On Cooperation Between Belarus and Poland in Trade and Economic Sphere

Poland’s accession to the EU opens new opportunities for economic cooperation between Poland and Belarus, the deputy minister of economy and labour of the Republic of Poland Miroslaw Zelinski stated at a seminar in Minsk held within the framework of the national exhibition “Business-Poland 2004”.

According to him, this will improve the conditions of access of many Belarusian goods onto the Polish market and other European markets, will give new possibilities for cooperation between Polish and Belarusian entrepreneurs. Moreover, Poland’s accession to the EU will improve the instruments of financing of Polish exports to Belarus.

Transport, transit and tourism are thought to be the most promising lines of cooperation between two countries under new conditions. There are preconditions for a significant growth of Polish investments in the republic.

New opportunities for Poland and Belarus appear in the field of scientific cooperation. A range of EU programs give preferences to scientific projects realized in the CIS countries.

When speaking at the seminar, the chief of the Central Europe division of the main Europe department of the foreign ministry of Belarus Oleg Vonsiak stated that Belarus and Poland has formed the treaty-legal base necessary for further effective cooperation.

The Belarus-EU foreign trade turnover have increased 1.6-fold after the EU enlargement.

The EU is the second important trading partner of Belarus after Russia. It accounts for 17% of the Belarus’ trade turnover and 46% of the trade turnover with the states outside the CIS.

Belarus-Poland trade turnover last year stood at $782.7 million, 58.1% more than in 2002, including export from Poland to Belarus - $434.2 million (58.9% more), import - $348.5 million (57.1%).

In January-March 2004, Belarus-Poland trade turnover totalled $246 million, going up by 49.4% to compare with the same period last year, including $148.9 (53.6% up) and import - $97.4 million (43.5% up).

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