It was initiated by Minister Borys Budka, Marshall of the Silesian Voivodeship Wojciech Saługa, President of Katowice Marcin Krupa, Chairman of the Board of the Upper Silesian and Zagłębie Metropolis Kazimierz Karolczak, Senator Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, Jerzy Buzek's parliamentary advisor Ryszard Pawlik, Founder and Honorary President of the GIS Tadeusz Donocik, President of the GIS Tomasz Zjawiony, Vice-President of the GIS Robert Smoliński, Vice-President and Deputy Director General of the GIS Marlena Miąsko, Vice-President of the GIS Katarzyna Borowiecka, President of IDA JSC Michał Dąbrowski and Vice Presidents of IDA JSC Jakub Dulski, Łukasz Kotapski, Krzysztof Michalski and Radosław Niedzielski.

‘If you are a bit lucky in life, you interact with people from whom you can learn a lot. If you are a bit luckier, you can interact with them and co-create a certain reality. And if you are very lucky, you can create this reality with them. I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with my friends in the new Management Board of the Industrial Development Agency JSC, which unanimously and without any hesitation decided on what we are about to announce,’ said Michał Dąbrowski, President of the Industrial Development Agency JSC, during the award gala.

The laudation in honour of Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek could be heard: ‘Awarded the highest state decoration - the Order of the White Eagle, engineer, Prime Minister, President of the European Parliament. A man who changed Poland and Europe. As Prime Minister, he started negotiations with the European Union and brought Poland into NATO. One of the five most influential people in European energy policy. He received the ‘MEP of the Year’ award three times. He has always supported Silesian entrepreneurs contributing to economic growth and innovative development of the region. His commitment to promoting local business and creating a friendly environment for entrepreneurship is invaluable’.

Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek received the statuette from Minister of State Assets Borys Budka. The Prime Minister said that as his successor in the European Parliament he would like to see Minister Borys Budka

In his speech, Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek stressed how important democracy is for our country.

- There is no entrepreneurship, there is no victory for us, there is no Europe which will help us, which will share with us matters of security, matters of the future, without democracy,’ said Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, receiving the statuette. ’It is important that the partner of the Regional Chamber of Commerce is the Industrial Development Agency JSC, an institution which, on a national scale, was established in order to restructure the Polish economy, to give a new impulse to what will be happening in industry and also in the energy sector. I wanted to share this great, good news with you. These two institutions supported by us, by entrepreneurs from the Silesian Voivodeship and from all over Poland, and by politicians, whose flower I see around me here, of which I am extremely proud, give an opportunity for a great change,’ added Professor Buzek.

- This award will be the beginning of a certain cycle, of which the Industrial Development Agency will be a patron. Its aim is to implement the most innovative solutions in industry and technology, including the scientific world - summed up the gala by Michał Dąbrowski, President of IDA JSC.

The European Industry and Energy Congress INDUSTRY IN TRANSITION in Katowice, organised by the Regional Chamber of Commerce in Katowice, will end in the afternoon.

Still today, participants will discuss the trends that are to shape the future of these industries and the best practices for their adaptation to global climate challenges and dynamically developing new technologies.

Honorary patrons of the event are the European Commission and the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Development and Technology. The General Partner of the event is the Industrial Development Agency JSC.