Firstly - Economy
Wielkopolska is a special region in terms of management and organization of social life. National statistical data confirm this fact – Wielkopolska outstrips all other Polish regions in this respect.
The economy of the Wielkopolska region is diversified and technologically well-developed. It is characterised by openness to foreign markets and the above average number of investments carried out. Owing to these facts the level of production substantially exceeds the average national production rate per employee. In 2006, capital investment in the economy in the Wielkopolska region amounted to over PLN 14,000,000,000, most of which was invested in industry (47%) and services (49.5%) sectors. The capital investment in the region constituted 9.1% of national investment.
Every year, the industrial sector receives more investment money than any other. Production of machines, electronic devices and furniture, as well as automobile production, are all very well developed and financed. To make full use of the region’s potential, local self-governments have created special economic zones and investment parks with excellent logistical and technological bases and tax advantages for investors. The recently established Wielkopolska Logistics Centre situated near Konin by the A4 motorway is extremely important to the development of the region. It provides investors with special areas for their economic activity located by the motorway interchange with infrastructure (accessibility of telecommunications facilities, electric energy, water, sewage system and gas) and a staff base. The basic goals of the WLC are: provision of transport and forwarding services, as well as complementary storage, handling and value added services.
A coherent vision of development, strategic economic goals and the most important projects for the years to come are defined in the Development Strategy of the Wielkopolska Region and in the Sector Strategies concerning agriculture, health, public assistance, environmental protection, education, innovation and export.
Good Climate for Business
The region’s authorities have created an exceptionally friendly climate and perfect conditions for safe investment in Wielkopolska – both for foreign partners and rapidly developing local entrepreneurship. There is a rich net of structural transformation and economic support institutions, such as chambers of commerce, capital clubs, foundations and development agencies and consulting companies. In many cities in the region there are entrepreneurship support incubators, as well as economic zones and technology parks. Moreover, a broad range of services – as part of the project connecting Polish entrepreneurs with partners from western countries – is being provided by the Wielkopolska Agency of Enterprise Development.
A very well developed network of financial and insurance institutions play a very special part in the support of entrepreneurship. Poznań is the second biggest centre of banking, with Warsaw being the first. There are 29 central or national and international banks in Wielkopolska with their regional offices in Poznań (e.g. the BGW has 49 cooperative banks and 310 posts; PKO BP – 144 posts and 427 offices; BGŻ – 32 branches; BZ WBK – around 400 branches).
Economic Cooperation
Communal self-government is also very interested in enlisting strategic investors’ cooperation. They offer advantageous conditions for real estate purchase, benefits for investors and help in taking care of formalities connected with establishing a business in the area. This kind of cooperation contributes to, among other things, improving the functioning of self-government administration, the revival of economic contacts and the promotion of regional folklore. Communes have detailed information concerning the areas and objects for development and lists of companies ready to cooperate. Additionally, among the institutions involved in the process of economic transformations are also colleges and universities, as well as scientific research institutes in Poznań.
Another very important link supporting economic cooperation, especially at the international level, is the Poznań International Fair – an institution with eighty years of experience thanks to which Poznań has become the commercial capital of Poland. On the premises of the PIF fair over 140 different lines of business are held. The fair always attracts exhibitors from most EU member states.
There are also exhibitions and regional fairs organised in Wielkopolska, generally held in bigger cities to promote small and medium size enterprises. Events include the “Kalbud” and “Galagros” trade fairs in Kalisz, “Kulinaria” in Konin and the Wielkopolska Economic Exhibition of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in Piła.
Poznań Attracts Investors
Key global and European companies are also present in the economic landscape of the region. To date around five thousand foreign investment companies have been established here. These are investors in the food industry, chemical and pharmaceutical sectors, transportation, as well as machine and equipment sectors. Also, the amount of foreign investment in the financial sector and, lately, in commerce, is significant. The dominant part of the foreign capital in the region comes from Germany, and there are also many investors from Great Britain, America, Ireland and Sweden. Altogether almost $7,000,000,000 has been invested in Wielkopolska by foreign companies. Over 80% of foreign capital companies are located in Poznań and the city’s subregion. Whereas in most of the other communes, only 10% of all firms are foreign capital companies. Poznań has been awarded a very high rating, one of the highest among Polish cities, by Moody’s Investors Service, which means that it is a safe, reliable partner for foreign enterprises.
Śrem, Konin and Grodzisk - All Very Strong
All the cities in Wielkopolska have now created perfect conditions for investors. In the Śrem Investment Park, apart from a very well-developed infrastructure, companies enjoy very favourable terms connected with financial policy. Local self-government has decreased the tax rates and introduced five-year long real estate tax exemptions. Śrem offers attractive land for home building for investors, and has also gained businessmen’s trust by pursuing a stable price policy for municipal services.
The “Cheap Energy” Konin Investment Zone is also an important point on the economic map of the region. It offers investors fully developed investment land – located in the direct vicinity of National Road 25, which is connected to the A2 motorway. Moreover, thanks to cooperation with Zespół Elektrowni Pątnów-Adamów-Konin SA, entrepreneurs investing in the KIZ can use the direct electrical energy supplied from two nearby power plants at prices that are lower than market cost. In order to partly compensate for the costs of new jobs creation, the self-government has also introduced real estate tax exemption. The granting of the tax allowance depends on the number of created jobs. Two years of exemption can be awarded to investors who create five new jobs. And for creating a hundred or more – even ten years of allowance is granted.
The Grodzisk Industrial Zone is above all the perfect place for food processing investment. The location of the zone in the vicinity of the Poznań-Zielona Góra national road and in the proximity of the city (companies there can use the developed infrastructure of Grodzisk Wielkopolski) increases the attractiveness of the area. The visible effect of GIZ and its rapid development is the construction of a new district of an industrial-storage, commercial and promotional character.
Trade and Partnership
Wielkopolska holds an exceptional position in the Polish foreign trade – the pace of export growth is much faster here than the national average. Foreign capital companies play a very important part in generating turnover – the sum of money they have invested in Wielkopolska amounts to almost $8,000,000,000.
Developed countries, especially European Union states, are the main trading partners. Regular partners are Germany and the Netherlands, as well as France, Denmark, Great Britain, Italy and the United States. Currently, the stimulation of trade with eastern European markets is a great chance for further economic development, although the negative balance of foreign turnover is connected mainly with the huge investment in imports by new and modernised enterprises. The increase of export of these companies and the improvement of balance of payments is only a matter of time. In the commodities exchange structure the electromechanical industry’s products are the biggest group. Other important commodity groups include light industry, timber and the paper industry, and the food industry. The dynamic development of the region in the 1990s is the result of, among other things, the influx of capital, knowledge and experience of specialists from developed countries.