PAIZ: FDI reaches USD 7-7.5bn in 2001

MACROECONOMIC NEWS According to the preliminary estimates of the Polish Agency for Foreign Investment (PAIZ), Poland attracted USD 7-7.5bn in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2001, or about 30% less than in 2000, which saw the record FDI level of USD 10.6bn. Analysts at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), however, have estimated the FDI inflow could have reached USD 7.8bn for 2001. They also forecast that this year, FDI will fall further to as low as USD 6.5bn, although they say that there will be a rebound in 2003 to USD 8bn. PAIZ's head Antoni Stryczula, as quoted by the daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita, said that the rebound of the downward investment trend would depend on a revival in Europe and particularly in Germany. He said that in order to attract more FDI, Poland should offer more attractive incentives to foreign investors, as it has been done in the Czech Republic. kp,bb