Eastern Poland development plan advancing
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
29.04.2015 08:22
An EU-funded plan to invest EUR 2 billion into Eastern Poland is taking shape as the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development finalises details of how the funds will be managed.
The transport infrastructure in the east of Poland (seen here in Szczecin) could get a boost. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The EUR 2 billion ‘Eastern Poland’ plan for 2014-2020 was adopted at the end of last year and will see significant EU investment into the five regions of Eastern Poland, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Podkarpackie and Świętokrzyskie.
Under an agreement finalised by the Ministry, the project will be managed by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and the Centre for EU Transport Projects, which will both have responsibility for allocating funding and signing contracts.
According to the EU, the plan “aims to boost further growth in Eastern Poland and make the macro-region a more attractive place to live and invest in.”
Some 62 percent of the funding will go to transport infrastructure projects, with an emphasis on regional capitals, while the rest will be focused on supporting entrepreneurship.
Eastern Poland is less economically developed than the west of the country, a divide which can be traced back to the Partitions of Poland and the Russian annexation of the area.
The region has above-average national levels of agricultural employment and below-average national incomes. (sl/rg)
Source: PAP, EU