Investment in Gliwice

Gliwice offers a number of geographic and economic attractions. It is favorably located at the junction of major transportation routes, for example, and has an inland navigation port. The nearby Gliwice channel and the city's vast number of parks, green areas, and forests make it even more outstanding. There are few places in the Upper Silesia region that have similar attributes.
For decades, Gliwice has been a major scientific and technological center, as well. Each year, its intellectual potential is enriched with a number of graduates from the Silesian University of Technology (Politechnika Śląska), which is the second largest technical university in Poland. To a large extent, the city owes its renown to the General Motors' Opel manufacturing plant, which was established in 1997. Over 40 Polish and foreign industrial companies operate in the Special Economic Zone established in the city, and over 20,000 business entities, including 250 with foreign capital, operate in the city."Public utility investments that have been completed in the last decade have been the pride of the city", says Zygmunt Frankiewicz, mayor of Gliwice. Each year, investment outlays constitute approx. 20% of budget expenditure in the city. Last year, two major investments were completed: a Kąpielisko Leśne Outdoor Swimming Complex was modernized (five large reservoirs with total area of 3.5 ha), and a state of the art sewage treatment plant was built. The total cost of the two investments amounted to approx. USD 20 million. These investments best illustrate the scale of the initiatives being undertaken in Gliwice.

Municipal authorities have also initiated development of a Long-term Investment Program for Gliwice. The document, covering the years 2002-2005, will facilitate the preparation of several investments. "Within this time framework, we intend to complete a number of significant tasks that will greatly improve living conditions in the city. We intend to earmark the largest financial outlays for investments in the transportation sector (improvements in the transportation network) and municipal investments (reorganization of water and wastewater management), says Janusz Moszyński, the deputy mayor of Gliwice responsible for investments in the city.

"The Long-term Investment Program for Gliwice provides for the undertaking of 251 tasks worth a total of USD 90 million (approx. PLN 354 million) that will be appropriated from the city budget. However, the investment needs in various spheres of public life exceed the capabilities of the city budget. Therefore, we have been looking for other sources of financing for these indispensable tasks and have achieved major successes. The European Commission in Brussels has decided to grant to Gliwice pre-accession funds from the ISPA program designated for the modernization of the sewerage network in the city and construction of rainwater and sanitary networks. As a result, approx. 150 kms of new pipelines (underground collectors) will be built in the city. The forecasted investment costs amount to EUR 65.5 million, 55% of which will be financed by the EU subsidy", says mayor Frankiewcz.

Efforts on the part of local authorities have been crowned with success. What is more, they have more reasons to feel satisfied. This year, the Municipal Office in Gliwice was distinguished with the Polish Quality Award in the "public organization" category. This was the eighth edition of the annual competition. In justification of its decision, the jury stated that: "The Municipal Office in Gliwice is a local government unit with model management operating in a region with long traditions, in a functionally developed city and among well-educated people."
What is the story behind Gliwice's success? To a large extent, the city owes it to the stability of local authorities. "A city tarnished with bickering and internal squabbles among the authorities would not be able to attract this number of investors, many of whom are major players on world markets. What is more, it would not be able to create an atmosphere conducive to efficient work for the common good. Last, but not least, cooperation with the opposition in the Municipal Council is also of importance. All these facilitate the day-to-day work and local problem solving", says mayor Frankiewicz. Well, it is common knowledge that united we stand, divided we fall.
Zbigniew Lubowski