Canada–Poland relations

Canadian-Polish relations

Canada
Poland

Canadian-Polish relations are foreign relations between Canada and Poland. The Canada-Poland diplomatic relationship dates to the first bilateral agreement, a Convention on Merchant Shipping, which was signed in 1935. Canada has an embassy in Warsaw. Poland has an embassy in Ottawa and 4 Consulates-General (in Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver). Both countries are full members of NATO and OECD.

Political Relations

Canada and Poland enjoy close political relations, including growth in trade and investments, increasing military co-operation and academic relations programmes. Canada is home to over 980,000 Polish-Canadians.

Defence

In February 1998, Canada was the first NATO country to ratify Polish accession to the North Atlantic Alliance. Canada has become a leader among NATO countries in language and peacekeeping training in Poland, with hundreds of Polish officers and senior general staff having received training in Canada and Poland.

Development

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has committed $75 million for technical cooperation projects in Poland in the 1990s to support the country's transformation. Those programs stopped in 2004 with Poland's accession to the EU. Canada's support has evolved and the two countries now jointly fund development projects in third countries. CIDA's Official Development Assistance in Central Europe (ODACE) develops Poland's capacities as a donor of foreign aid.

Canadian Studies Centres and programmes are flourishing in Polish universities. To date, six Canadian Studies have been established and eight Polish universities offer numerous courses on Canada and the aspects of Canadian life.

Trade

Poland is Canada's largest market in Central and Eastern Europe. Bilateral trade totalled $799.3 million in 2005. In 2011, trade totalled at (CAD) $1.69 billion. Canadian exports to Poland doubled in the early 2000s and totaled $266.7 million in 2005. Canadian imports from Poland totaled $532.6 million. Canada's main exports to Poland were mechanical and electrical machinery; ores, slag and ash; vehicles and pharmaceutical products. Canadian imports from Poland included machinery, furniture and bedding, wood and iron/steel products.

Investment

Poland's dynamic economy and its accession to the European Union in 2004 have created opportunities for the Canadian private sector. Priority sectors of opportunity include a wide range of infrastructure projects in the transportation and oil and gas sectors, aerospace, environmental products, science and technology (information technology and telecommunications), and defence and security products. Canadian investment in Poland was $237 million in 2005.

See also

External links


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