Better together
A Polish-German success story
Jens Böhlmann, Director of SMEs/Green Transformation at the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations (OA), opens the event by introducing the two co-organisers: OWWF Bavaria and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH).
He invites President Eberhard Sinner to the stage for an opening statement.
President Sinner begins with a brief historical overview of Poland's development after the end of Soviet rule. Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, as Pope John Paul II from 1978 to 2005, ‘Man of the Year 1994’, was a key guarantor of this development.
The basis and framework for the intensive political dialogue and inter-societal contacts between Germany and Poland is the German-Polish Treaty on Good Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation of 17 June 1991. Poland has been a NATO ally since 1999 and a member of the European Union since 2004.
2.2 million Germans have Polish roots. ‘I also have a Polish great-grandfather on my mother's side, Adam Gutowski, who came from Krakow to Nuremberg and became a successful businessman there.’
Sinner then quotes from a visionary lecture by Stefan Zweig for the European Conference of the Accademia di Roma in 1932:
"While the history of war shows what individual countries have done to each other, how France plundered Germany and Germany plundered France, how Greece harmed Persia and Persia harmed Greece, while inevitably arousing hatred and subsequent bitterness in their descendants, the other, cultural history, shows what one nation owes to another, thus creating a magnificent register of all achievements and discoveries. In military history, nations appear solely as enemies; in cultural history, they appear as brothers. Through cultural history, they understand how one country enriches another, how inventions complement each other, how streams of creative will flow from one nation to another, and how every single achievement, in contrast to military ones, increases the common good.
The history of war shows how Europe has continuously destroyed itself, while cultural history teaches us how the peoples of Europe, thanks to their joint achievements, have increasingly built themselves up into a magnificent and greater intellectual concept."
Europe's shared cultural history and intellectual foundations are more important today than ever before. Unfortunately, nationalism and protectionism are on the rise again, and customs barriers are being celebrated as instruments of national prosperity, as if David Ricardo, Adam Smith and many generations of economists had never existed to identify free trade as a source of prosperity.
This makes the European single market all the more important. It relies on the forces of fair competition and exchange with neighbours. It is thus a driver of growth and prosperity in difficult times.
Today, Poland is taking centre stage as an important player and partner in the EU, forming a strong axis in the heart of Europe together with France and Germany.
‘I would like to thank everyone who contributed to and prepared this conference.’
The next welcoming address is given by the First Vice-President of the Bavarian State Parliament, Tobias Reiß.
He emphasises the close Polish-German, and in particular Bavarian-Polish, partnership as an example of trust, cooperation and European strength. He then refers to the intensive economic, scientific and cultural ties – visible, for example, in the planned Bavarian office in Wrocław (2026).
This partnership is the result of decades of dialogue and lived responsibility based on history.
In view of Russia's war of aggression, Reiß emphasises Poland's central role in security policy and the importance of solidarity in Europe.
The East-West Economic Forum Bavaria creates space for exchange and thus contributes to Europe's success.
Read the full text of the welcome address here
Adrian Stadnicki speaks as Regional Director for Central Eastern Europe at the OA.
He presents Poland as an economic success story since the fall of communism in 1991. No other EU country has experienced such strong and consistent economic growth: between 1990 and 2020, Poland was the second fastest growing economy in the world after China.
Poland is a top partner for the German economy.
Since Poland joined the EU, German-Polish trade has increased fivefold. Poland is a growth engine in the EU. Poland already ranks fifth among Germany's most important trading partners, just behind France and ahead of Italy.
Consul Maciej Szmidt from the Consulate General of Poland in Munich delivers the welcoming address on behalf of Consul General Rafal Wolski, who is unfortunately ill. He refers to the centuries-old relations between Bavaria and Poland, which are manifested not least in the ‘Landshut Wedding’.
The development of economic relations is very encouraging, and mutual appreciation provides a good basis. Poland and Bavaria are two dynamic economic areas that enrich each other.
Jens Böhlmann concludes the round of welcoming speeches and invites State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt from the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy to the stage for the keynote speech.
State Secretary Gotthardt recalls an incident that fits in well with today's topic. He was present at the ceremony in Brussels to welcome the ten new EU members and happened to be standing next to a representative from Poland. Spontaneously, they held hands. This expression of solidarity remains significant to this day.
Economic cooperation between Germany in general and Bavaria in particular and the Republic of Poland has strengthened significantly in recent decades. The combination of geographical proximity, EU membership, strong industrial regions and targeted networking ensures that Poland is now one of Bavaria's most important trading partners.
Bavaria maintains its own office in Poland (‘Bavaria Office’) to promote trade and investment. Between 2019 and 2023, the volume of foreign trade between Bavaria and Poland increased by around 22%. In 2024, Bavaria recorded a trade volume of around €25 billion with Poland, an increase of 1.8% over the previous year. Poland thus ranks fifth among Bavaria's trading partners – as it does for Germany as a whole. In the first half of 2025, bilateral trade reached over €90 billion, with growth of around +5.4%.
Poland has great growth potential: Poland continues to grow rapidly economically and is developing its infrastructure, creating new opportunities for investment and trade activities.
More than 2,500 Bavarian companies currently maintain business relations in Poland. Around 270 companies have a branch there, just under 480 have their own representative offices and almost 70 even have production facilities. On the Polish side, around 30 companies now have subsidiaries or production facilities in Bavaria, including well-known names such as Comarch Software and MATPLAST. Large Bavarian corporations such as BMW, MAN Truck & Bus AG and BayWa are also represented in Poland and are investing millions there; Linde, for example, has already invested €500 million in Poland.
The partnership between Bavaria and individual Polish regions is being further expanded. One example is the agreement between Bavaria and the Lower Silesian Voivodeship in July 2024, which promotes cooperation in science, business, tourism and agriculture. Such bilateral agreements offer great opportunities for companies on both sides and are an expression of the political and economic will to further deepen relations.
Approximately 100,000 Polish citizens live in Bavaria, strengthening cultural and economic ties.
Overall, economic relations between Bavaria and Poland are characterised by dynamism and steady expansion, both in trade and in investment and regional cooperation.
According to OWWF Bavaria and the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, it is time to get to know the third partner as well.
Dorota Kafara, Business Development Manager at the Polish Agency for Investment and Trade, will answer the question ‘Why Poland?’ in her presentation.
Ms Kafara will first introduce the state agency, which has 20 years of experience, is active in more than 70 markets and has over 150 experts worldwide available to provide advice and support. The focus is on supporting exports from Poland, foreign investment in Poland and promoting joint projects. She particularly highlights Poland's attractiveness as a constantly growing economy.
After the coffee break, the first panel discussed the important topics of energy, transformation and competitiveness. This was followed by a keynote speech on the topic of Poland and Germany – the arms industry. The second panel went beyond bilateral relations and highlighted the current topic of European security, reliability and independence.
