Equitable development

“As I understand it, equitable development, sustainable development, is based on directing streams of resources to where individual cities and towns have lost or are losing their socio-economic functions due to administrative changes that have been introduced”, stated Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

Actions taken by the Government mean increased development opportunities in every corner of Poland. The investment projects in question are also reversing the trend that made people leave. It is by improving the quality of life throughout Poland that we can get people to return to their hometowns. We are channelling the funds under the projects not only into infrastructure, but also into social investment. It is no longer necessary to leave one's hometown to live and develop comfortably.

The Government Strategic Investment Programme

This is one of the programmes that support the development of municipalities, counties and cities throughout Poland. We have already completed a total of 5 editions of this programme. In two of them, all local government authorities were able to apply for funds, while three were targeted:

• at municipalities with state-owned farms,
• at spa municipalities,
• at development of industrial zones.

In total, over PLN 63 billion was allocated to more than 11,000 investment projects. The programme leads to construction of new, safe roads as well as water and sewage infrastructure. It also means greater opportunities in terms of education, sport and tourism in the immediate vicinity, which can be taken advantage of by the residents of municipalities and counties across Poland. 1,470 projects have already been completed.

The Prime Minister announced that, the state of public finances permitting, we will carry out the next edition of the Government Strategic Investment Programme still in 2023. This programme will become a cyclical budget item. This is our idea and commitment to local Poland.

Poland is attractive to investors

The Prime Minister stressed that during his meetings with investors, he encourages investing not only in large centres. He drew attention to aspects crucial for potential investors. One of them is municipal and county infrastructure in terms of water and sewage systems and roads. The fact that motorways and major roads lead to smaller towns increases their attractiveness.

“This significantly increases the potential, the chance that investment projects will be located in your municipalities, your counties, your cities and your towns,” said the Head of the Polish Government. New investment projects provide an impetus for further development. Not only do they make it possible to find work in the immediate vicinity, but they also trigger further changes – the creation of a new road or school, an increase in the attractiveness of the region.

Support for local governments

This is not the only programme where local governments could apply for funds. We also offered additional resources through the Government Local Investment Fund, the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management or the Fund for Counteracting COVID-19. We are planning a development subsidy for local governments for the third quarter of 2023.

We also support local governments in the development of road infrastructure. Thanks to the Government Road Development Fund, since 2019, we have completed investment projects totalling over 18,000 km in length and almost PLN 13 billion in value. If these roads ran along the Polish border, they would make it possible to go around it more than