Representation of Lewiatan in Brussels
The tasks of our representatives involve:
- representation of Lewiatan in Brussels, maintaining contacts with business federations, trade unions, diplomatic representations, EU institutions (representatives of the Council, Commission, MEPs),
- participation in the works of BusinessEurope, at the level of permanent representatives, committees, working groups and task force, reporting on BusinessEurope operations and initiatives,
- monitoring EU legislation and providing information to relevant Lewiatan experts and members,
- preparation of opinions on EU legislation, together with Lewiatan experts, as well as direct submission of opinions to EU institutions,
- informing EU institutions about Lewiatan stances with regard to EU legislation and other areas relevant to Lewiatan,
- development of international relations and activities undertaken independently by Lewiatan and in cooperation with other stakeholders (employers’ organisations, members, public administration),
- preparation of analyses, expert opinions, studies and reports on international affairs, EU, Poland-EU relations, situation of entrepreneurs in European countries
The Lewiatan Europe team
Kinga Grafa
Office director, Permanent Representative at BusinessEurope
A political scientist and journalist by education. She attained her experience regarding the functioning of the EU while working for the Office of the Committee for European Integration (2008-2009) and the European Parliament (2009-2014). A co-author of a book about the Polish aristocracy, author of scientific publications on American foreign policy, American elite and cultural diplomacy.
Luana Żak
Expert
A graduate of international relations at the University of Warsaw and postgraduate of international trade at Warsaw School of Economics. She gained professional experience in the government agencies specialized in the foreign trade promotion and invesment attraction. She was responsible for supporting enterprises in their international expansion in the European Union, organizing events aimed at promoting Poland abroad and conducting cooperation towards removal of trade barriers with the representatives of public administration.
Polish Confederation Lewiatan Brussels Office
Avenue de Cortenbergh 168
1000 Brussels
BusinessEurope
Lewiatan is Poland’s only employers’ organisation to be a member of BusinessEurope. BusinessEurope means the Confederation of European Business, namely an association of entrepreneurs and employers domiciled in Brussels, founded in 1958.
The organisation has 40 members from 34 countries, including the EU countries, the EEA countries and some countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
The fundamental drivers and priorities of BusinessEurope’s operation have remained unchanged for more than forty years, and they include (i) the unification of industrial federations, (ii) strengthening solidarity between them, (iii) acting as an ombudsman in relation to the European institutions. BusinessEurope has been striving for constant cooperation with official institutions, examines current problems and agrees on positions always on a general, horizontal level. BusinessEurope has never been a sector organisation.
European Economic and Social Committee
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) was established in 1957 as an advisory and opinion-forming body of the European Union (back then the European Communities). It is one of the five treaty bodies of the EU, alongside the European Parliament, the European Council, the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions.
The EESC brings together representatives of employers, employees and other social and civil organisations of the EU Member States. Every year, it prepares 160-190 opinions and information reports. 70% of them are created upon request of the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament. 21% of them include own-initiative opinions and information reports, while 9% of them are exploratory opinions, usually prepared upon request of the country holding the presidency of the EU Council and the European Parliament.
EESC members are broken down into three groups: Employers, Trade Unions and miscellaneous interests. The Committee prepares opinions on legal proposals, which are subsequently presented to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the EU Council. There are 7 EESC members on behalf of Polish employers, including two representatives of the Lewiatan Confederation.
More information: www.eesc.europa.eu
Eurofound
The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) is a tripartite agency of the EU dedicated to providing knowledge (analyses and reports) aimed at supporting the development of better social, employment and work-related policies. Eurofound was established in 1975 and is domiciled in Dublin, Ireland.
More information: www.eurofound.europa.eu/pl/about-eurofound
EU-OSHA
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work is a tripartite agency of the EU dedicated to ensure safer, healthier and more productive jobs in Europe – for the benefit of businesses, workers and EU Member States.
This Agency promotes a risk prevention culture at work to improve working conditions in Europe. Its tasks include collecting, analysing and disseminating information among entities involved in ensuring safety and health protection at the workplace. The EU-OSHA was established in 1994 and is domiciled in Bilbao, Spain.
More information: www.europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/agencies/eu-osha_pl
Strategy for Europe
In view of the new institutional cycle in the European Union, Polish Confederation Lewiatan presents business demands that we hope will inspire EU policy-making in the years to come, including during the Polish Presidency of the EU Council.
They are the fruit of extensive consultations with entrepreneurs and experts from various sectors of the economy. Many of them are consistent with the priorities of the European business federation BusinessEurope, which brings together employers’ organisations from European countries, of which we are a member. Some of the priorities take into account the Polish specificity, which is particularly important in the context of the need to strengthen the voice of Polish business in the European decision-making process. We hope that the Polish Presidency of the EU Council will also be an opportunity to strengthen Poland’s role at the EU level.
Our aim is to present proposals that will stimulate economic growth, EU innovation, create jobs, while respecting sustainability. The European Green Deal, which is the EU’s ambitious plan to transform the continent, must be complemented by a comprehensive industrial policy that will support European business in this process, while ensuring Europe’s competitiveness. The EU needs a long-term growth strategy.
We also want to draw attention to areas where, given the increasingly difficult and dangerous geopolitical situation, Europe needs to show more determination, as in the case of building defence capacity and strengthening security, and supporting candidates for membership, including Ukraine.
The new mandate in the EU is an opportunity to redefine and adapt the EU strategy to the dynamically changing global economic and political reality. The following postulates are Polish Confederation Lewiatan’s contribution to the discussion on the future directions of its development.
Download PDF: Lewiatan’s Strategy for Europe [short version]
