Despite the general downward trend, foreign trade with Poland is also growing in 2024. Poland has long been the most important trading partner for companies near the border.
At the end of February, the wood -based material manufacturer Sonae Arauco will be represented as an exhibitor for the first time at Polen’s important furniture fair “Meble Polska” in Poznan. The global company with Portuguese-Chilean roots has four locations in Germany: one of them in Beeskow in Brandenburg, around 30 kilometers from the Polish border.
In the factory, 300 employees mainly produce chipboard for the furniture industry, many of them for the Polish market. A collaboration that has existed since 2006 – with growing sales.
With a view to the planned trade fair appearance, Germany Managing Director Rainer Zumholte says that Poland is a central sales market for Sonae Arauco, both because of the proximity to the work in Beeskow and the important role of Poland as one of the largest furniture producers in Europe.
“We intensify our business relationships with Polish industrial customers and focus on increased focus,” emphasizes Zumholte.
Sought -after target market and stable trading partner
Poland has been the most important export country for the Brandenburg economy for some time. In the first half of 2024, exports rose by 4.9 percent to EUR 2.1 billion compared to the same period of the previous year – the only plus for the Brandenburg exports.
Since the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine three years ago and the economic sanctions against Russia subsequently imposed, Brandenburg companies should have rethinked and diversified their economic relationships, says Knuth Thiel, Head of Economic Policy at the IHK Ostbrandenburg. Poland was more in demand as a stable trading partner than before. And that is only one point.
Destatis confirms nationwide trend
The neighboring country is interesting because of the short distances and because it has developed enormously economically. The work there is also characterized by good prices and quality, summarizes Thiel, why he recommends companies to look for trading partners in Poland.
Every second exporting Brandenburg-based company is already maintaining business relationships with the neighboring country Poland, according to the current foreign trade survey of the three Brandenburg Chambers of Industry and Commerce.
A development that not only applies to Brandenburg: For example, it can be seen from the preliminary figures from the Federal Office for Statistics that German exports according to Poland in 2024 rose by 3.5 percent compared to the previous year – to almost 94 billion euros. The country is now in fourth place in the target markets for exports from Germany.
Closer German-Polish cooperation required
The export boom to Poland is also a remarkable development for Cathrina Claas Mühlhäuser. For example, the chairwoman of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy has also formulated as one of the core demands on a future federal government that the cooperation with the most important eastern trading partner Poland must achieve a new quality at the distance.
“The annual German-Polish government consultations should be accompanied by business discussions and a common agenda with cross-border lighthouse projects should be developed, for example in the areas of energy and digitization,” said the Eastern Committee Chairman.
The news that Poland’s economy in 2024 has grown by almost three percent and Prime Minister Donald Tusk has just announced investments of 155 billion euros, which are primarily to be spent on more security.
In addition, it is planned to improve the transport infrastructure by 2032 – especially the rail network – with 43 billion euros. Among other things, this should serve to attract foreign investors.
Less bureaucracy, better infrastructure
An announcement that is also well received by Knuth Thiel from the IHK Ostbrandenburg. The bureaucracy, which makes economic commitment difficult on both sides, is the greatest obstacle to expanding relationships, Thiel states. This was also clear in the IHK foreign economic survey.
It is immediately noticeable in small border traffic, 50 kilometers and beyond the border river or. According to Thiel, for example, taxi drivers have to pay sales tax both according to Polish and German regulations – depending on where they are on the road. It is urgently needed here.
Warning of permanent border controls
Thiel also sees great need for action when expanding the cross -border infrastructure. There are too few border crossings as well as rail and road connections along the 200 kilometer river border, for example for the approximately 14,000 commuters every day. With four million trucks annually, the Swiecko border crossing on Autobahn 12 is one of the most used in Germany. Here the current border controls lead to long traffic jams every day.
The economy is certainly willing to endure inpatient controls for a limited period of inpatient, says the IHK head of office; However, if the controls are to take place indefinitely as announced, the damage to the economy is no longer acceptable. Here, politics is required to meet the companies a bit far.
