The first group of Poles to take up residence in the UAE professionally were the engineers who came in the ’80s to work on naval and infrastructure projects and a handful of healthcare specialists.
Today, the size of the Polish expatriate community has grown to about 3,000 while the year itself is a significant one. It marks the 25th year of the establishment of UAE-Poland diplomatic ties during which economic and diplomatic relations have blossomed.
Between 2012 and 2013, the value of bilateral trade, excluding petro-products, jumped by over 80 per cent to almost $1 billion. High-level visits also increased.
In April 2012, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited the UAE and the two countries signed an agreement to form a joint commission on economic cooperation. In December 2013, Polish President Bronis³aw Komorowski arrived to encourage cooperation in new areas. Three important agreements and MoUs were signed during the visit. This year, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and General Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, are expected to pay official visits to Poland. “We are confident that our cooperation and relationship development is dynamically moving in the right direction,” says Adam Krzymowski, Poland’s ambassador to the UAE. “As proof of this we have seen (bilateral) trade almost double in 2013.” Poland’s main exports to the UAE comprise engineering goods, cast iron and non-ferrous metals, foodstuff, tobacco products, cosmetics and chemical products. It also exports vehicles — trucks, ships and yachts — textiles, wooden products and furniture and biomedical equipment.
The imports from the UAE are mainly aluminum ingots, plastics, mechanical, electrical and optical equipment.
Some of the renowned Polish brands found in the UAE include the Solaris city buses used by Dubai RTA since 2007, Na³êczowianka (mineral water), Inglot and Vipera Cosmetics as well as Mieszko confectionery.
In February 2013, the Emirates airline began daily direct flights from Dubai to Warsaw. To mark the occasion a joint commission, headed by the economy ministers of both the countries, held its first meeting in the Polish capital.
In a nutshell DUBAI — An EU member for 10 years, Poland has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and is poised to join the eurozone. Some of the most famous Polish people include Pope John Paul II, Marie Curie, the discoverer of radium, Frederic Chopin the composer, author Joseph Conrad, and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Zloty, the Polish currency, is roughly equal to Dh1.21. |
It is expected to hold the second meeting in the UAE some time this year. Last month, subsequent to the sports cooperation treaty signed during the presidential visit in December, Poland’s national football team came down to Abu Dhabi for their winter training and friendly matches. Another strong link between the two countries is their pursuit of renewable and clean energy. Poland boasts companies specialising in solar and wind power, energy-efficient substitutes, and converting industrial waste and community waste into energy in an environmentally friendly manner. “My country has developed several technologies utilising recycling and renewable energy sources, which have a large potential to foster clean and sustainable energy,” Krzymowski says. “As the UAE is announcing new initiatives and projects to utilise sustainable sources of renewable energy, Polish companies are keen to establish strategic partnerships for ambitious projects to present their technology, capabilities, and help reduce the region’s carbon emission rates.”
During the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) held its conference in the Emirati capital. Poland’s deputy minister of economy is a member of the IRENA advisory committee.
“It is clear to us that the UAE aspires to become a world-class leader in utilising sustainable renewable sources of energy,” Krzymowski says. “I am very pleased that Abu Dhabi has become IRENA’s headquarters... Poland is one of the six EU members in IRENA’S council and the only country from the Central and Eastern Europe region.”
— business@khaleejtimes.com