For Sosna, one of the places where he connects Poland and Luxembourg is at the Philharmonie. “It’s culture, it’s music, and Poland is known for music--[Frédéric] Chopin and many others,” the president explains.
Last year, the chamber celebrated its 10th anniversary, but the founding of it was a way to connect the two countries in terms of business opportunities. “That’s a bit different--as far as I know--from most of the other chambers because they do a lot of events focused on Luxembourg,” Sosna explains. “We don’t. We focus on both countries and always bring people from both countries.”
For events in the grand duchy, LPCC invites speakers and experts from Poland. Similarly, the chamber regularly holds events at the Luxembourg embassy in Warsaw, where it brings professionals from the grand duchy. These tap into explorations and potential synergies in certain sectors that make sense on a bilateral level. The chamber doesn’t do any sort of cultural or charity events, Sosna adds.
The chamber has also organised on four occasions the Luxembourg-Poland Business conference. “We do it every year. Once we do it in Luxembourg at the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, and the other year in Poland at the embassy in Warsaw,” Sosna explains. Earlier this year, it was in the Polish capital, with Luxembourg finance minister (DP) and her Polish counterpart, Magdalena Rzeczkowska, among those speaking about sustainable finance.
The other flagship event for the LPCC is a summer business event at the residence of the Polish ambassador. “Every year, we invite another region of Poland to present their region.”
Sosna, who is part of Poland’s German-speaking minority, says it was easy to integrate first in Germany, where he lived for 15 years and acquired nationality before moving to Luxembourg. He now holds three nationalities, including Luxembourgish.
A passionate polyglot and traveller, Sosna says he “never felt Polish because we grew up in this minority, and you’re not well seen in Poland,” he says. “After being in those three different countries, I decided I’m European.”