SWISS is aware that you may have questions surrounding your next journey and might be wondering how you can best prepare for it. The new short SWISS hygiene film gives you an overview of the most important things you should take note of on your next flight.
We hope to welcome you back on board soon, so that we can fly you reliably and punctually to your desired destination.
https://youtu.be/7ySoArmEn3w
What we do to keep you safe | SWISS
We announce with pleasure that we have started working on Swiss Business Directory 2021/22 catalogue in which we will present the member companies of the Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce.
The catalogue is published every two years and includes texts contributed by the Swiss Embassy and the Swiss Business Hub Central Europe. Swiss Business Directory is highly appreciated and builds the image of Swiss companies on the Polish market, being a showcase of Swiss business.
We encourage you to check the advertisement offer. This year we decided not only to reduce the prices and extend the offer, but also to prepare a special first minute option, available only until the end of August.
27 July saw the official announcement of the results of what is the 18th ranking of law firms compiled by the Rzeczpospolita daily. We are proud to announce that GESSEL has received an award in the Pro Bono category and GESSEL website devoted to the legal aspects of coronavirus has been recognised.
From its very inception, GESSEL has been a proud supporter of initiatives in the realm of modern art, education, and – generally – the public good (for more about our pro bono work, please see HERE). Accordingly, this award is a source of special pride for us. We humbly accept it as recognition of the selfless work of our lawyers – Dr Beata Gessel-Kalinowska vel Kalisz, Senior Partner and founder not only of our firms, but also of foundations dedicated to supporting the National Museum in Warsaw and the Zachęta National Gallery, Joanna Kisielińska-Garncarek, Maria Dudzińska, Aldona Pietrzak, Michał Boryczka, Maciej Boryczko, Michał Bochowicz, Marta Grabiec, Krzysztof Jasiński, Marcin Maciejak, Karolina Olszewska, Piotr Tracz, and Erazm Dutkiewicz, among others.
GESSEL has been keeping on top of ongoing developments in the legal aspect and discussing them in what has grown into a sizeable sub-section of our firm’s website – COVID-19. The existence and development of this site is owed to the GESSEL team coordinated by Bernadeta Kasztelan-Świetlik, partner and drawing on input from Adam Kraszewski, Michał Bochowicz, Dr Bartłomiej Woźniak, Jakub Brzeski, Marta Grabiec, Krzysztof Jasiński, Karolina Krzal-Kwiatkowska, Katarzyna Lisowska, Agnieszka Nowacka, Julia Trzmielewska, Weronika Zdeb, Iwona Gielo-Benza, Aleksandra Głuszek, Paulina Maciąg, Karolina Olszewska, Diana Strzałkowska, and Piotr Tracz.
The ranking of law firms by the Rzeczpospolita daily has become a highlight in the annual calendar of the Polish legal circles. This year is a special one, not necessarily in a good way – due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organisers had to forego a traditional awards ceremony, settling for an online event which you can view HERE.
27 July saw the official announcement of the results of what is the 18th ranking of law firms compiled by the Rzeczpospolita daily. We are proud to announce that GESSEL has received an award in the Pro Bono category and GESSEL website devoted to the legal aspects of coronavirus has been recognised.
From its very inception, GESSEL has been a proud supporter of initiatives in the realm of modern art, education, and – generally – the public good (for more about our pro bono work, please see HERE). Accordingly, this award is a source of special pride for us. We humbly accept it as recognition of the selfless work of our lawyers – Dr Beata Gessel-Kalinowska vel Kalisz, Senior Partner and founder not only of our firms, but also of foundations dedicated to supporting the National Museum in Warsaw and the Zachęta National Gallery, Joanna Kisielińska-Garncarek, Maria Dudzińska, Aldona Pietrzak, Michał Boryczka, Maciej Boryczko, Michał Bochowicz, Marta Grabiec, Krzysztof Jasiński, Marcin Maciejak, Karolina Olszewska, Piotr Tracz, and Erazm Dutkiewicz, among others.
GESSEL has been keeping on top of ongoing developments in the legal aspect and discussing them in what has grown into a sizeable sub-section of our firm’s website – COVID-19. The existence and development of this site is owed to the GESSEL team coordinated by Bernadeta Kasztelan-Świetlik, partner and drawing on input from Adam Kraszewski, Michał Bochowicz, Dr Bartłomiej Woźniak, Jakub Brzeski, Marta Grabiec, Krzysztof Jasiński, Karolina Krzal-Kwiatkowska, Katarzyna Lisowska, Agnieszka Nowacka, Julia Trzmielewska, Weronika Zdeb, Iwona Gielo-Benza, Aleksandra Głuszek, Paulina Maciąg, Karolina Olszewska, Diana Strzałkowska, and Piotr Tracz.
The ranking of law firms by the Rzeczpospolita daily has become a highlight in the annual calendar of the Polish legal circles. This year is a special one, not necessarily in a good way – due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organisers had to forego a traditional awards ceremony, settling for an online event which you can view HERE.
The Polish-Swiss Chamber of Commerce together with other bilateral chambers in the International Group of Chambers of Commerce (IGCC) carried out a survey among Polish and foreign firms concerning the impact of Covid-19 on business activity in Poland. Fieldwork was conducted between 10 and 24 June. Results were compared with a similar study carried out by the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce (CCIFP) when the first restrictions were implemented. The data, gathered as businesses adapted to lockdown, highlights the biggest problems encountered by firms in the last three months, emphasising the concerns brought to light in the earlier survey.
Four out of five of firms expect worse-than-planned financial results at the end of this year, according to a survey carried out by bilateral chambers of commerce in Poland. Nearly 90% have already reported a decrease in sales. A return to pre-pandemic levels will be possible at the earliest within the next six to 12 months, although some industries expect recession to last into 2021. In most cases, firms’ bankruptcy-prevention strategies are based on cost cutting (mainly those unrelated to their core business); laying off employees is seen as a mean of last resort.
Companies face cancelled orders but payments from customers are not being delayed
The biggest problem that entrepreneurs faced over the past three months has been the cancellation of orders by customers (51% of responses). Concerns voiced by the majority of firms in the March survey, in which 50% of respondents predicted that orders will be cancelled, have proved true. Delayed payments from customers or delayed execution of orders ultimately affected fewer companies than predicted in the first survey (27% and 29% of responses in June, compared to 56% and 41% in March respectively). Production output, on the other hand, fell on a slightly larger scale than expected (28% of indications in June vs 21% in March).
As 38% of respondents pointed out, travel restrictions and closed borders represented a major obstacle for businesses, especially for companies operating across multiple markets. This has led to the necessity of remote management of companies, and created problems with document flow, such as the signing of physical documents or contracts.
The situation was better than expected in the logistics sector. Nearly half of the respondents did not report experiencing a significant negative impact of Covid-19, a result nearly 10% better than in early March. Only one in three companies reported problems with the delivery of products from Polish and/or foreign suppliers. Issues with the transport of goods inside the country or associated shortages in inventories occurred in only 10% of companies.
Companies will be cutting costs at least until the end of the year
As a consequence of the drop in sales, companies have taken measures to reduce expenses and operating costs to maintain liquidity.
52% of companies have already reduced expenses unrelated to their core business, in areas such as marketing, advertising or training, and nearly 40% will continue to do so in the coming months. The scale of these cuts is significant, as in nearly two-thirds of the cases they amounted to more than 50% of the original budgets for these activities.
Other measures taken by companies are: recruitment freeze (45% of responses); salary-increase freeze (37%) and bonus freeze (28%). Salaries were reduced in 29% of companies (usually by between 5-20%); however, only 17% of them plan to keep those reductions in the following months.
Companies are trying to protect existing jobs at all costs and, despite the decline in turnover, with redundancies seen as a last resort. So far, 15% of companies have declared laying off between 2-10% of their employees.
Nearly half of the firms surveyed (48%) have benefited from the ‘anti-crisis shield’ measures offered by the Polish government. 43% of those firms positively assessed the aid granted; however, 54% said that the proposed solutions didn’t meet their expectations. Their main criticisms concerned complicated procedures, unclear rules and long waits for decisions.
The survey Surviving Covid-19:The Impact of the Pandemic on Companies’ Business Activity in Poland was conducted by the French-Polish Chamber of Commerce among member companies of bilateral chambers of commerce in the IGCC (International Group of Chambers of Commerce). Respondents were CEOs, presidents, executive directors and board members. The results are based on questionnaires completed by 189 companies operating in Poland, 26% of which were Polish, 16% German, 14% French, 7% American, 6% Swiss, 5% Austrian; and 26% have the majority capital from various other countries. Nearly half of the respondents represented companies employing up to 50 people, 32% were medium-sized enterprises (51-500 employees) and 19% were companies employing over 500 people. Most respondents came from the following sectors: manufacturing industry (13%), construction & real estate (13%), business services (12%), consulting (8%), IT services and telecoms (7%) and trade and distribution (6%).
International Group of Chambers of Commerce (IGCC) www.inwestycjezagraniczne.com
Media
Business Insider
https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/koronawirus-w-polsce-trudna-sytuacja-firm/ccrkxmt
Rzeczpospolita
https://www.rp.pl/Biznes/307019883-Firmy-tna-pensje-i-etaty-wyhamowuja-inwestycje.html
Puls Biznesu
https://www.pb.pl/wirus-uderza-w-firmy-ktore-m-in-wyhamowuja-inwestycje-995557
For years we have been observing the growing complexity and variability of the Polish tax regulations that is followed by alarming penal-fiscal consequences. We hear it also from you. That is why we have organised a survey on a group of 32 member companies to show the reality that companies active in Poland need to deal with.
The results of the survey were complemented with the information from the audit and advisory company Grant Thornton.
In the report you can also find commentaries of representatives of our member companies. They include hints, what should be changed to make the regulations more company-friendly.
Below you will find the attached English and Polish version of the report as well as many articles in Polish that were published in the media recently.
Media
Szwajcarska precyzja i polska biurokracja:
https://www.pb.pl/szwajcarska-precyzja-i-polska-biurokracja-994561
Biznes po polsku, czyli 4,5 tysiąca godzin na obowiązki podatkowe:
https://businessinsider.com.pl/firmy/podatki/duze-firmy-poswiecaja-ponad-49-tys-godzin-rocznie-na-obowiazki-podatkowe/6hm4l0c?utm_source=gtfr.inforia.net_viasg_businessinsider&utm_medium=referal&utm_campaign=leo_automatic&srcc=ucs&utm_v=2
4552 godzin pracy i 2,8 etatów. Tyle potrzebują firmy, aby zrealizować obowiązek sprawozdawczy wobec organów administracji
https://forsal.pl/biznes/firma/artykuly/7754580,grant-thornton-obowiazek-sprawozdawczy-4552-godzin-pracy-i-28-etatow.html
Grant Thornton: Sprawozdawczość wobec organów zajmuje firmom 4,55 tys. godzin
https://wyborcza.biz/biznes/1,100969,26059169,grant-thornton-sprawozdawczosc-wobec-organow-zajmuje-firmom.html?disableRedirects=true
Firmy w Polsce spędzają ponad 560 dni roboczych rocznie na państwowej biurokracji
https://300gospodarka.pl/news/firmy-w-polsce-spedzaja-ponad-560-dni-roboczych-rocznie-na-panstwowej-biurokracji
More articles:
https://inwestycje.pl/biznes/sprawozdawczosc-wobec-organow-zajmuje-firmom-455-tys-godzin/
Ladies and Gentlemen,
we encourage you to read the attached current entry restrictions in Switzerland to control the spread of COVID-19 :
Dear Members,
We encourage you to take a look at our Calendar. Due to the fact that we cannot meet at the moment, we are organizing webinars on the topics important to you in these uncertain times. We have organized the following webinars so far:
– Update on new Polish WHT regime,
– Coronavirus – the greatest challenges and problems of companies due to epidemic,
– Anti-crisis shield,
– Difficult conversations during pandemic – legal and psychological aspects,
– How to cope with uncertainty and stress – practical tips.
Our events calendar is updated continuously, so have a look which webinar is of interest to you.
We have prepared for you a list of articles and publications from our member companies related to coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. You will find here information about anti-crisis shield, employers and employee rights and support for your business. Below a few crucial links where to find information about the current situation in Switzerland as well.
– COVID-19 and the “Anti-crisis Shield” – proposals by the government – Crido
* Webinar – New instruments to boost financial liquidity of Polish companies (28.04.2020, 11:00)
* Guide to anti-crisis solutions (in Polish)
– Areas of practice – Gessel
* BGK actually helpful to business during the epidemic ?
* The anti-crisis shield – Wage subsidy calculator
– Coronavirus – assistance services – Grant Thornton
* Taxes/ Social Security Contributions, Finance, Legal
* Acconting, HR and Payroll
– Amendment to the Anti-Crisis Shield – Kacprzak Radcy Prawni, office@kacprzak.com.pl
* Labour law
* Commercial Law
– Coronavirus- suport for companies & KMPG Spot – KPMG (in Polish)
* “Digitally ready” (a webinar free of charge), 2.06.2020, 10:00-12:50
* Contact with KMPG experts – mampytanie@kmpg.pl
– Publications, reports – PwC
* Lease agreements and COVID-19 – a practical guide for entrepreneurs
* Interviews prof. Witold Orlowski with experts (in Polish)
– The most important changes indicated in the Anti-Crisis Shield – Sadkowski i Wspólnicy
* Anti-crisis shield
* Public procurement, labour law
– Reports – Sii Sp. z o.o.
* Free report on situation in all parts of the world
– Reports – TAAC Solutions
* Special solutions for foreigners being present in Poland during COVID-19 referring to their residence and work permits
* Current entry restrictions in Switzerland
Switzerland:
– General information on current situation in Switzerland
– Helpline regarding refusal of entry
– Coronavirus and the economy (in German)
– Education (in German)
– Media brief
Webinar on practical aspects of Polish contract and company law to be held on 4 June 2020 (in German)
The webinar is addressed to German-speaking business, including companies, operating in Poland as well as board members and in-house lawyers of Polish companies affected by the crisis. The subject of the webinar is also intended for businesses which concluded contracts with Polish companies and have difficulties in performing them.
PROGRAMME:
1. Avoiding contractual liability. Adjusting the contract.
1.1 No liability without fault
1.2 Risk liability vs. force majeure
1.3 Amending the existing contract by the court (rebus sic stantibus)
1.4 Terminating the ongoing contract negotiations
1.5 Lease agreements
1.6 Withdrawal from the contract
2. Participating in a meeting of the management board or the supervisory board or a shareholders’ meeting using means of remote communication
3. Grounds for bankruptcy, deadline for filing a bankruptcy petition
4. Liability of a management board member in the crisis
5. Collective redundancies
6. Chances from the crisis
Dear Members,
Thank you very much for participating in the survey. The same study was carried out by the chambers of France, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries, with the support of other bilateral chambers. We present accurate results provided by the members of Swisschamber and Advantage Austria.
The results clearly show that the current restrictions on air traffic have affected your companies. Only 4% of respondents indicated the option of no correlation between restrictions and functioning of the company.
Also when asked about travels after resuming air connections, the least of you marked the option “I will not use them”. Central Europe is the most popular among the proposed destinations, but also countries outside Europe and Western Europe were marked.
Below you will find the results of the survey along with a press release from the International Group of Chambers of Commerce (IGCC), as well as an article from “Rzeczpospolita” about the survey (in Polish).