Changing Silesia together - album, part 2

Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak
Secretary of State in the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy

Dear Readers,
The Silesian Voivodeship is changing before our eyes. From a region whose economy was once built by coal to a modern business and cultural center. Development of the Silesian Voivodeship is supported by the European Funds. At present, it is difficult to find a place where EU-funded projects are not implemented. Various groups benefit from EU Funds – companies, organizations, schools, enterprises and local governments. And each of us, almost every day, benefits from investments that were made with EU support – new roads, pavements, modernized monuments or renovated stations. Thanks to the European Funds we also have better equipped schools and research centers, renovated kindergartens, sports facilities, and supported trainings. And this is only part of the areas supported with EU money, the list is much longer. The Regional Operational Program of the Silesian Voivodeship for 2014-2020 currently includes more than five thousand signed contracts for a total amount of support exceeding 13 billion PLN. This is a huge financial injection, which drives the development of Silesia.

This year, mitigating the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and participation in ensuring efficient implementation of projects co-financed from EU Funds have become one of the key challenges and tasks to be implemented by the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy (MFRP). The Anti-Epidemic Fund (AEF) is one of the key activities of the MFRP in the fight against coronavirus. So far, the Fund managed to allocate 14 billion PLN. The EU money for the fight against the coronavirus and its economic consequences in the Silesian Voivodeship comes from national programs (Smart Growth Operational Program, Knowledge Education and Development Program, Digital Poland Program, Infrastructure and Environment Program) and from the Regional Operational Program of the Silesian Voivodeship. The EU Funds have been allocated for health care, support for entrepreneurs, purchase of computers for remote learning for schools and 24-hour care facilities for children and adults.

Now the new distribution of European Funds for 2021-2027 is ahead. In the future EU budget, Poland is expected to receive about 750 billion PLN. We want to spend this money on investments in infrastructure, energy, entrepreneurship, environmental protection and digitization, among others.

This is another opportunity for the Silesian Voivodeship to become even more modern, resident-friendly, innovative place, accessible for people with different needs.

Dear Readers,
Keeping pace with Europe's fastest growing regions is a real challenge. It is the task for the brave, determined and creative. We have such residents, entrepreneurs and local government officials in the Silesian Voivodeship. Our region, with considerable support from the European Funds, sets trends, implements bold ideas, improves the quality of life and becomes more modern, well-connected place every single day.

New social and cultural facilities, kilometers of modernized road and rail infrastructure, kindergartens and schools equipped with high-class teaching equipment, and finally modern health care facilities – these are investments which would not have been possible without the involvement of so many of you.

Residents, active community workers, business leaders as well as local government officials are supported in their daily work by the European Funds. Projects implemented with this support result in new and good things, often initiating important changes or even great life transformations.

In this publication we once again give the floor to the residents of the region, both those who are professionally involved in the implementation of projects financed from the Regional Operational Program and those who make a good use of the available infrastructure and a wide range of services on a daily basis. We asked them to share their experiences, reflections and insights.

The presented projects are just a dozen or so examples out of several thousand activities undertaken with EU support. But they perfectly show the variety of initiatives and the scale of benefits. They prove that thanks to a good diagnosis of problems, a well thought-out concept and efficient implementation, you can improve the quality of life in the region. I hope that the selected examples will also inspire you and help you prepare other innovative projects that will drive further socio-economic changes.

The new EU financial perspective is ahead of us. I believe that once again we will rise to the challenge and choose the pro-development direction of the region, after all, only together we can change Silesia!

Jakub Chełstowski
Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship

Wojciech Kałuża
Deputy Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship

Dear Readers,
The Silesian Voivodeship has witnessed a remarkable metamorphosis – from an area associated mostly with the mining sector to one we find ourselves in at the moment, where modern technologies and innovative approaches to economy merge with the regional tradition and culture.

The created interchanges, renewable energy installations launched or new roads on which one may encounter electric buses are just some of its manifestations. These investments not only serve our inhabitants but also change the image of the region.

Some of these projects have been presented in this publication. To find out others, sometimes you might have to take a look around your neighbourhood as Silesia continues to evolve with the help of the European Funds.

Dear Readers,
The European Funds are not just enormous financial measures or significant infrastructural ventures.

The European Funds are, above all, people – all those engaged in the realization of projects, thanks to whom the quality of living for all of us continuously improves. It is the hundreds of thousands of our voivodeship inhabitants whose life became simpler thanks to the ideas, support and engagement of others.

This publication contains just a few of the hundreds of projects directed at improving the quality of our social life. We do believe that the examples we have selected will help you picture yourselves how the engagement of people around us will contribute to the Silesian Voivodeship becoming better and better.

Izabela Domogała
Member of the Board of the Silesian Voivodeship