18.11.2024, Warsaw

BelTech Going Global 2.0

The #BelTechGlobal, the largest offline conference for Belarusian technology companies abroad, was held on Saturday, November 16, at the Cambridge Innovation Center in Warsaw, Poland. The event brought together more than 300 Belarusians becoming a key platform for the revival of the Belarusian technology ecosystem, which has been fragmented due to mass migration.

The conference was held entirely in English, with one presentation in Belarusian.

The event was opened by Dmitry Danilchuk – head of ZPP Belarus Business Center and Kuba Binkowski – Board member and director of the Law and Legislation Department of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers.

The conference included the following panels and discussions:

1. Foster Revival and Growth: Promote the revival, formation, and establishment of a new Belarusian technological and innovation ecosystem.
2. Strengthen Business Partnerships: Recreate and strengthen business partnerships among representatives of Belarusian tech businesses
3. Facilitate International Integration: Support the integration of Belarusian companies into global ecosystems, helping them establish sustainable international connections.
4. Panel discussion: IT outsourcing: transformation in times of global disruptions
5. Panel discussion: Hardware companies: supplier management and the arrival of the AI era
6. Panel discussion: B2B companies: navigating shaped needs of Global Belarusian IT firms
7. Keynote speech: Building a unicorn: What successful founders do differently
8. Keynote speech: How to sell a company with Belarusian roots: real-life cases
9. Panel discussion: Investments during venture winter: surviving or thriving
10. Pitch session: 7 raising Belarusian startups
11. Panel discussion: CSR and impact tech – this discussion was attended by Agata Boutanos. Director Brussels Office Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers
12. Speech: Belarus as a forge of high-tech businesses: Does the national high-tech sector have a future?
13. Speech: Top – 10 Belarusian startups in 2024

General partners of the event were SMAR Global, Melnichek Investments, FBA (Freedom Business Area), EXANTE, Partners, ALMA Agency and a partner of the event was ALMA Agency.

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ZPP | Belarus Business Center is a premier initiative launched by the Polish Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP). Our project delivers comprehensive informational support, expert consultations, and legal advisory services to Belarusian companies expanding or relocating to Poland. The mission of the Business Center is to empower the Belarusian business community in Poland, throughout Europe, and on the global stage.

Kyiv, 12 September 2024

 

Two leading employers’ organizations from Poland and Ukraine signed a historic cooperation agreement during the „Europe-Poland-Ukraine: Cooperate Together” conference in Kyiv on September 12th. The Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU) and the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers of Poland (ZPP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding, initiating cooperation on the future of trade between the European Union and Ukraine.

 

Ruslan Illichov, General Director of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, and Marcin Nowacki, Vice President of Poland’s Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, have signed a document formalizing the organizations’ cooperation in the coming years. The parties publicly announced their intention to join efforts in supporting Ukraine’s accession negotiations with the European Union, especially regarding trade, and business practices and regulations harmonization.

The European Union has formally opened long-awaited accession negotiations with Ukraine in June 2024. The end of the Autonomous Trade Measures system overlaps with the end of Poland’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union. As Ukrainian and Polish businessowners and employers, we are acutely aware not only of common interests, but also of the difficulty in finding middle ground in contentious issues, the parties state in the opening remarks of the document.

The two organizations have worked together in the past. At the end of 2023, they organized and mediated unprecedented negotiations between Polish and Ukrainian hauliers during the protest of Polish hauliers at the Ukrainian border.

The upcoming time will be crucial for relations between Poland and Ukraine, as well as between Ukraine and the European Union. We expect the coming year to be challenging. Thanks to our organizations’ cooperation, FEU and ZPP already have experience meeting such challenges head-on. Signing the agreement cements our will to cooperate and support each other in providing the best outcome for all parties involved – said Ruslan Illichov, General Director of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine.

Cezary Kaźmierczak, President of Poland’s Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, remarked: Cooperation between Poland and Ukraine has the potential to change the balance of power and the shape of Europe. While our governments build the framework, businesses in both countries need to tighten their cooperation. If we communicate, cooperate, and constantly improve, we can create a peaceful and prosperous future for our people.

The parties set out to organize a series of consultations with representatives of employers, entrepreneurs, and social partners in Poland, Ukraine, and Brussels to produce a joint White Paper before the end of 2024 defining and advocating for the common interests of Polish and Ukrainian businesses.

The newly formalized partnership has reached out to the officials responsible for the economic development of their respective countries to offer their capabilities and experiences in any and all initiatives relating to the future of trade between the European Union and Ukraine. The copies of the Memorandum were sent to the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Yulia Svyrydenko, and the Minister of Development and Technology of Poland, Krzysztof Paszyk.

 

„Europe-Poland-Ukraine: Cooperate Together”  Conference

Objective: to deepen Polish-Ukrainian economic cooperation in the areas of transport and logistics, trade, and infrastructure cooperation. Also, to outline Poland’s role during its presidency of the EU Council.

The conference brings together high-ranking representatives of government, business, and the expert community from both countries to discuss the prospects for the development and consolidation of Ukraine’s and Poland’s economies. It provides an opportunity to establish B2B contacts between Polish and Ukrainian businesses.

The event focuses on the following key topics:

• Current state and prospects of Polish-Ukrainian cooperation: discussion of economic relations between Ukraine and the EU, as well as opportunities to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and Poland in the context of European integration.
• Scaling up trade cooperation: consideration of opportunities for consolidating the economies of the two countries and developing trade between Ukraine and Poland, including prospects for entering new markets.
• Infrastructure cooperation: the importance of developing transport infrastructure and transshipment terminals, which will further strengthen ties between the two countries and ensure efficient logistics.

Organizers: Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers of Poland (ZPP)

Co-organizers: Totalizator Sportowy Foundation, Business for Ukraine Center

 

Poland’s Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers

Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) is the fastest-growing employer organization in Poland. The organization brings together 18 regional organizations and 22 trade organizations. They gather 21,089 companies (as of 31st December 2023) with a total of 772,272 employees. As a member of the Social Dialogue Council in Poland, ZPP uses its influence to promote free market, fair competition, legal stability, and economic transparency. ZPP is represented in Brussels through its Representative Office, European Enterprise Alliance membership, and SME Connect membership. The union has two representatives in the European Economic and Social Committee.

https://zpp.net.pl/

 

Federation of Employers of Ukraine

The Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FEU) is the most influential association of Ukrainian businesses. Founded in 2002, the Federation has successfully represented and protected the interests of businesses in Ukraine and internationally for 20 years.

At present, the FEU unites more than 140 sectoral and regional organizations of employers representing the most critical sectors of the economy of Ukraine, such as machine building, metallurgy, automotive, aerospace and defense industries, agriculture, chemical industry, IT, media industry, energy, medical and microbiological industry, construction, transport and infrastructure, retail and logistics, light and food industries, tourism, utilities, services sector.

The Federation represents over 8,000 enterprises, collectively employing nearly 3 million people and generating about 70 % of the national GDP.

https://fru.ua/ua/

12.09.2024_Press_release_Kyiv

Warsaw, 26.06.2024

First edition of Ukrainian Tech Meeting Conference held in Google Campus Warsaw

 

On June 18, 2024, the Ukrainian Tech Meeting conference took place at the Google for Startups Campus in Warsaw, a hub dedicated to fostering innovation and supporting startups. This event aimed to showcase the remarkable potential of the Ukrainian tech sector, which, despite the ongoing war since 2022, has not only survived but also thrived amidst the turmoil caused by Russian military aggression.

“Currently, we see that the global market is becoming more accessible… Before the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukrainian companies mainly focused on the local market. Now everyone understands that due to the current situation, we need to scale our operations more broadly,” stated Andrii Sukhov from Checkbox.

The conference provided a comprehensive overview of the Ukrainian tech sector’s evolution more than two years after the war’s outbreak. Experts shared their insights on crisis management, business relocation, and new export opportunities. Additionally, the potential for collaboration in the defense-tech sector was highlighted.

“The Totalizator Sportowy Foundation consistently implements actions for the Polish-Ukrainian community. The ongoing Ukrainian Tech Meeting event shows both us—Polish citizens, Polish entrepreneurs, and Ukrainian ones—that such initiatives are justified and underscore the importance of international cooperation,” emphasized Izabela Wyżga, President of the Foundation.

Attendees had the opportunity to listen to keynote speeches and panel discussions featuring industry experts, tech leaders, and government representatives. These sessions provided valuable perspectives on development and investment opportunities within the tech sector.

“Since the war escalated in February 2022, we launched the Google for Startups Ukraine Support Fund, which supported 50 startups with up to $100,000 in equity financing. We received nearly seven hundred applications. The great interest in the program led us to continue the Fund initiative and support Ukrainian startups further,” explained Michał Kramarz, Head of Google for Startups.

Among the distinguished experts participating in the conference were:

Alex Bornyakov, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine

Michał Kramarz, Head of Google for Startups, Central and Eastern Europe

Przemysław Kania, General Manager of Cisco Poland

Andriy Kolodyuk, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (UVCA)

Denys Gurak, Co-Founder of MITS Capital

Oleh Piskozub, Country Director of Intellias Poland

Denys Sychkov, Director at Horizon Capital

During the event, it was noted that many Ukrainian IT companies have a long history of working with clients across the globe. The war introduced numerous challenges, such as the availability of infrastructure, a lack of new projects in Ukraine, and specialists being mobilized. Observing the 2022-2024 period, it is clear that these operational and communication challenges were successfully addressed by the majority of Ukrainian IT players.

However, the global market turbulence, cost savings, and changes in the structure of demand represent more complex issues and negatively impact revenue. Adaptability, innovation, and a creative approach to marketing and sales have started to play a key role in the ability of Ukrainian IT companies to expand their business. Unfortunately, not many companies were able to cope with these challenges properly, and future business prospects are not so bright at the moment.

One of the event’s outcomes is that partnering and cooperating for Polish and Ukrainian companies is important with for gaining further business growth.” – Oleksandr Pluzhnikov, Head of Cyber Security Office at ELEKS.

The conference was part of the Business for Ukraine Center project, a collaboration between the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers and the Totalizator Sportowy Foundation.

Event partners included: Polish-Ukrainian Startup Bridge, Ukraine Invest, IT Ukraine Association, and the Coalition for Polish Innovations.

Content partners: Google for Startups, FundingBox.

Media partners: BiznesAlert, CyberDefence24, Diia Business Warsaw.

The event was held under the honorary patronage of the Ministry of Development and Technology and the Mayor of Warsaw.

More: 26.06.2024_Press_Release_UTM

 

Warsaw, December 7, 2023

 

The transportation crisis at the Ukrainian-Polish border is causing losses for for many entrepreneurs. Polish and Ukrainian employers are creating a dialogue platform to reach a compromise

 

The Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FRU) addressed this initiative to the Governments of the two countries and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

After the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland not only became the main logistical hub for the distribution and sorting of aid to Ukraine but also ranked first among countries that received the most goods exported from Ukraine. In addition, after the decision of the European Union to grant Ukraine the possibility of free trade with EU countries, the total level of trade between Poland and Ukraine demonstrated new record indicators, which had a positive effect on the creation of new jobs and the expansion of production capacities in both countries.

Since November 6, 2023, there has been a protest by Polish carriers at several border crossings between Poland and Ukraine. This has significantly disrupted the transportation of goods in both directions. The protest is supported by all major transportation associations in Poland.

Joint statement of leading business associations

Every day that the border is blocked means new losses for business. The situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible, and for this it is necessary to use all possible tools.

Representatives of the largest associations of employers in Poland and Ukraine – the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FRU) – form a negotiating platform aimed at accelerating and optimizing dialogue and developing mutually agreed solutions. These decisions will help the governments of both countries to reach a mutually beneficial compromise and unblock the checkpoints on the Polish-Ukrainian border.

“As representatives of employers’ associations, we are more than anyone else interested in finding a constructive and effective compromise that would allow us to resolve claims on both sides, unblock the border and existing logistics routes as soon as possible, restoring the normal level of trade between Poland and Ukraine” , – says the joint statement of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP) and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FRU).

Next Friday, December 8, 2023, the first closed meeting of Polish and Ukrainian entrepreneurs will take place.

Director General of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine (FRU), Ruslan Illichev noted:

“Trade and production chains between Ukraine and EU countries suffer from the blocking of transportation, which causes losses to European companies, including Polish ones, which supply goods to Ukraine. We and our Polish colleagues are joining forces in order to prevent further escalation of the situation and to speed up the achievement of a compromise. Based on the results of our discussions, we will soon present a developed list of possible compromise solutions for unblocking the border. We hope for understanding and support for our initiative.”

Vice President of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP), Marcin Nowacki emphasizes:

“We must learn to conduct continuous dialogue on difficult issues. In Poland-Ukraine economic relations, this is the second industry that generates strong emotions and conflicts. Permanent formats of cooperation should allow us to react earlier to difficulties and resolve them based on respect for mutual interests. The first meeting is ahead of us, which I hope will be the beginning of a constructive dialogue.”

Brussel, December 05, 2023

 

Digital Single Market barriers continue limiting the SME’s potential for growth – conclusions from the debate of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers.

 

The advancement of digitisation has significantly benefited the European economy. Despite this, the Digital Single Market has yet to transition from an aspiration to a tangible reality. Over the forthcoming years, both European institutions and Member States must enhance their efforts to remove all regulatory barriers and establish a favourable digital environment for the growth of European SMEs – was the conclusion of the Working Lunch titled “Digital Single Market Future & Opportunities for SMEs”, that took place on December 5th in Brussels.

This year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the EU’s Single Market as a catalyst for growth, bolstering Europe’s economic and political influence on a global scale. While European member states’ political backgrounds may differ, we hold a unified vision for a Single Market that fosters increased business opportunities through trade, generating new jobs. The European Commission projected that eliminating barriers within the Single Market for goods and services could result in a potential gain of €713 billion by the end of 2029.

Technological advancements have created the need to broaden it and build the European Digital Single Market. The strategy officially outlined in May 2015 focuses on unlocking digital perspectives for individuals and businesses while strengthening Europe’s position as a global frontrunner in the digital economy.

Digital Single Market Future & Opportunities for SMEs

Now more than ever, digitalisation plays a crucial role in building Europe’s economic resilience. This is why The Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers (ZPP), in partnership with Member of the European Parliament Kosma Złotowski, brought together European institutions representatives and leading organisations to showcase and brainstorm on the Digital Single Market strategy and its role in developing the SME sector.

The discussion featured a group of speakers that included Dr Horst Heitz, Executive Director, SME Europe. Chair of the European Steering Board, SME Connect; Maria Grapini, Member of the European Parliament, S&D Group; Michał Kanownik, President, Digital Poland Association; Karol Kasiński, Public Policy Manager, Amazon; Vincenzo Renda, Associate Director for Digital Transformation Policy, Digital Europe and Filip Świderski ECR Advisor.

The discussion began with opening remarks from MEP Maria Grapini, who highlighted that the full potential of the Digital Single Market has yet to be delivered. She underlined that the Single Market is far from being completely in place in many areas, limiting its growth due to regulatory burden. 

MEP Kosma Złotowski highlighted in commentary to the report the crucial importance of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Polish economy. He focused on the main challenges the Digital Single Market imposes from the SME’s perspective.

“The SME sector in Poland has been struggling for years with excessive bureaucracy, overregulation, and restricted access to financing from EU funds. The crises that have hit Europe in recent years  and the unreasonable pace of the energy transition imposed by Brussels have burdened companies with additional costs.  In addition to the chaos it has caused in the economy, the pandemic  has become an accelerator of digital transformation and made businesses face the need to adapt to the demands of this revolution. It is this vulnerability to crises and the crucial importance  of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Polish economy that makes the SME sector require special treatment when creating new laws and regulations in all areas’’ commented ECR MEP Kosma Złotowski,  on the report “The Digital Single Market and its Future in the Context of Development Opportunities for the Polish SME Sector”

During the event Paulina Szkoła, Digital Forum Director presented the key findings from the report published by the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, “The Digital Single Market and its Future in the Context of Development Opportunities for the Polish SME Sector”. The report discusses the strategic, regulatory and economic scenario that the European Digital Single Market has been generating for small- and medium-sized companies and the barriers that hindered it from growth.

As the report states, the advancement of the Digital Single Market has driven favourable regulatory changes, stimulating cross-border business expansion and benefiting consumers. Though Polish SMEs are tapping into its potential, obstacles endure. Despite progress in unified trans-border e-commerce laws, companies face multiple challenges due to overregulation, inconsistent implementation of common regulations and impediments to exchanging services and goods. A unified, comprehensive strategy is essential to fortify the EU’s digital economy.

‘’The establishment of the Single Market is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding achievements of a united Europe, although it remains an unfinished project in practice. Technological advancements, new economic sectors, business models, and sales channels, such as the dynamically evolving e-commerce sector, introduce new barriers and associated regulatory challenges. These challenges are particularly burdensome for SMEs, which constitute 99% of all entrepreneurs in the EU, providing two out of every three jobs in the private sector while accounting for over half of the total value added’’ – commented on the report Mariusz Mielczarek, Regional Director CEE, Public Policy, Amazon.

The report also aims to inspire the Polish Government to push for an ambitious Digital Single Market agenda during its presidency in the Council of the European Union, which will be held in the first half of 2025. Michal Kanownik, President of the Digital Poland Association and Board Member of Digital Europe, shared his recommendations with the Polish representatives:

“The actions of EU countries, including Poland, in developing the Digital Single Market should primarily support achieving goals set by the European Commission in the policy programme “Path to Digital Decade”, whose foundation is the digital transformation of businesses. According to the framework, by 2030, more than 90% of SMEs should reach at least a basic level of digital intensity, and 75% of EU companies are expected to use Cloud, AI, or Big data. While these are highly ambitious goals, they are achievable under one condition – EU-designed regulations should support the development of modern technologies rather than create unnecessary barriers. Over-regulating certain areas related to digitisation poses a risk of limiting innovation potential, making it challenging for Europe to compete in this field with the United States or China. It will be a significant challenge for the upcoming Polish presidency in the EU Council to maintain the right balance between regulating the digitalisation sector and addressing the needs of innovative businesses and citizens“.

The full report is available HERE