Poland, Germany push closer economic ties, joint competitiveness drive

WARSAW, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Poland and Germany pledged to deepen trade and investment ties and work together to strengthen Europe's industrial competitiveness, German Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said on Monday at the fourth edition of the Polish-German Economic Forum in Warsaw.

• Bilateral trade between the two countries has risen sharply over recent decades, reaching €180.4 billion ($202.12 billion) from €25 billion in 2000, Reiche said.

• She said investment was increasingly flowing in both directions, noting that around 1,000 Polish companies had invested in Germany, while about 1,600 German companies had invested in Poland across industries including automotive, chemicals, optics and electronics.

• The two countries face shared challenges, Reiche said. "We have not only to struggle in terms of energy, but also in terms of economic distress and constant attacks from Russia against Ukraine."

• Reiche also spoke about common goals: coming back to competitiveness via more deregulation and via lowering the overall energy bill, she said, calling for renewed growth in technology sectors like energy, space, and physical AI.

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(Reporting by Karol Badohal, writing by Maria Martinez, editing by Linda Pasquini)