ECONOMY

COVERAGE OF THE ECONOMIC FORUM 2020 “EUROPE AFTER THE PANDEMIC: SOLIDARITY, LIBERTY, COMMUNITY?”

On September 8-10, 2020, Karpacz hosted the 30th Economic Forum, organized by the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies, under the slogan “Europe after the Pandemic: Solidarity, Liberty, Community.” The Warsaw Institute had the pleasure to participate in this event as a media partner.

FROM LEFT: LUCA STEINMANN, SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, VINCENZO BASSI, JACEK CZAPUTOWICZ, MARKUS MECKEL AT THE ECONOMIC FORUM 2020. KARPACZ, POLAND, SEPTEMBER 9, 2020.

© The Warsaw Institute Review

Despite COVID-19 pandemic, the Economic Forum took place as planned. This year, however, it was organized at the Gołębiewski Hotel in Karpacz instead of Krynica, as in previous years, which was caused by circumstances related to the COVID-19. The new venue of the event had a partial impact also on the scale of the Forum. The 30th summit was noticeably smaller than the previous ones, mainly because of sanitary measures, epidemiological restrictions as well as hygienic standards. Nevertheless, this year’s Forum assembled over 2,500 guests from Europe, Central Asia and North America. They had the opportunity to participate in panels, debates and other events concerning economy, politics, business and culture, among others. The majority of the discussions concerned the reality and society after the coronavirus pandemic, which reflected the main theme of the conference.

It is worth recalling that this is the largest forum of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe. Certainly, it provides an opportunity to meet representatives of countries, institutions and aspiring companies at a scale that only such events as the Davos summit can offer. Despite the modification of the venue, all distinctive elements of the Economic Forum were preserved. Numerous influential people took part in the conference, including politicians and government officials. Furthermore, the Forum was attended by countless representatives of local authorities as a part of the theme titled “30 years of Polish local government.” The panel discussions included a wide-array of topics and focused mainly on the future – decisions to be made and changes to come, also referring to the key theme of the summit.

Throughout the 30th Forum, much attention was devoted to the protests in Belarus. Among the attendees was Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a candidate in the recent presidential election, which initiated mass protests in that country. Tsikhanouskaya

had the opportunity to speak during the discussion panels, in which she emphasized the peaceful nature of the Belarusian social changes that are met with a brutal reaction of the authorities. Moreover, she underlined the will to transfer power in a sovereign and democratic way, which will have mainly positive effects on the relations with other countries. Tsikhanouskaya and her husband were awarded a special prize for the efforts to democratize the Belarusian society. Upon receiving it, she spoke about the enormous personal costs that her family had incurred as a result of the efforts to make a change in her country. She also expressed sincere gratitude for the support of the societies and countries west of Belarus.

On the first day of the Forum, as every year, awards were given out. The Man of the Year Award was handed over to Daniel Obajtek, CEO of PKN Orlen. He is the author of the development plan of this company, consistently implementing the concept of building a multi-energy group. The network of PKN Orlen gas stations is expanding year after year both in Poland and abroad. Obajtek’s nomination is especially interesting because he is the first representative of business, not politics, in the history of the Forum who received this accolade. The Company of the Year award was given to the state-owned corporation Polish Oil Mining and Gas Extraction S.A. (PGNiG). This nomination was justified by the effective fight against Gazprom before the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, which resulted in lowering the prices of gas flowing through the Yamal pipeline, which resulted in savings valued at about PLN 6 billion. The Scouting Association of the Republic of Poland became the Non-Governmental Organization of the Year for its mission to creatively and effectively combine tradition with the challenges of the contemporary world as well as educating over 100,000 young people for the past 30 years. Additionally, the Economic Award of the Warsaw School of Economics (SGH) was earned by the President of the Management Board of PKO Bank Polski S.A. Zbigniew Jagiełło.

Furthermore, representatives of the Warsaw Institute actively participated in this year’s Forum. Apart from partaking in numerous panels and debates, as the media partner of the event we promoted the activities of the Foundation and the quarterly The Warsaw Institute Review. Moreover, we moderated discussions with representatives of local authorities – Elżbieta Anna Polak, President of Lubuskie Region and Marcin Krzyżanowski, Deputy President of Lower Silesia Region.

Despite the nature of matters discussed this year, the participants of the Forum were optimistic about the economic forecasts for Poland and the region as well as about the moderate impact of the pandemic on the implementation of further investments in the country on the Vistula. Above all, the good spirit of the conference was due to the very possibility of authentic and personal contact. It provided an opportunity to discuss cooperation and development in the environment, which is changing because of the pandemic. This year’s Forum was organized seamlessly, especially given the unprecedented times. The organizers ensured appropriate sanitary measures as well as access to personal hygiene equipment and products, so that all participants felt safe. The Forum did not fall short of expectations, providing an opportunity for fruitful debates and exchange of opinions on the most important issues for Poland and the world.

PROF. ADRIENNE KÖRMENDY

Born August 13, 1946 in Külsővat, Hungary. She is a graduate of Eötvös Lóránd University in Budapest and the University of Warsaw. In 1988 she received a scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Between 1990 and 2004 she worked for the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, many of which she spent in Warsaw. In 2000s she was a lecturer of Hungarian history and international relations at the Department of Hungarian Studies, University of Warsaw and Aleksander Gieysztor Academy of Humanities in Pułtusk, Poland. Between 2014 and 2020 she served as Consul General of Hungary in Cracow.

p. 6

GRZEGORZ KUCZYŃSKI, PhD

Graduate of history at the University of Białystok and specialized Eastern studies at the University of Warsaw. Expert on Eastern affairs. For many years a journalist and analyst. Author of many books and publications on Russian politics.

p. 47

PAWEŁ PASZAK

Graduate of International Relations (East Asia Studies) at the University of Warsaw, former grant holder at the University of Kent (United Kingdom) and Hainan University (PRC). PhD candidate at the University of Warsaw and the War Studies University, researcher of the Poland’s Ministry of National Defense projects. Expert at the Institute of New Europe (INE), author of analyses and articles concerning US-China trade war, China’s economic transformation as well as technological rivalry. p. 20

JAKUB LACHERT

PhD candidate at the Faculty of Political Sciences and International Studies at the University of Warsaw. His research interests include: European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), Eastern policy, Eastern Partnership, EU integration of Western Balkans.

p. 55

PROF. TOMASZ GRZEGORZ GROSSE

Sociologist, political scientist, and historian. He is a professor at the University of Warsaw and the Head of the Department of European Union Policies at the Institute of European Studies. He specializes in the analysis of economic policies in the EU and the member states. Moreover, he is an expert in public management, geoeconomics, Europeanisation and theoretical thought on European integration.

p. 38

DR HAB. PRZEMYSŁAW ŻURAWSKI VEL GRAJEWSKI

Professor at the University of Łódź in the Department of Theory of Foreign and Security Policy. In 2005 and 2006, he was an EPP-ED expert at the European Parliament, where he was responsible for monitoring Eastern policy of the EU. From 2006 to 2012, he was an analyst at the Natolin European Centre. From 2006 to 2009, he was a visiting professor at the Belarusian European Humanities University in Vilnius. In 2015, he was a member of the National Development Council appointed by President Andrzej Duda. Moreover, he was a member of the political cabinet of Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski. Author of many books and scientific articles. p. 28

MICHAŁ OLEKSIEJUK

Expert in British Politics, European defense and role of airpower in modern conflicts. Graduate of MA and BA in International Relations and Politics at Queen Mary University of London. Gained work experience at the British Embassy in Warsaw and the Polish National Security Bureau. Currently works as Coordinator for USA, UK and the Commonwealth of Nations at the Institute for Eastern Studies in Warsaw. p. 69

JERZY BYCZYŃSKI

Editor-in-chief of the British Poles portal. He is an adviser to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poland in the United Kingdom and a founder of the British Polish Law Association. He studied International Politics at Brunel University (BSc) and International Law at University of Westminster (LLM). p. 86

WOJCIECH KWIATKOWSKI, PhD

Doctor of law (2011, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, UKSW) specializing in American law. Currently, an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law and Administration at the UKSW. Author of numerous publications (monographs, scientific articles), as well as legal opinions on broadly understood US law and political culture.

p. 13

MARCIN ŁUKASZEWSKI, PhD

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences and Journalism of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. His scientific interests focus primarily on the political systems of European countries, with particular emphasis on the smallest ones of them, i.e. Vatican, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino.

p. 78

ŁUKASZ JANULEWICZ, PhD

Political analyst specializing in Central Europe, currently Research Fellow at the Global Europe Centre, University of Kent. His work focusses on regional cooperation and the Three Seas Initiative. He previously worked at the Central European University in Budapest and at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) in Warsaw. Obtained his PhD in International Relations from the University of Kent, graduated in Political Science from the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.

p. 61

ZSOMBOR ZEÖLD

Obtained his MA in Central and Eastern European Studies from the Jagiellonian University, and from Eötvös Loránd University Budapest in International Relations. Former CEPA–HIF Andrássy Fellow in Washington D.C. His main research topic is the Three Seas Initiative. Currently, he is the Program Director of the Budapest Fellowship Program, a US-Hungarian academic exchange initiative.

p. 61

www.warsawinstitute.review