Discussion lunch with guests
26. 3. 2024
Restaurant Zátiší
On the last Tuesday of March we organized the first Stammtisch of this year - a traditional discussion meeting with distinguished guests, enriched by a three-course lunch in the Zátiší restaurant. It was attended by thirty guests from among AFI members, our team and from among friendly institutions, representatives of ministries and key businessmen. The role of keynote speaker was taken by the President of the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, Jan Rafaj, who opened a number of interesting topics.
At the beginning, Jan Rafaj focused on the problems that investors in the Czech Republic are currently facing the most - he focused on the situation on the labour market, energy prices and the impact of emission allowances, the cost of money and high interest rates. He then highlighted the importance of the entry of foreign investors with high added value and their involvement in supply chains. He also addressed the issue of the energy-intensive industry, which in recent years has been labelled an unwanted sector, although its benefits to the economy, and especially to other downstream sectors, are enormous.
Our guests took the opportunity to ask Mr. Rafaj questions, the most frequent being the important topic of energy self-sufficiency of both the Czech Republic and Europe. The discussion also included the currently frequently mentioned topic of the construction of the gigafactory in Lutynia in the Bohumín region or quotas for the employment of foreign workers.
We are pleased that Mr Rafaj also mentioned initiatives that he perceives as positive - beneficial foreign missions, successes of some exporters or planned amendments to laws to help companies reduce the bureaucratic burden. He also did not forget to list the sectors in which he sees promise for our economy, namely the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, precision engineering, defence and the automotive industry. And he delighted us at AFI by agreeing on the need for a methodology for approving investment incentives.
Thank you for spending your lunch time with us and engaging in interesting discussions. And we look forward to seeing you again next time.
