The Foreign Trade Program (FTP) is a series of conferences which support domestic entrepreneurs in for-eign expansion and are a platform for sharing expert knowledge. During the events, entrepreneurs ex-change experiences and establish cooperation with experts who specialise in specific export markets. All corporate and SME entities are invited: both experienced exporters and those who are at the beginning of their foreign expansion. The initiative is a cooperation between BNP Paribas Bank Polska S.A., Korporacja Ubezpieczeń Kredytów Eksportowych (KUKE), Bisnode Consumer Intelligence Agency and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PITA). In 2020, representatives of PITA’s Foreign Trade Offices in Frankfurt and Shanghai participated in FTP events.
In 2020, the Foreign Trade Program organised online meetings devoted to the German and Asian markets. The autumn events were devoted to the Polish food exports. At the end of the year, a BREXIT conference was organised.
Germany is Poland’s main trading partner, and the impact of coronavirus on bilateral economic relations was key to the results of Polish exports in 2020 and to the functioning of domestic entrepreneurs. Our choice of the conference topic was dictated by our willingness to strengthen relations between entrepreneurs and the German community in Poland. For many years, our goal has been to remain the bank of first choice for corporate Clients with German roots and for Polish Clients who own German companies. The conference talk of our Chief Economist, Michał Dybuła, on changes in supply chains, predicting their impact on Clients, and the inflow of new investment capital to Poland was received particularly well.
Two subsequent meetings concerned the Chinese market and posed the question of how the pandemic changed trade in that part of the world. During the meeting, experienced experts described how the pandemic influenced the behaviour of local consumers and how to effectively develop online relations with contractors. Participants discussed how to sell products directly to consumers in China and how to effectively and safely operate on the demanding Chinese market.
The autumn conferences were devoted to Polish food exports. Their goal was to support Polish entrepreneurs’ relations with foreign partners in view of the difficult situation on the market of Polish food exports. The state of Polish food exports was discussed, as was the question of whether Polish entrepreneurs could enter foreign markets during the period when most countries were recovering after the first economic lockdown.
The “BREXIT-related challenges and opportunities for Polish entrepreneurs” conference was devoted to the British market, and it was organised in partnership with the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce. Brexit had huge consequences for Polish entrepreneurs, as Great Britain is among the three leading directions of our exports. During the conference, participants discussed the main effects of Brexit on Polish companies which are already on the British market as well as on those which are planning to enter it. Potential opportunities were also considered. Polish importers and exporters received expert advice on topics such as: taxes, customs, attestation and certification and new regulations regarding the labelling of products.
