– Young people, more and more often are propagators of sustainable development of transport and energy areas, and this subject is discussed by them, for example in their diploma theses - - The moderator of the discussion, Aleksandra Pepłowska - Member of the Executive Council of the Parliament of the Republic of Poland, Chairman of the Committee for External Cooperation, began.
– What assumptions should be included in recovery programs to prevent recession? What role should infrastructure play in these processes? Does Poland have a chance to become a logistics and transport hub for Europe?
Mr. Cezary Warsewicz, Chairman of the Management Board of PKP Cargo, answered this question as follows – The impact of the national reconstruction plan is in effect of the investment multiplier - spending this money will stimulate economic activity. From the Polish perspective as one of the fastest growing markets, we have natural advantages to become a transport hub for Europe due to its geographical location.
We are a transit country - 75% of cargo passes through Poland in transit. However, if we became the target country, i.e. these goods would be taxed in Poland, the budget revenues would amount from 11 to 15 billion Polish zloty, depending on the predictions of specialists. Today economies compete with each other in the area of logistics chains. The wealth that flows next to us can become ours in some part. In order for us to become a logistic hub, in addition to political decisions, we need infrastructure investments - then we can talk about what offer we can present. Three aspects are important - the right place, the right time and the right price. – Mr. Chairman concluded.
He also highlighted aspects of cooperation in various sectors – - for railways, ports are the traffic generator - 40% of cargo comes from ports.
On the other hand, Mr. Kamil Tarczewski, Vice President of the Port of Gdansk, referred to the examples of completed and commenced investments:
- I would like to go back to the decade we closed - we worked it out and we did it right. The Port of Gdansk has been the most dynamically developing port in Europe for the last 10 years. In 2021, we were ranked 3rd among Baltic ports and over the last 4-5 years our transshipments have increased by 40%. These results would not be achievable without the infrastructure improvement over the last 7-8 years. As a port, we took the approach to infrastructural investments very literally. We are currently in the largest investment process since the 1970s. Currently, the Port of Gdansk looks like a construction site in which a billion zloty is involved, including EU funds. Thanks to transshipment operations, the state budget receives 20 billion zloty annually. Recently, we have signed a contract for the expansion of the largest container terminal, which allows a transshipment of 3 million TEU (this is a unit of capacity used for containers) per year. Within a maximum of 3 years, we will increase this capacity to 4.5 million TEU. How quickly will this investment pay off? Well, it will only be 3 months from this one terminal.
In this context, it should be emphasized that the future offer prepared in terms the Three Seas Initiative may constitute an important link in the supply chain for goods from all over Central and Eastern Europe to Scandinavia, the British Isles or other continents. And this means that we will still have the opportunity to attract new cargo flows from the countries belonging to the Three Seas Initiative.
Mr. Vice President emphasized - We are absolutely convinced that infrastructure investments are the right direction. We are not only talking about the port, but also highways and highways such as Via Carpathia. It is also a lever for local economies - the number of jobs is growing around them, shopping centers are being built.
It should be added that the investments that will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021 as part of the Via Carpathia project will connect the entire south-eastern Poland, in particular Rzeszów and the Podkarpackie Voivodeship, with the Port of Gdansk. It will be possible to reach the A2 and A1 motorways and further to the Port of Gdansk via the S-19 and S-17 expressways and the Southern Bypass of Warsaw. Thus, at the end of this year, truck drivers from Rzeszów, Dębica or Stalowa Wola will reach the terminals at the Port of Gdansk via collision-free roads, without stopping at traffic lights.
In the course of the discussion, Mr. Tarczewski drew attention to the current challenges. - Poland is already becoming hub, it is already happening - the process is long but at the end of the day it is the infrastructure investments that will allow us to become a leader. Baltic Hub DCT Gdańsk is the logistics center for the Baltic Sea. As the Port of Gdansk, we are the beating heart of the logistic bloodstream - but it must constantly develop. Another aspect is river transport, which is the future, but also requires investment. The course of one barge is 80 containers and the elimination of 10,000 trucks from the country. This translates into a lower carbon footprint and fewer accidents.
The Port of Gdansk, which has now advanced to the third place among the Baltic ports in terms of total transshipments, and to the first place in container transshipments, aspires to the role of a logistics and distribution center for Central and Eastern Europe and is already slowly becoming a logistics and transport hub for our region of Europe. The Port of Gdansk has a very well-developed network of short-sea shipping connections to the countries of the Baltic Sea basin, as well as shipping connections to European ports.
ORGANIZATORZY / ORGANIZERS
PARTNER STRATEGICZNY / STRATEGIC PARTNER
PATRONATY HONOROWE / HONORARY PATRONAGE
partner oficjalny / official partner
PARTNERZY / PARTNERS
PARTNERZY MERYTORYCZNI / SUBSTANTIVE PARTNERS
PATRONAT MEDIALNY / MEDIA PATRONAGE
Współfinansowanie / co-financing
