MEMO/07/585

Brussels, 14 December 2007

POLAND- Operational programme 2007-2013: "Pomerania"

1.Pomorskie Regional Operational Programme, Convergence objective, co-funded by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

2.On 6 September, the European Commission approved the regional development programme in the Pomeranian region in Poland for the period 2007-2013, entitled "the Operational Programme for the Pomorskie voivodship". This programme involves Community support for Pomerania within the framework of "Convergence" objective. The total budget of the programme is around EUR 1.3 billion and Community assistance through the ERDF amounts to EUR 885 million (approximately 1.3 % of the total EU money invested in Poland under Cohesion policy 2007-2013).

3.The purpose and aim of the EU investment

The Pomorskie Regional Operational Programme (ROP) is the region’s first ever large-scale, coordinated, multi-annual and financially stable programme of development measures. Its strategic goal is to improve the region’s competitiveness, social cohesion and accessibility and realise its unique economic and cultural potential and ensure a sustainable use of its environment.

Consequently, the Pomorskie ROP will become the region’s most important instrument for making structural changes happen. It will also be an important tool for the delivery of the revised Lisbon Strategy. The Lisbon objectives allocation in the Programme is more than 47% of its total budget.

4.The expected impact of the investment

According to a macroeconomic modelling projection the programme is expected to deliver additional GDP of 3.4% and over 7 000 new jobs. The unemployment rate should be brought down by 0.7 percentage points after its implementation.

5.Priority

The specific objectives of the programme are the following:

  1. To improve the competitiveness and innovation of the economy and increase the skill levels of the population;
  2. To improve the attractiveness of cities for investment and the links between them;
  3. To improve the attractiveness for settlement and tourism;
  4. To overcome development barriers in areas with lower development potential;

The programme is structured according to the following priorities:

Priority 1:Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) development and innovation

There will be direct and indirect SME financial support instruments. The grants will support projects designed to create jobs and innovation in companies with a strong development potential, and the capacity to be competitive in the national and international market. Projects should aim to increase the efficiency of raw materials and energy consumption. Indirect business support will be designed to create and reinforce instruments such as specialised loan funds, guarantee funds and other instruments of capital support. The SME sector in the region will obtain better access to specialist advice. These services should be provided by business support organisations, using a system which is transparent and meets the actual demand from business. The key to establishing the region’s efficient business support environment will be the innovation network, which includes organisations that generate and effectively transfer innovation from research and development to business. To ensure that the business support environment is effective, it will be important to promote the region and its economy; this will be designed to attract inward investors and help Polish companies to establish international business relations.

Priority 2:Knowledge society

Better human capital will be delivered through support for training and research infrastructure at universities, with special emphasis on increasing schools’ capacity for quality education and making sure that the courses respond to the real needs of the labour market and dynamic economic change. It will involve the establishment of modern and flexible training at universities and a variety of attractive and affordable life-long learning courses (including specialist courses). Access to knowledge and information will be improved as new and better infrastructure is established to promote information and communication technologies, and as a result of funding to develop electronic services for the population and business. It will be particularly important to significantly improve the situation in areas away from the region’s major cities.

Priority 3:Urban and metropolitan functions

Attractiveness for investment, the urban fabric and tourism will improve with better transport systems, with special emphasis on public transport, and as a result of comprehensive initiatives to regenerate brownfield sites and modernise city spaces (especially public spaces) which will encourage or strengthen metropolitan and supra-urban functions.

Priority 4:Regional transport systems

Support is needed for the region’s transport system to ensure that road and rail networks are modernised and extended. The projects should contribute to an improved spatial cohesion of the region, more efficient links between the regional, national and European transport systems, as well as better use of the economic potential offered by the individual parts of the region and improved transport safety.

Priority 5:Environment and environment friendly energy

The region’s investments will aim to deliver the commitment under the Accession Treaty in the area of waste management. Water management investments will be critical in some parts of the region. Projects designed to monitor the environment will complement the actions. It is expected that the environment will benefit from a more extensive use of the region’s rich sources of renewable energy and as a result of implementing energy conservation projects.

Priority 6:Tourism and cultural heritage

The region’s tourism attractiveness is a key to its sustainable development. It will be strengthened by ensuring sustainable use of its unique natural and cultural wealth. The projects should aim to deliver diversified tourism and cover tourism infrastructure, cultural heritage and create and promote tourism products. Supporting the projects will be the development of an integrated system of tourist information.

Priority 7:Health protection and emergency system

The health of the region’s population requires decisive action to improve accessibility and quality of health care, especially in the area of preventing and diagnosing cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. A key role of the health care system will be to develop and improve the rescue and emergency system, part of the integrated regional rescue system being built now. To improve the functioning of the health care system and, from a wider perspective to improve the safety of the region’s communities, efforts will be made to introduce an integrated regional emergency system, including a medical emergency element.

Priority 8:Local basic infrastructure

To attract inward investment, create jobs and improve the quality of life of the region’s population, action is required to bridge the gap in the provision of basic infrastructure especially between cities and rural areas. The relevant projects should primarily address the needs of local road, economic and tourist infrastructure. Waste water management projects will be delivered to meet the Accession Treaty requirements.

Priority 9:Local social infrastructure and civil initiatives

Parts of the region affected by social and economic problems, especially rural areas, require support to improve the quality and accessibility of the social infrastructure (education, sports, health). At the same time these areas need a strong incentive to encourage the local communities to take an active part in small projects (including infrastructure projects); the catalyst for such action should be the non-governmental sector. With projects delivered in these two complementary themes there will be a real opportunity for improving and sustaining the quality of life of the population.

Priority 10:Technical assistance.

Support for projects in the Pomorskie ROP management and implementation process, publicity and information and support for the process of project development and implementation.

6.Managing Authority: Council of the Pomorskie voivodship

Contact: Mr Jan Kozłowski, Marshal of the Pomorskie voivodship

Marshal's Office of the Pomorskie voivodship

Okopowa 21/27

PL-80-810 Gdańsk

Tel.:+48 58 32 61 500

Fax:+48 58 32 61 503

E-mail:

7.Title: "Regional Operational Programme for the Pomorskie voivodship", programme under the Convergence objective

Intervention type: Operational Programme

CCI No.: 2007PL161PO015

No. of decision: K(2007)4209

Final approval date: 04/09/2007

8.Breakdown of Finances by priority area (in EUR)

No. / Priority Axes / Community funding / National counterpart (public and private) / Total funding
1. / SME development and innovation / 185 863 810 / 123 909 206 / 309 773 016
2. / Knowledge society / 61 954 603 / 20 651 534 / 82 606 137
3. / Urban and metropolitan functions / 106 207 892 / 45 517 668 / 151 725 560
4. / Regional transport system / 203 565 125 / 67 855 042 / 271 420 167
5. / Environment and environmental friendly energy / 61 954 604 / 20 651 535 / 82 606 139
6. / Tourism and cultural heritage / 44 253 288 / 14 751 096 / 59 004 384
7. / Health protection and emergency system / 35 402 630 / 11 800 877 / 47 203 507
8. / Local basic infrastructure / 123 909 207 / 21866 331 / 145 775 538
9. / Local social infrastructure and civil initiatives / 35 402 630 / 6 247 523 / 41 650 153
10. / Technical assistance / 26 551 973 / 8 850 658 / 35 402 631

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