The Conference "Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of the Maritime Economy on the threshold of Poland's EU Accession"

13.03.2002

On March 7, 2002 the Nadmorski Hotel was playing host to a conference on "Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of the Maritime Economy on the threshold of Poland's EU Accession" organized by the Polish Chamber of Maritime Commerce. Besides the Port of Gdansk Authority SA, among the sponsors of the conference there were the Port of Gdynia Authority SA., Authority of Szczecin and Swinoujscie Seaports and the Citibank. The honorary patrons of the conference included the Pomeranian Governor - Mr. Jan Ryszard Kurylczyk, the West Pomeranian Governor - Mr. Stanislaw Wziatek and the Warmia-Mazury Governor - Mr. Stanislaw Szatkowski.

The target of the conference comprised the raising of awareness in the field of European integration among the owners and managers of the small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the field of maritime economy. The participants received welcome from Mr. Wlodzimierz Gogolewski - Chairman of the Council of the Polish Chamber of Maritime Commerce with its seat in Gdynia, Mr. Wojciech Szczurek - City Mayor of Gdynia and Mr. Jan Jozef Stoppa - Deputy Mayor of Gdansk for Economic Matters. The proceedings of the conference commenced with a lecture on "The Maritime Economy - Polish Reasons of State. The position of the Republic of Poland in the Negotiations with the European Union in the field of the Maritime Economy" by Prof. Marek Szymonski, Under-Secretary of State for Maritime Economy at the Ministry of Infrastructure. On his behalf the paper was delivered by Mr. Andrzej Gdula - Director of the Maritime Transport Department at the Ministry of Infrastructure. Furthermore, the agenda of the conference covered the papers with regard to, inter alia, the opportunities and threats facing the small and medium-sized enterprises in the process of the European integration, the role they are to play in the macro-region of the Polish coastal area and in the European community, Union's policy in relation to the maritime economy, conditions for fishery in the EU, the role of economic self-government in Poland and in EU, financial support and insurance schemes of the SME, the approach towards the SME adopted by large companies, the future of the Polish tourist businesses in the EU and the future of small-sized ports upon the EU accession. On behalf of the Port of Gdansk Authority SA the address was made by Mr. Dariusz Grzegorkiewicz - Chief Strategic Communications Officer and Member of the Executive Committee of the European Seaports Organization (ESPO). The paper entitled "The Impact of the European Commission's Ports Package on the market of port services" presented the evaluation and assessment of the directive on the free accessibility of port services that had been proposed by the European Commission in February 2001. The paper emphasized the effects resulting from the implementation of this directive and presented the actual impact it has on the operating of the Port of Gdansk. Moreover, it included the official position of ESPO on the matter that identified the issues and proposed suitable amendments.

The conference "Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of the Maritime Economy on the threshold of Poland's EU accession" constituted the second edition of a series of events aimed at preparing the grounds for the maritime businesses with the view to Poland's EU accession. In the future, the Polish Chamber of Maritime Commerce wishes to continue the wide range of activities the project entails.