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PM hails Mercedes-Benz's plan for EUR 1 bn electric van factory in Poland

12.12.2022 11:30
The Polish prime minister has welcomed Mercedes-Benz’s decision to build a EUR 1 billion electric van factory in southwestern Poland as “a clear sign of progress” the country has made in recent years.
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Polands Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks to reporters in Warsaw on Monday, December 12, 2022.
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki speaks to reporters in Warsaw on Monday, December 12, 2022.PAP/Mateusz Marek

Mateusz Morawiecki made the remark at a news conference in Warsaw on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported. 

Speaking to reporters alongside Mathias Geisen, head of van operations at Mercedes-Benz Group, Morawiecki said: “The fact that several years ago such magnificent companies as Mercedes Benz put their trust in Poland is a clear indicator of how we are developing our production, of how we are developing the manufacturing sector in Poland and of how we are seeking to create the best possible conditions for both foreign and domestic investors.”    

The new factory will be built in the southwestern town of Jawor, reporters were told.

Morawiecki said the town and its surrounding areas would benefit from the new factory.  

He stated: “We want to make sure that development is sustainable, territorially even. The municipalities that surround Jawor ... need to have a chance to grow too.”

Morawiecki told reporters that Poland did not want to compete with other countries in the region by offering low-cost labour.

He said: “Above all, we seek to create quality jobs, requiring good education and offering high salaries.”

He added that the government was teaming up with local authorities and special economic zones “to create the best possible environment, in terms of taxes and regulations, for investors to do business in Poland.“

More than 2,500 new jobs

The new Mercedes-Benz factory "means new jobs, hundreds of new jobs, and in the immediate future, more than 1,000 new jobs,” Morawiecki said.

Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz’s Geisen told reporters: “We are planning to invest more than EUR 1 billion in Jawor over the coming years. We’ll be manufacturing vehicles of the future.”

Geisen added, as quoted by the PAP news agency: “We’ll be producing Europe’s first all-electric vans. It’s a step towards zero-emission mobility. We thank Prime Minister Morawiecki and the whole government of Poland for good, trust-based cooperation."

Poland’s Ministry of Development and Technology later announced that the factory would be worth EUR 1.3 billion and employ more than 2,500 people, the PAP news agency reported.

(pm/gs)

Source: PAP, 300gospodarka.plgov.pl

Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Piotr Miszczuk.