Summary of the first day of the 14th European SME Congress

This year's edition of the 14th European Congress of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises is attended by nearly 10,000 participants in person and via the Internet. The vast majority - live - at the International Congress Center in Katowice. This is more than one-third more than in the previous year.

- I would like to express my great joy that we can meet again in Katowice to discuss key economic issues of Poland, Europe and the world. We know perfectly well how much we owe to small and medium-sized entrepreneurs - in Katowice alone we have more than 50,000 companies from the SME and micro sector, which create more than 100,000 jobs thanks to courageous business people - said during the opening session the Mayor of Katowice - Dr. Marcin Krupa.
- Small and Medium Enterprises - sounds modest, but it is not at all so. You are the ones who build our labor market, attract innovation and are the fastest to respond to what is happening in the employment market - the Silesian governor Marek Wojcik echoed him.

A sizable audience was attracted by online broadcasts. The ECMW is the largest meeting of representatives of this business sector in Europe. Not surprisingly, information about the congress reached 55 million entrepreneurs, policymakers, researchers, social activists and workers across Europe. It's as if every Italian and Italian woman found out today about the meeting organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice.

Business strategy needed right away!

 Small and medium-sized companies are the engine of any economy. Vice President of the National Chamber of Commerce and head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice - Tomasz Zjawiony appealed to those in power to speed up work on a business development strategy. Such a foundation for development, in his opinion, is needed by hundreds of thousands of Polish companies.

- Today, more regulations are not enough. We need effective cooperation with regulatory institutions that not only impose new restrictions, but also offer tools to help entrepreneurs face the challenges of the modern world. Together we can create conditions in which Polish business will be able to develop and effectively compete internationally - said Tomasz Zjawiony.

The road to the future leads through...

The record attendance also shows that finding the right path is one of the priorities of European entrepreneurs. “Shape the future now” - shape your future now, was the motto of this year's ECSME. The future, in various dimensions, was the subject of much discussion.
In the opinion of Michał Dąbrowski, president of the Industrial Development Agency S. A., the desire to be a leader in every field can lead the European economy astray.

- We today, in my opinion, should really do a deep review of the directions that are priorities for us, strongly developmental. Undoubtedly, long-term opportunities are given to us by energy, and for this energy, for its rationality, price predictability, a certain calmness in this market, we should fight today as a priority. This will allow us to build an economic horizon, this will give stability to business and we will not have to worry about investment decisions, opening new factories or possibly closing existing ones - argued Michał Dąbrowski, president of the Industrial Development Agency.

Talking about climate change was an important topic of debate. It's a discussion that is incredibly necessary, especially now that Europe is moving toward climate neutrality. Is this an unattainable goal or just a difficult challenge for small companies? As Mateusz Pindel, President of the Board, Provincial Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Katowice assures, entrepreneurs who want to compensate and minimize the impact of economic activity on the environment do not have to act alone.

- As Environmental Protection Funds, we are a unique system of financing widely understood pro-environmental activities in environmental protection. For 30 years we have been allocating funds for these tasks, for these priorities, which are set for us by the Law on Environmental Protection - Mateusz Pindel, President of the Board, WFOŚiGW in Katowice.

Energy transition is the most important challenge of the EU and Polish economy. This is particularly evident in the Silesian Voivodeship, a region that once stood on coal and today, among other things, boasts one of the world's best economic zones, a dense network of universities and a growing metropolis.

- We will not succeed without science and innovation. If we want to play a significant role in international markets, we must be innovative. In turn, for us to be innovative, we must cooperate at the interface between business and science - argued Prof. Marek Gzik, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Globalization in reverse?

- We are witnessing a turn towards locating key elements of industry closer to each other - a trend that could be an opportunity for Poland. In the context of the reconstruction of Ukraine, we should ask ourselves: how to prepare the infrastructure to make our country an attractive base for investors - argued Dr. Rafal Zelazny, president of the Katowice Special Economic Zone.

Labor market 20 years after EU accession

The training of new specialized personnel is accompanied by the upgrading of skills present on the labor market, according to the main conclusions of a panel discussion organized in conjunction with the European Commission: “New opportunities on the labor market 20 years after Poland's accession to the EU”.

Both occurrences raise social fears, but these processes, especially technological development, cannot be stopped.

- History teaches us that no technology is bad or good. It is the way we use it that can be bad or good. For example, mines were very dangerous and difficult places to work. Machines and technology took over tasks that posed risks to humans. The same is true for artificial intelligence - it's how we use it and what rules we set - said Li Andersson, chairwoman of the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs;

Stronger economic ties

The 14th edition of the European Congress of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises resulted in the signing of two important agreements. During the discussion on “The impact of refugees and migrants on the shape of the future labor market,” an agreement on cooperation in the employment of refugees and migrants was signed. Cooperation in this field was declared by Kevin Allen, Representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Poland (UNHCR), Director of Caritas Poland - Rev. Marek Kąsek, Ewa Klekot from the District Labor Office in Katowice and Marlena Miąsko, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice.

During the European SME Congress, a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was also signed between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice and the Indian Economic Trade Organization (IETO). This important agreement, which aims to strengthen economic ties between Poland and India, opens up new opportunities for cooperation in international markets. The ceremony was attended by key representatives, including Tomasz Zjawiony, President of RIG in Katowice and Vice President of KIG, Dr. Asif Iqbal- President of IETO, Ms. Krinal, specialist in international relations in Asian markets, Mr. Mohanlal - Counsellor (Commerce) & Head of Chancery, Embassy of India in Warsaw, and Kinga Gajewska, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Education and Science and Chairman of the Polish-Indian Parliamentary Bilateral Team.

Second day of them ECSME