve Poland's position on the global labor market. American companies present in AmCham account for 5%. Poland's GDP and make up 7 percent jobs – said Tony Housh, adding that the attractiveness of Poland for American capital is evidenced by the scale of reinvestment.
– Half of American investments are generated by companies that were already present on the Polish market. This is a very high indicator, which shows the attractiveness of Poland – emphasized the head of AmCham.
An example of an American concern that has been present in Poland for many years and is constantly expanding its portfolio is PepsiCo, which last year opened its fifth production plant in our country – this time in Środa Śląska in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship.
– PepsiCo considers Poland to be a strategic country in Europe. PepsiCo appreciates Poles because they are effective, have high skills and are innovative. Thanks to the opening of another production plant, we will be able to increase exports, including to Germany, which will also be good for the Polish economy – said Dagmara Piasecka-Ramos, president of the management board and general director of PepsiCo Polska.
The leading topics of the European Economic Congress included energy transformation and energy in general.
Tony Housh pointed out that large investments require providing production and service plants with huge amounts of energy. Dagmara Piasecka-Ramos emphasized that when it comes to sustainable energy production, PepsiCo is a very conscious company.
– We have many factories around the world, we have know-how. We know how to create our products in the most sustainable and ecological way possible. And all this knowledge has now been used in Poland, in the newly opened PepsiCo snack plant in Środa Śląska. The company's many years of experience, including cutting-edge solutions for reducing media consumption: energy and water, were introduced in the new PepsiCo plant, she emphasized. She added that a photovoltaic farm with a capacity of 3.5 MWp will be opened next to the factory this year, and a wind farm may also be built in the future.
– This year, we are opening four of our own photovoltaic farms in Poland at the beverage plants in Żnin and Michrów, as well as in Środa Śląska, which will allow us to achieve a total production capacity of 6 MWp. Next year we will open three more photovoltaic farms, and if the legislator allows, we will also build wind farms. We want to have the most environmentally friendly plants in Europe, said the head of PepsiCo in Poland.
Representatives of American corporations present in Poland raised the issue of high variability of Polish law, which is not conducive to the stability and predictability of business. Marcin Moczyróg, Uber's regional director for Central and Eastern Europe, said that in recent years the passenger transport industry has been exposed to frequent regulatory changes.
– These changes are necessary, but they cannot be excessive. We must be able to focus on product development and not on adapting to subsequent regulatory cycles, said Marcin Moczyróg.
– At Uber, I am responsible for eight countries, and in the last five years there have been more regulatory changes in Poland than in the other seven countries combined – he pointed out, adding that decision-makers should approach plans to change the law very carefully, because legislative reforms affect not only a given the sector they concern, but also the economy as a whole.
Aleksandra Koseła from BAT emphasized the great importance of cooperation between foreign investors and local authorities.
– What fueled our investments in Poland was good cooperation and dialogue with local governments, the stability of this cooperation and talks about what it will look like in the future. The development of our factories in Poland was possible thanks to conversations with decision-makers, she said.
A representative of PepsiCo also spoke about the bilateral benefits of cooperation with local partners.
– When the factory in Środa Śląska reaches full production capacity, it will employ 450 people, mainly from the Lower Silesia region. We also cooperate closely with over 70 Polish farms, including: potato suppliers. We have excellent relations with them, some of them have been our partners for 30 years, said Dagmara Piasecka Ramos.
The President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland emphasized that many American companies, when choosing the location of their investment, are guided by the experience of other US companies. Thanks to this, the ecosystem of American investments in Poland is growing.
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