The second Polish-British Business, Trade and Investment Forum took place on June 27-28 in Warsaw, under the lead theme “Building Clean Growth Together”. Participants of the Forum attended a series of workshops and expert discussions on clean growth, offshore energy, e-mobility and green finance, as well as on Polish-British trade relations.

The Forum was attended and opened by Minister of Investment at the Department for International Trade, Graham Stuart. The Minister encouraged participants of the Forum to explore the economic benefits of clean growth, and said:

The Department for International Trade wants to encourage more British companies to come to Poland, because it is the fastest growing major economy in Europe, and we’re also encouraging Polish companies to invest in the UK […]

Polish companies are doing well, their economy’s growing fast, and they are building their confidence and capability. If they want to go global, the best place to come is to the UK.

One of the highlights of the Forum was an announcement that UK sustainable technology firm Johnson Matthey will soon open a new facility in the Polish city of Konin. A letter of intent was presented by Peter Dickson, eLNO Operations Director at Johnson Matthey, and Polish Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology, Jadwiga Emilewicz.

The factory will produce eLNO, a next generation cathode material for batteries with high energy density. New batteries based on this technology will enable a step forward in battery electric vehicle performance and contribute to the development of electro-mobility in Poland.

The Polish-British Business, Trade and Investment (BTI) Forum is a unique platform for Polish and British businesses to connect with a broad range of potential partners, clients and investors, and to hear from experts and analysts about the latest trends and challenges in Polish-British trade relations.

The forum was called for by the Prime Ministers of both countries at the UK-Poland intergovernmental consultations in December 2017. The first edition of the Forum brought together over 200 high-level representatives from both countries, who participated in a variety of sessions dedicated to business trends and opportunities in the UK and Poland.

This year’s Forum focused on the topic of clean growth, under the lead theme “Building Clean Growth Together”. The UK remains committed to domestic and international efforts to tackle climate change, and cooperation between the UK and Poland on matters related to clean growth is closer than ever. The two countries have recently launched a global initiative for fostering zero-emission transport, ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP24, held in December 2018 in Poland.