Economy and capital. Everything that matters most in the modern world. For the ninth time, Republika TV held a debate with business representatives and experts. This time, the debate focused on how companies operate in the age of war and the threats associated with it. The guests of Republika TV also pointed to solutions that can improve development processes, optimize costs and at the same time open up new challenges.
The debate was opened by the editor-in-chief of “Gazeta Polska” and the President of Republika TV Tomasz Sakiewicz. He welcomed the decision of the Polish government to introduce an anti-Putin shield and to de-Russify the Polish economy.
“This is good news because decisions have to be taken to become independent concerning oil and gas supplies from Russia,” he said.
The journalist believes that we must free ourselves from the burdens associated with the Kremlin’s blackmail and shocks. In his view, this would also be a real help to Ukraine, which is under attack by Moscow.
“Unfortunately, a lot depends on the decisions of the EU. Poland will soon be independent of oil and gas. It has already been, but technically everything has to be put in motion,” Tomasz Sakiewicz pointed out.
In the meantime, raw material prices on world markets continue to be high. A barrel of black gold costs $115. From time to time, there is a decline, but analysts believe there will be no cheap petrol stations in the long run. This, in turn, has a huge impact on the prices of goods and services offered to consumers. The moderator of the programme, Krystian Kaźmierczyk, asked how many problems Polish entrepreneurs have because of that and whether it is a problem created by the media.
“This price volatility and, above all, unpredictability is dramatic for entrepreneurs, especially small and medium-sized enterprises,” says Konrad Banecki of the Polish Economic Society (PTG).
The businessman found that “the opportunity to adjust the prices of its products and services in the market does not rise and fluctuate as fast as energy prices.” According to the interlocutor, energy is not a luxury in this geographical area. It is a “necessity of life,” he concluded.
But there are problems not only for the small companies but also for the big ones, added the managing director of the Industrial Development Agency JSC (IDA JSC), Professor Konrad Trzonkowski.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the IDA JSC had to change its previous model of cooperation with the Eastern Partnership. As far as inflation is concerned, the company has introduced new products. These are instruments to support companies that are significantly affected by price volatility, particularly in the context of the investment process which is already underway.
“These budgets need to be replenished with extra money, and here the offer of the Industrial Development Agency JSC (IDA JSC) is precisely designed to finance such a gap,” he said.
An important factor hindering growth and expansion is a miswritten law. Andrzej Sadowski of the Adam Smith Centre believes that we had incredible potential, which was being wasted by red tape and the least competitive tax laws of the OECD countries.
“As it is in Ukraine, the President of the country has announced a very fundamental tax reversal and the dismantling of the bureaucracy that imposes handling bribes. We miss changes,” he added.
“We would have liked that very much,” added the tax consultant and partner of “Martini i Wspólnicy” Jerzy Martini. The question is whether the current situation is not a challenge.
“Everyone should think about it, especially since the responsibility is so great now. On the one hand, we have to ensure that our economy grows, e. g., to support our brothers in Ukraine, or to secure defence spending. The law must be simplified,” concluded a Republika TV guest.
