1. Development Priorities in Regional Operational Programmes prepared by the Polish Regions for the Programming Periode
8 – 11 October 2007, Brussels
Barbara Kocowska
Office for European Funds Management
Lower Silesian Voivodship’s Office

2. Structure of the presentation
General background:
programming periode 2004 – 2006 versus 2007 – 2013
Structural Funds allocation for Poland
Analysis of 16 RPOs projects:
number and contents of Priority Axes
evolution of RPO drafts and negotiations with the EC
regional solutions and projects’ strategies
EU priorities as formulated in the Renewed Lisbon Strategy and assessment of ROPs respective cohesion
Opportunities and challenges

3. Scheme of implementation of Structural Aid for Poland in the Programming Periods
2007—2013
16 Regional Operational Programmes ,6 mln €
OP Infrastructure and Environment ,7 mln €
OP Human Capital 9 707,2 mln €
OP Innovative Economy 8 254,9 mln €
OP Eastern Poland’s Development ,8 mln €
OP European Territorial Cooperation 731,1 mln €
OP Technical Assistance 516,7 mln €
2004—2006
Integrated Regional Operation Programme (16 regional components)
6 Sectoral Operational Programmes
CI INTERREG
CI EQUAL

4.
Poland 6%
Poland 19,4%
UE ( ) – 213,0 bln € Poland: 12,8 bln €:
8,6 bln € for 7 Operational Programmes and 2 Community Initiatives (SF)
4,2 bln € (CF)
UE ( ) – 347,4 bln € Poland: 67,3 bln €:
ERDF: 52 %
ESF: 15 %
CF: 33 %
After the Ministry for Regional Development

5. RPOs Share in EU funding
16,6 bln € = 24 % of EU allocation for Poland
After the Ministry for Regional Development

6. Evolution of number of Priority Axes in RPO drafts
Number of PA
September 2006
March 2007
July 2007
Between 6 and 9 12
(3 x 6 PA, 3 x 7 PA, 4 x 8 PA, 2 x 9 PA) 13 10 3 2
More than 10
1 (13 PA)
1 (11 PA) --
3 reductions: from 13 to 10, from 10 to 9, from 9 to 7 and from 8 to 7 PA
1 increase: from 7 to 8

7. Strategic Community Guidelines
Making Europe and its regions more attractive for investments and employment
Knowledge and innovation for growth
More better jobs
Territorial dimension of cohesion policy

8. Regional Strategies’ Goals
Improvement of life quality of the region’s inhabitants and increase of its competitiveness
by respecting the rules of sustainable development
as well as increase of its social, economic and spatial cohesion
and maintaining its cultural and natural diversity

9. Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for Regional Policy, interview for „Gazeta Wyborcza”, 14 September 2006
„The biggest challenge for Poland is today not to develop any projects which will be financed with billions of Euros from European Structural Funds, but to establish a right proportion between investments in the infrastructure, what is called in Europe „investing in concrete”, and investments in innovation. […] Many politicians think that investing in innovation is something for the richest only. But it is not truth – it is mainly for the poorest ones”.

10. Most Frequent Choices of Priority Axes
Infrastructure, transport 16
Environment: protection, resource management, safety 16
Social infrastructure, education, health, life improvement 14
Enterprises, entrepreneurship and innovation 12
Culture and tourism 11
Information society 10
Revalidation of urban areas 10
Energy, clean energy 4
Local development, local infrastructure, territorial potential 4
Competitiveness of regional economy 3
Infrastructure for economic growth 3
Knowledge-based society 2

11. Review of Regional Solutions
Growth and competitiveness of region’s enterprises
Strengthening of enterprises’ competitiveness
Entrepreneurship and Innovations
Stimulating of growth of investments in the enterprises and strengthening of innovation potential
Economy, innovation, enterpreneurship
Creating opportunities for developing the innovative potential and enterpreneurship in the region
Competitive and innovative economy
Increase of innovativeness and enhancing enterpreneurship in the region
Development and innovation in SMEs
RD, innovation and enterpreneurship
Development of enterpreneurship
Supporting innovation, building of IS and increase of regional investment potential
Entrepreneurship
Competitiveness of enterprises
Economy, innovation, technology

12. Major Challenges and Opportunities
Lack of resources for the beneficiaries’ own contribution
Decrease of the level of SF co-financing according to the rules of public aid deepening the above
Vulnerability to political pressure and election agenda
Deconcentration of resources as result of the „good uncle” syndrome
Better identification of regional problems and needs helps take appropriate measures – better implementation of the subsidiarity rule
Simplification of procedures and shorter way from project to refundation
Coherent spending in accordance with regional development strategies

13. Thank you for your attention
Barbara Kocowska