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| Newsletter 8 November 2003 Download Archive |
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| NEWS & EVENTS | |
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| Attributes of the Region One of the strategic objectives of the region is building “innovative economy”. The development of Lower Silesia must build its foundations on a considerable economic success. We cannot achieve much by losing money trying to save bad projects or by copying broadly used (therefore obsolete) solutions. Real opportunities to change the region’s competitive position lie in innovative entrepreneurship. We know from experience that this, in turn, emerges in favourable conditions. Technological and organisational talents must have access to financial resources and infrastructure, as well as sympathetic decision-making support from the main actors on the regional stage. In the field of economy, the main task for the self-government authorities is to support the establishing of a regional innovation system. A knowledge based economy is the objective.  * Aside from copper, Lower Silesia has few chances to compete in the main world markets. Therefore, the regional investment policy should focus on identifying and occupying gaps in narrow and specialised markets. Short and long-term planning benefits should be carefully considered. Planning in advance, we can collect the necessary resources in an easy and comfortable manner, we can also, however, miss the demands of the time in which an investment project is ready. The dynamics of contemporary capital markets and implementation procedures recommends shock implementation of projects. * Regional strategies for sectors have to respond to the rapidly changing external circumstances to a maximum possible extent. Self-government should concentrate on building frames of development infrastructure and avoid attempts to control the economy by hand. In addition to the current needs and tasks, they should have some reserves that can be used to support innovative projects. One needs to keep in mind that properly formed regional demand may bring more benefits than steering the supply. * Unemployment has become a social plague in some areas of the voivodship. The opening of the economy to the world, on the other hand, makes the method of creating employment by granting privileges no longer effective. Therefore, an active an flexible labour force should be the dominant tendency of employment policy. One needs to ensure that “staying on unemployment" is not a strategy by personal choice but a period of intensive education to provide skills that are required in the labour market. On the other hand, we need to increase the mobility of labour (dwellings, travels) and accept non-standard forms of employment (which suppressed unemployment in the USA). Considering limited adaptability of some social groups, simple work places should be protected in services which are excluded from global competition, and receiving unemployment compensation should be conditional upon provision of different services for the benefit of the local and regional community. Precisely defined geographical zones of unemployment should be the subject of special activation programmes. * The region is full of various initiatives aimed to increase investment attractiveness, such as special economic zones and areas of sustainable development. It is hard to explicitly assess actions of this kind (economic development by granting privileges). On the one hand, they disturb the circulation of market signals, worsen the competitive status of the existing businesses and are in opposition to integration trends of the Union and the global economy. On the other hand, these solutions are one of few ways available to improve economy in problem areas with a long European tradition behind them (foundation privileges). In the situation where elimination of protectionist solutions is still a political postulate rather than a general practice, a one-sided rejection of them does not appear to be reasonable. Establishing of special zones and areas should be supported selectively, keeping in mind their temporary nature. In a long-term perspective, Lower Silesia’s attractiveness to investment will depend on the availability of competence, infrastructure and civilizational tissue. * Explicit ownership structures are the foundation of a market economy. It is of crucial importance for Lower Silesia to clarify these structures. For social and political reasons, particularly in the context of the EU membership, it would be extremely harmful to prolong the state where major part of land and property has a “perpetual use” status or is under other forms of management different than ownership (gleanings of the idea of keeping the door open to “inevitable” collectivisation). It is also necessary to release, for the benefit of citizens and local/regional authorities, the land resources held by the Agency for Farmland Property of the State (and other similar organisations) so that these can be actively turned over. * A flexible network of links between major actors on the regional scene must be the key element of the Lower Silesia’s innovation system. The network must involve businesspeople, union members, self-government officials, financiers, scientists, politicians, engineers, journalists, etc. - competent individuals who account themselves responsible for the regional affairs. This circle is to discuss, provide opinions, identify and support promising initiatives and guard well-established standards. There is no ready recipe for how to create such a circle, it is known, however, that such circles of power and competence function in regions which are successful. * Regional innovation systems are based on thriving economies which are able to co-operate effectively with research-development and financial institutions. In Lower Silesia, such scheme has to be established. So far, there are a number of good universities in the region which can become the germ of an innovation system. However, they need to modify the way they function in and shift from institutional structures to interdisciplinary task forces, as well as abandon formal criteria for the benefit of pragmatism. Work is underway on setting up a Wroclaw Technology Park. The project is an example of moving in the right direction. * Investing in human capital is the Government’s most important and gratifiable task. Over the recent years, great progress has been made in the area of promoting education (although there are still some handicapped groups). It is the challenge of the moment to maintain an appropriate level of educating, especially in respect of outstandingly talented young people. A novel action Lower Silesia (Dolny Slask) should be a truly European response to the challenge. Special economic zones play the crucial role in attracting investment to region. There are three special economic zones located in the region i.e. - WALBRZYCH SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE "INVEST – PARK” - LEGNICA SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE - SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE OF SMALL ENTREPRENEURSHIP Aims of the establishment of the zones: · making an alternative to the monoculture of the copper industry and declined industry of the coal mining · management of lands · reduction of unemployment and creation of new jobs · efficient use of the existing technical infrastructure · development of export · support for economic entities operating within the Region by means of creation of possibilities of co-operation with enterprises operating in the Zone Taking into account the natural and human resources of the Region, branches preferred to be develop in the Zone include as follows: · metal industries - skilled technical personnel from metal enterprises under liquidation and raw material availability · machine industry - there is a need to start production of machines and equipment for mining and processing minerals and floatation failings. To realise such an undertaking, foreign technologies and considerable investment expenditures are required. Ecologically friendly technologies are desirable. · motorcar industry - car accessories and car equipment production · chemical industry - chemical and medical equipment, plastics, fuel processing, ecological technologies of building elements production · musical instruments industry - stringed musical instruments manufacture (guitar, contrabass, piano) · food industry and processing industry - raw materials availability - flax, hemp, oilseed rape - will allow to develop industrial oils production · applied goods manufacture - availability of raw materials such as gold and silver will allow to create jobs mainly for women |
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