Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,

Dzien dobry, Panie i Panowie (”dyen dåbri, pænye i pænåwye” – god morgen alle sammen)

It is a great honour for me to be opening this Norwegian-Polish business forum together with Prime Minister Belka. I am pleased to see so many distinguished representatives from the business communities of our two countries.

In my opinion, there is a strong potential for further cooperation between Norway and Poland. This was very apparent yesterday at my meeting with Prime Minister Belka.

Poland has seen many changes in the last fifteen years. We are impressed by the way you have transformed so many aspects of your society in such a short time. Norway and Poland have long historic traditions in trade and economic cooperation. We are now new partners in the European Economic Area.

However, entering the large EU internal market is no small challenge. I am therefore pleased that, in signing our Memorandum of Understanding last week, we have now entered into a new partnership through the financial mechanisms. I understand that the conference held here in Warsaw last Thursday was a great success, with broad representation from both Norway and Poland. This is very encouraging for the follow up in the coming months and years.

The financial mechanisms were established as part of the agreement on the enlargement of the European Economic Area. Over the next five years, Norway and its EFTA partners in the EEA will make available a total of 233.4 million euros annually for projects in the new EU member states. Nearly half of this sum will be allocated to Poland. The funds are going to sustainable projects in priority sectors such as protection of the environment, health and childcare and human resource development.

It is important to follow up last weeks successful conference with concrete and viable projects. It is the results that matter!

In this respect, I believe that Norwegian partners, commercial and otherwise, have attractive solutions to offer Poland. I am certain that the partnerships that have now been established through the financial mechanisms will further broaden the relations between our countries.

Poland is spearheading the dynamic growth we are currently seeing in the region. Many Norwegian companies feel that Poland has very attractive business and investment opportunities and have already invested more than 600 million US dollars in this country. Trade between our two countries has been increasing steadily and amounted to almost one billion US dollars last year.

If I was asked which single factor I consider the most important in the relations between our countries, I would answer: “the sea”. The sea has been the basis of our co-operation for centuries in the form of shipping and trade in fish and seafood.

This business forum will focus on three key sectors: seafood, maritime industries and information and communications technology.

Fish and fish products forms a large proportion of Norwegian export earnings. Currently, seafood accounts for approximately 30 per cent of Norwegian exports to Poland, and the rapid growth of the Polish market has made Poland the 10th largest market for Norwegian seafood. Norway is by far the largest exporter of seafood to Poland, and these imports are valuable for the Polish fish processing industry. I am told that no less than 90 per cent of the salmon imported by Poland comes from Norwegian fjords. We are naturally very pleased with this development.

Poland’s accession to the European Union changed the institutional framework for our trade. While the EFTA free trade agreement included free trade in fish, we now face a more complex situation with tariffs and quotas. This poses challenges to both Norway and Poland. I believe that the good relations that have been built over the years between business partners from our two countries, will help to meet these challenges. I also believe that it will benefit both our countries if we continue to expand and diversify our trade and industrial co-operation in the fisheries sector.

Shipping is another sector of great importance to both countries. Norway is a major shipping nation and controls a significant part of the world's fleet. Poland also has a strong maritime tradition, and we have a close bilateral co-operation in this field.

In this context, I would like to say a few words about an issue that Norway gives high priority to, namely maritime safety and environmental concerns. There is a considerable and increasing volume of oil transport in the Baltic Sea and along the Norwegian coast. The potentiality for serious pollution is of great concern to us. We consider that a concerted effort is needed to strengthen international rules in order to prevent accidents similar to those we have seen in recent years. Norway supports the efforts to establish global rules and guidelines to protect the environment and improve safety at sea. We appreciate the leading role being played by the EU and the Council of Baltic Sea States in the IMO in these efforts. The measures to accelerate the phasing out of single-hull tankers and the establishment of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area in the Baltic Sea are particularly positive. I know that Norway and Poland see eye to eye on the importance of maritime safety and protecting the environment.

In recent years, many Norwegian ships have been built by Polish shipyards and several thousand Polish officers and crew are currently working on board Norwegian ships. Globalisation brings with it a large increase in the volume of transport, and sea transport is the most energy-efficient and environmentally friendly form of transport. I believe that the shipping sector has a great future potential. So has cooperation between Norway and Poland in this sector.

Information and communications technology is a relatively new area of co-operation between our countries. ICT is one of the driving forces in industrial development and the development of new technology in general. It is also an area where Norwegian companies have gained international recognition. This fast-growing industry offers many opportunities for co-operation and synergy between our countries.

I believe we both face the challenge of developing strong knowledge-based industries. Innovation is

perhaps the most important element in this context. Innovation is the key to maintaining and developing a competitive economy. Last winter my government launched a major initiative to promote innovation and projects are currently being carried out in a number of different sectors. Many of you represent companies that have been successful in this field, and this seminar will be a good arena for new and broader contacts between innovative Norwegian and Polish companies.

In conclusion, I want to stress that I am very optimistic about the future of our relations. The opportunities for further cooperation, partnerships and trade between Norway and Poland are greater than ever before. This forum is therefore very timely. We need arenas of this kind, for making new contacts, for identifying and discussing new opportunities. I wish you every success with your business forum today. I am confident that it will be both fruitful and constructive.

Thank you for your attention.