THE 28TH ECONOMIC FORUM IN KRYNICA Another edition of the prestigious Economic Forum was held in the southern spa town of Krynica on September 4-6. As always, this year's Forum was attended by all the key actors from the CEE politics, business and media spheres, as well as academics and people from the world of culture. Among the guests, there were former and current prime ministers, parliament speakers, ministers and MPs, and representatives of major corporations of both regional and global reach.
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he 28th Economic Forum hosted top members of the state authorities, including Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Parliament Speaker Marek Kuchciński, Senate Speaker Stanisław Karczewski, and Polish government ministers. Among the eminent foreign guests were Prime Minister of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster David Roy Lidington, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Tibor Navracsics, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta Angelo Farrugia, First Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv, deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly János Latorcai and Bulgarian deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Demographic Policy Valeri Simeonov. The list of the most important guests at this year's Forum included several dozen names of top government officials. The upcoming local government elections in Poland and plans to discuss the ways of improving the operation of local governments, including their financial aspect, brought to Krynica a large group of local government officials who, as part of a special thematic section – Forum of the Regions, talked about the challenges faced by their “small homelands”. The most important economic issues in Krynica were discussed by those representing
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Polish and foreign companies of regional and global reach, with speakers such as Prof. Herman Simon of Simon-Kucher &Partners, Dominika Bettman, Chief Executive Officer at Siemens Sp. z o.o., Piotr Dziwok, President of Shell Polska Sp. z o.o., Mirosław Kowalik, President of Enea SA, Henryk Baranowski, President of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA, Filip Grzegorczyk, President of Tauron Polska Energia SA, Filip Thon, Member of the Executive Committee Retail innogy SE, President of the Management Board of innogy Polska SA, Michał Krupiński, President of Bank Pekao SA, and Marek Dietl, President of Giełda Papierów Wartościowych w Warszawie S.A (Warsaw Stock Exchange). Representatives of the largest Polish and international companies and organisations were also present in Krynica. The Forum discussions were attended by: Steven Harman, Vice-President of Amazon in Europe, Robert Bednarski, Director for Central and Eastern Europe at Facebook, Piotr Ciski, Managing Director of Sage Sp. z o.o., Dariusz Blocher, President of Budimex, Paweł Borys, President of the Polish Development Fund, and Tony Housh, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Poland.
INTERESTS OR VALUES
“A Europe of Common Values or a Europe of Common Interests” – the Forum's motto -touched upon European integration, which has proceeded quickly in the economic sphere.
But since the beginning of the 21st century, with values becoming an increasingly explored topic, serious cracks have appeared in the foundations of Europe's vision of the Community, the most striking expression of which is Brexit. During the plenary sessions of the Forum, traditionally dominated by Europe and Europeanness, seen holistically, the following topics were discussed: Between Economy and Politics. Europe in Search of Recipes for Social and Economic Growth; How to Effectively Build an Innovative Economy? Experiences – Inspirations – Strategies; Europe – Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; Does Capital Have Nationality?; How to Help in Times of Crisis?; Brexit and the Future of the European Union; Europe in Search of Values; Investments in Health and Health Economy – Health Challenges of the State in the Context of Economic Development. Contemporary Europe seems prone to divisions. Is there any chance for a continent so ethnically and politically diverse to find common values? Which values should become the cornerstone for a Europe of the future? Answers to these questions were sought during a plenary session titled “A Europe of Common Values or A Europe of Common Interests?” which summed up the 28th Economic Forum in Krynica.
THE IMAGE OF POLAND AS COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE REGION
A report compiled by a team of leading experts from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, entitled “Economic Challenges for Central and Eastern Europe,” was presented on the first day of the Forum. As well as challenges, the report addressed possible measures for mitigating the impact of the identified problems, e.g. how the ageing of population affects the Polish economy. In this context, the report mentioned assistance to families in their care of children and the elderly, aimed to foster women's presence on the labour market.