Krzysztof Drynda, the president of the agency says that the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) is running 12 projects aimed at relocating companies from Ukraine to Poland. He added that since the outbreak of the war, under the Poland Business Harbor program, the Agency has issued 22,000. visa recommendations for people from Belarus and Russia.

“The war in Ukraine resulted in the closure or limitation of the activities of many companies from the conflict regions, so some of them are looking for an alternative place to do business, e.g. in Poland”, said the president of PAIH.

The 12 relocation projects are operated by both Ukrainian entities and entities established by foreign companies dealing in the production and provision of services, including machinery, automotive and medical sectors.

“Relocation is a difficult process, due to the inability to transport the machine park, the dispersion of workers around the world or the ban on leaving Ukraine by men,” said Drynda and stressed that Poland is by no means competing with Ukraine for investment projects, nor does it want to take away enterprises that already operate there.

PAIH offers assistance in choosing a location, and consulting in the field of legal and tax rules applicable in Poland. The agency also helps in establishing contacts, e.g. with potential contractors and in recruiting employees.

“We are trying to help, make the business function as normal despite the war”, Drynda explained.

He added that the interest in the Poland Business Harbor program, i.e. a package that facilitates IT specialists, start-ups and small, medium and large companies, smooth relocation to Poland, has significantly increased since the outbreak of the war.

“While in the first year of the program’s operation (until July 2021), PAIH accepted approx. 3,500 visa recommendations for people from Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, Ukraine or Russia, since the outbreak of the war there have been 22,000 such recommendations”, said the president.

Most, over 90% of applications were submitted by Belarussians, and in second place (about 5%) were people and entities from Russia who escaped from the sanctions. Drynda also emphasized that all persons and companies are verified by Polish secret services, and only on this basis the final decision to grant or refuse a visa is made.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński order