INVESTORS IN MSK
Plánují se v blízké době nějaké konkrétní
investice v Moravskoslezském kraji?
Překvapuje mě, že nejsme v tabulce výš kamkoliv přijdu, najdu investice. Vidíme,
že britské společnosti mají o váš region
značný zájem díky jeho jedinečným přírodním podmínkám a dostupnosti pracovní síly – na což CzechInvest skvěle
upozorňuje i ve Velké Británii.
Ve vašem regionu již působí více britských investorů, například Liberty Steel,
jeden z největších zdejších zaměstna-
vatelů, nebo distributoři britských značek, jako je Best of British Cars, dealerství Jaguar Land Rover.
Dva potenciálně velmi zajímavé projekty podporované britským velvyslanectvím v současné době představuje britský technologický start-up Gravitricity,
který jedná o možné instalaci podzemního úložiště energie ve slezském dole.
A britská společnost Rolls-Royce SMR,
která se zabývá zaváděním malých modulárních reaktorů a má zájem o umís-
tění svých reaktorů v České republice.
Tato společnost plánuje zahájit jednání
s Moravskoslezským krajem o možné
spolupráci.
Vaše excelence, děkujeme Vám za rozhovor.
Text: redakce
Foto: archiv Jeho excelence
Nicholase Stewarta Archera
We Help
Open Doors to Businesses
Nicholas Stewart Archer has been the British Ambassador to the Czech Republic since 2018.
He previously served as a diplomat in Jordan and Norway, as Ambassador to Denmark and High
Commissioner to Malta. From 1997 to 2000 he was Assistant Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales.
Mr. Ambassador, will you share with
us the key priorities that you intend
to address in the coming year?
My time in the Czech Republic is coming
to an end, and so a lot of this will be up
to my successor. Of course, my priorities
are my country’s priorities. Support
for Ukraine will stay a top priority in
the coming year; happily we are in full
agreement with our Czech partners
so our two governments will continue
working together to offer support, both
as long as the fighting continues and for
reconstruction when it ends.
In the area of business, our plan is to
keep working with Czech stakeholders
on some strategic deals mainly in
the areas of energy, defence and
infrastructure. And to give companies at
both ends the help they need as they get
used to the still-new post-Brexit trading
environment.
During your visit to Ostrava, you
mentioned your interest in developing
cooperation at the level of smaller
companies, in the fields of science and
innovation, and also in education. Were
these goals met?
I am pleased to say they have. One of
the most important tasks of my embassy
is to help open the door for businesses.
And we have successfully managed
that for a number of SMEs, especially in
consumer and retail markets. Just a few
weeks ago we held a retail trade mission
at the Embassy where almost thirty
new British food, drink and cosmetics
brands presented themselves to local
distributors and we will shortly be able to
see some of them here in Czech shops,
which is great. This confirms that to he
Czech market continues to be attractive
for British businesses, and I am glad my
embassy can help to make this possible.
On education specifically, the Embassy
I’m surprised that
“
we are not higher up on
the table, wherever I go I find
investments.
”
cooperates with local foundations
supporting Czech students attending
the most prestigious British universities.
We have also begun a discussion with
Czech banks on how the current loan
system parameters could be adapted to
allow Czech students to take up loans
for tuition fees which is something that is
very common in the UK.
any specific investments planned in
the Moravian-Silesian region in the near
future?
I’m surprised that we are not higher up on
the table – wherever I go I find investments.
We see a significant interest from British
companies in your region due to its
unique natural conditions and workforce
availability – which CzechInvest is great at
highlighting back in the UK.
In your region, there are already multiple
British investors, such as Liberty Steel,
one of the largest employers here, or
British brands’ distributors such as Best
of British Cars, the Jaguar – Land Rover
dealership.
Two potential and very interesting
projects supported by the British Embassy
currently are the British technology start
up Gravitricity. They are negotiating
the possible installation of a belowground energy storage in a Silesian mine.
The British company Rolls Royce SMR is
engaged in deployment of small modular
reactors and keen to deploy its reactors
in the Czech Republic. It plans to initiate
negotiations with the Moravian-Silesian
region about potential cooperation.
Your Excellency, thank you for the interview.
Great Britain is the eleventh largest
source of foreign direct investment
for the Czech Republic. Are there
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