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21.01.2020

THE SECOND EDITION OF “THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT” CONFERENCE SERIES IS BEHIND US!

The benefits and challenges of the geographical location of Poland and the dynamics of relations with foreign partners in 2020 were the key idea of the second edition of the conference series “The best way to predict the future is to create it”. Challenges & opportunities: 2020.

The event took place on 21 January, 2020 at the Warsaw Garrison Command Club. During four discussion panels, conference participants discussed the priorities for Polish foreign policy in areas, such as defense, international trade, transatlantic cooperation in the area of ​​healthcare, as well as in the field of battlefield medicine. 

The materials were created thanks to the financial support of the Lotto Foundation.

Małgorzata Bogusz, President of the Kulski Foundation, welcomed the participants of the January event. In her speech, she summed up the results of the first edition of the conference, which took place on 26-27 September, 2019 in Washington.

“With joy and complete certainty it can be stated that the high dynamics of trade and cultural cooperation between the USA and Poland brings real results. An example is the lifting of the visa regime, for which Poles have been waiting for so many years,” recalled Małgorzata Bogusz during her speech.

The President of the Kulski Foundation also emphasized the importance of active transatlantic cooperation in strengthening the stability of our region. “The USA remains a natural economic partner for both the EU and the Three Seas countries. Without stable economic and political relations with the USA, the dynamic development of our region along the North-South axis will not be possible. “

The January event was co-organized by the Warsaw Enterprise Institute Foundation, whose president Tomasz Wróblewski, in his speech, emphasized the importance of intersectoral dialogue. “The idea we had in Washington was to talk to each other. What we managed to achieve in Washington, and what we hope to continue at the next conferences, is a meeting of representatives from both the left and the right side of the Polish political scene; Democrats and Republicans on the American side; military, doctors, NGOs and think-tanks representatives ”.

The welcoming speech was delivered by Paweł Woźny, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of National Defense. During his speech, Wożny expressed hope that the conference would be an opportunity to analyze multiple aspects of Polish-American relations. He also noted that “cooperation between the two countries is developing in a good, continuous and effective manner”.

After the inaugural part, on behalf of WEI Piotr Palutkiewicz presented the report “The White Paper of Best Investment Practices”, which included the key factors conditioning active cooperation between Poland and the USA. Palutkiewicz drew attention to changes in the structure of the Polish economy, including to the growing role of the service sector or the increasing openness of the Polish market to foreign products and services. The WEI expert also recalled one of the strategic goals of the government, which is foreign expansion in the markets outside the EU – for example to the USA. Palutkiewicz emphasized the potential and vigour of Polish-American cooperation. In his speech, he mentioned that in 2008-2019, the United States became the 8th recipient of Polish exports, moving from the 19th position. Finally, the WEI representative drew attention to the economic effects of good ally cooperation between Poland and the USA.

He concluded that there is a clear correlation between active political cooperation and the increasing foreign direct investment inflow from the US.

The first panel discussion concerned effective economic cooperation between the US and the Three Seas countries. Tony Housh, President of the American Chamber of Commerce, gave a keynote speech, in which he emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships in harnessing the potential of the Three Seas initiative. Housh also expressed the need to build a secure infrastructure that, combined with military cooperation, will bring us closer to achieving our common goal of a stable and modern Central Europe. During the panel moderated by Piotr Palutkiewicz, the experts discussed how to create favorable conditions for foreign investors in Poland, the possible chances of Polish companies for expansion to third countries, as well as the initiatives that are taken to increase the share of R&D and high technologies in domestic exports.

The second panel discussion concerned transatlantic cooperation in the area of ​​innovation and R&D in health care. The panel was moderated by dr. Radosław Sierpiński, President of the Medical Research Agency. In his keynote, Sierpiński emphasized the importance of science diplomacy, which may translate not only into real academic progress, but also (and perhaps above all) technological development.

Maciej Miłkowski from the Ministry of Health spoke about the promising beginnings of cooperation between the Ministry and the Medical Research Agency and research companies. Roman Topór-Mądry, the President of the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffs, suggested that the reimbursement criteria of clinically effective therapies play a significant role in this cooperation. The panel participants discussed together how to objectively and prudently dispose of public funds in the face of increasing expenditure on health care. Among the challenges that the Polish healthcare sector faces, experts mentioned, among others, the need to amend the Acts on Benefits, the development of specific guidelines for the technology assessment method, the creation of a government unit responsible for building the life-science sector, strengthening the AOMiT position as an advisory body and the need to use the Polish scientific potential.

The third discussion panel was focused on the issues in the field of battlefield medicine. Captain Anita Podlasin from the Military Medical Training Center in Łódź presented innovative solutions used in Polish tactical medicine. Captain Podlasin also stressed the importance of active military-civil cooperation and the need to plan civil defense activities in the event of an armed conflict in the future. 

The axis of the fourth discussion panel was a debate on the role of the USA in ensuring security in Europe and the Middle East. The panel devoted to defense was moderated by Bogusław Winid, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Poland. During the discussion, the participants of the panel emphasized that Poland’s defense policy can’t be based only on trust in NATO or treating the United States as the absolute guarantor of Poland’s security.

The conference was co-organized by the Warsaw Enterprise Institute and the American Chamber of Commerce.

The organizational partner of the conference was Vision Group.

The conference received the official patronage of the following institutions:

Institutional partners of the conference were:

Strategic partners of the conference were:

The conference was organized with the financial support of the Industrial Development Agency.

The post-conference materials were prepared thanks to the financial assistance of the Lotto Foundation.