Your Excellency Ms Prime Minister, Members of the Economic Council, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to sincerely thank the Prime Minister for hosting us in the Chancellery for the launch of the 2015 Doing Business report. The Doing Business Report has been produced by the World Bank Group since 2004, and provides an assessment of the investment climate in 189 countries around the world.
In the current era of subdued global growth and depressed investment levels, a good investment climate is particularly important. Those countries that perform best on the World Bank’s Doing Business ratings tend to be those that make the most progress in growing competitive firms; firms that invest and provide jobs across the economy.
The Doing Business rankings launched today are based on a revised methodology and a more comprehensive and expanded data set. Poland is ranked 32nd out of 189 countries globally. This is a remarkable performance, supported by reforms in recent years – which have been further reinforced over the past year.
However, with many countries in Europe and around the world trying to attract investment and create jobs, continued efforts will be needed if Poland is to remain at the top. The Government has already identified a few areas in which to focus efforts in the coming period, including in construction permits, in simplifying firm registration, and in improving tax administration and tax compliance.
At the World Bank, we very much look forward to continuing to work with the Polish Authorities in a broad range of areas (doing business, innovation, flood management, fiscal decentralization, social inclusion, road safety, climate policy modelling - just to name a few). We also see a growing number of countries around the world interested in learning from Poland’s experiences and successes – and which see Poland as a global partner. We believe there is an opportunity for Poland to further enhance its international standing, and we stand ready to work with you in distilling and disseminating any “Polish lessons.”
