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A number of space missions are planned for 2020s with the aim to explore the Earth's nearest environment. One of them is LOOP. Over the next five years the European Space Agency will be sending the first probe into space to land on the surface of Phobos, the larger of the two moons of Mars. Polish scientists are also part of the LOOP project. Their task will be to design the lander’s foot which will touch the planetoid's surface.

Last year the customers of Polish banks made nearly 1.8 bn transfers to a total of PLN 4.7 bn – states the NetB@nk Report by the Polish Bank Association. Among banking services, it is the popularity of instant transfers which is enjoying the fastest growth, with 80 percent more such transfers made in 2017 than in the year before. At the same time the number of ATM cash withdrawals and of ATMs themselves are decreasing. This is accompanied by Poles’ becoming more positive about internet banking.

Only 14% of companies have their employer branding strategy defined. But in order to attract employees, and millennials in particular, one needs to get to know their needs and provide them with opportunities for fulfilment and a sense of making a difference in the company. The young generation want their bosses to be like partners and coaches, who will lead and direct them. Employers need long-term strategies and comprehensive approaches to their personnel. Without it, they will be hard-pressed to achieve success, experts claim.

Criticising the Government's purchase of works of art from the Princes Czartoryski Foundation is not favourable for Poland’s international reputation, experts of the Staszic Institute emphasised. The dispute over the legitimacy of the transaction reignited when it turned out that the money went to the bank account of a newly established foundation in Liechtenstein, and that the family conflict in the aristocratic family will find its way to court. According to the experts of the Staszic Institute, the purchase was necessary and the price was very reasonable, whereas the issue of what the seller does with the money from the transaction is not anybody else's concern.

Tax reliefs valid for up to 15 years, and the investment outlays requirement reduced by 98 percent – the act on supporting new investments entered the Senate a few days ago. Entities operating all over the country, not only in the special economic zone as it was done before, will be eligible for support. Experts stress that these are positive changes as they will make the country more attractive for investors. Benefits will be especially provided to micro- small and medium-sized businesses. The introduced changes are expected to result in as many as 500,000 additional jobs.

In several years Gdańsk may become the largest deep-water port on the Baltic Sea. In this year alone, PLN 170 m will be allocated for dredging, quay extension, road and rail system modernisation and new car park construction projects. All these projects will be completed by 2020. By that time investments will have reached one billion zlotys. The projects will make it possible to multiply the potential of the Port of Gdansk and its transhipment capacity. In 10 years the Port of Gdansk might be handling transhipments of 100 million tonnes annually.

44 percent of businesses in Poland suffered financial losses due to cyberattacks in 2017. Cyber threats are a growing concern. One of the challenges is to ensure the security of IoT devices. As we're speaking, 70 percent of these devices have gaps enabling hackers to take control of them. Efforts have been undertaken to prevent this. The EU is working on regulations to make it mandatory to certify devices for their cyber-vulnerability.

According to Michał Stępniewski, this trend on the Polish stock exchange, which has been noticeable for at least two years, is a disturbing one. The difficult situation of the Warsaw Stock Exchange was caused by very low turnover, which has arisen from insufficient activity of investors in financial and commodity markets. Education is indispensable for boosting the Polish stock exchange, because, as experts say,Poles’ awareness of capital markets is still low.

The Polish space habitat is the first such centre in Europe and a big step forward to sending another Pole in space. As many as five missions have been completed in the Lunares base. All these missions took place in conditions which will also apply to future bases on the Moon or Mars. In addition, scientific experiments are being made and innovative Polish technologies are being tested. This, coupled with a good infrastructure and well-trained staff, can become the beginning of the Polish space programme. In 2030 Poland might join the planned missions to Mars.

Warsaw is catching up with other capital cities in Central and Eastern Europe, attracting a growing number of investors. The city’s advantages include extensive office space, access to qualified staff and the extrovert character of its residents. Warsaw’s authorities are announcing further projects which will help to attract investors, as well as to prevent the consequences of such problems as the insufficient number of flats available on the market.

In 2018, the government plans to allocate unprecedented resources for physical culture. When compared to 2015, the expenditures for this purpose will increase by 93% and will include investments in sports infrastructure and projects aimed at children and seniors. Witold Bańko’s ministry in this way wants to encourage Poles to engage in physical activity, which should translate into the country’s improved economic situation. Increasing Poles’ sporting activity was one of the topics discussed at the 2nd Health Congress of Employers of Poland.

The total production of windows and doors in Polish facilities grew in 2017 by nearly 6 percent and reached 23.4 m. Over the last four years the number of windows and doors produced in Polish factories has increased by 24 percent, the data from Centrum Analiz Branżowych (CAB, a Polish construction market research agency) indicates. Experts predict that next year the market will grow by about 5 percent with the increase in exports reaching 9-10 percent. The growth in the windows joinery industry is mainly due to exports, in which the highest share, 25 percent, is held by Grupa VELUX. Last year’s results reflect the good situation in the whole sector and are a good sign for 2018.

The value of transactions on the investment land market has crossed the threshold of PLN 5 bn, making this the best result since 2006. Purchases with the highest value involved the housing segment. Investors were particularly interested in land in need of revitalisation, located on the outskirts of large cities and close to the city centres. In 2017 and during the first quarter of this year, we have also observed an increased demand in the hospitality segment. Despite concerns surrounding the new legislation, the current year may be even better than the last one, as assessed by Colliers International experts.

Support offered by business angels to young companies in Poland is still much smaller than in developed Western European countries, but it is continuously increasing. Several hundred people are dealing with such investments, while in Germany or the United Kingdom, there are several thousand such individuals. They not only help to acquire capital but also support companies with knowledge of corporate governance, information policy and investor relations. Such support will also be offered to the winners of the CEE-Released competition, which will select 15 best young companies at an early stage of development in Central and Eastern Europe.

Both the European Union and national governments have recognised the necessity of increasing energy efficiency, which has an impact on the development of economies. This requires close cooperation between the business sector and companies which excel at implementing new technologies in order to achieve ambitious environmental goals. The business sector plays one of the major roles in sustainable development measures, emphasised the Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All.