Investment co-financed by the ERDF and Cohesion Fund for the EUSBSR

The whole area of Poland belongs to the convergence objective of the EU cohesion policy. During the 2007–13 period, Poland is implementing 20 Operational Programmes (OP) financed by the ERDF and Cohesion Fund: four national programmes (managed by central administration) and 16 regional programmes (managed by regional administration). National programmes finance major investment aimed at development of infrastructure in the areas of transport, energy and environment, culture and health (OP Infrastructure and Environment) or research and development and innovation (OP Innovative Economy). While OP Innovative Economy and OP Infrastructure and Environment cover the whole country, OP Development of Eastern Poland is focused on five regions in Poland with the lowest GDP per capita (Warnińsko-Mazurskie, Podlaskie, Lubelskie, Świętokrzyskie, Podkarpackie). OP Technical assistance (not described in this report) is aimed at building administrative capacity. 16 regional programmes – one programme per region – support complementary investments, both infrastructural and aimed at the knowledge-based economy (business environment; direct support for SMEs; loan and guarantee funds). Territorial cooperation programmes facilitate international cooperation. In the context of the EUSBSR, the OP South Baltic plays a special role. Apart from the ERDF and Cohesion Fund programmes, there is also the ESF-financed OP Human Capital.

Over the period 2007–13, Poland will receive €67.3 billion or 19.4% of the total €347.4 billion allocation for regional policy. Out of this, €22 billion goes to the Cohesion Fund, €9.7 billion to the ESF, €34 billion to the ERDF and €1.3 billion to the performance reserve. Poland will receive another €13.2 billion under rural development policy (EAFRD) and €734 million under the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). At the end of 2011, an allocation of additional resources (€1 billion for the performance reserve and €0.6 billion for technical adjustment) will be available for Polish programmes.

By March 2011, the value of contracts signed amounted to nearly €34.8 billion (EU co-financing) or 62.3% of CF and ERDF allocations (€55.5 billion). In terms of contracts signed, regional programmes with 74% of allocations were more advanced than national OPs (58% contracted). However, taking into account applications approved for financing, the estimated use of allocation reaches 77%. In fact – taking additionally into account applications submitted in ongoing calls for proposals and key projects approved – the resources available would be much lower. The allocation of the performance reserve will add additional funding.

Managing Authorities for Polish national and regional programmes undertook several actions aimed at improving the realisation of the Strategy.

National programmes reported:

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  participation in meetings devoted to monitoring the EUSBSR realisation by Operational Programmes and setting up the monitoring system;
  
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  representatives of OP Human Capital participating in the Baltic States Cooperation network devoted to international cooperation projects in the Baltic Sea Region;
  
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  discussions during monitoring committees and information and promotion actions aimed at raising awareness of beneficiaries of OP South Baltic;
  
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  implementation system;
  
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  modification of selection criteria promoting international cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region within OP Human Capital;
  
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  OP South Baltic introduced several actions including consultations for beneficiaries provided by employees of information points on a project's impact on the Strategy, amendments to the Programme's manual and application form, introduction of the strategic criterion on compliance with the Strategy and a possibility of imposing conditionality (related to the Strategy) on beneficiaries by a steering committee.
  

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  participation in meetings devoted to the Strategy (regions: Pomorskie, Łódzkie, Mazowieckie, Zachodniopomorskie);
  
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  active participation in conferences dedicated to the Strategy in Riga and Tallinn (regions: Pomorskie, Zachodiopomorskie);
  
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  presentation of the Strategy at the Monitoring Committee meeting of the OP (regions: Lubelskie, Podlaskie, Zachodniopomorskie, Warmińsko-Mazurskie, Pomorskie); in Pomorskie the Strategy was presented by counterparts from other countries;
  
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  preparation of recommendations for Operational Programmes ('Guidance note – EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Practical suggestions for the Operational Programmes');
  
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  modification of the Operational Programmes by adding reference to the EUSBSR within the midterm review in 2011 (regions: Małopolskie, Zachodiopomorskie, Pomorskie, Podlaskie);
  
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  modification of the application form (region: Podlaskie);
  
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  strategic assessment of the compliance of projects with the EUSBSR (region: Warmińsko-Mazurskie);
  
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  involvement in the international initiatives in the region (region: Zachodniopomorskie in BSSSC) or networks aimed at improved realisation of the EUSBSR (region: Mazowieckie in the network dedicated to financial issues).
  

National programmes:

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  prepare evaluations dedicated to realisation of the Strategy by OP Innovative Economy and OP Infrastructure and Environment;
  
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  information campaign for beneficiaries of OP Innovative Economy.
  

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  information and promotion campaigns;
  
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  allocation of additional funds from the National Performance Reserve and Technical adjustment for measures/priorities meeting the objectives of the EUSBSR and organisation of calls for proposals in these areas;
  
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  enforcing cooperation with Priority Area Coordinators;
  
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  participation in meetings, conferences and networks related to realisation of the Strategy;
  
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  identification of projects/initiatives in the area of the EUSBSR (a/a innovation, energy, transport);
  
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  adding reference to the Strategy within the midterm review.
  

Cohesion policy has actively supported implementation of the Baltic Sea Strategy. Behind the numbers, one can observe numerous projects pursuing the objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, which were financed by the European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund and European Social Fund, at national and regional level, by mainstream and territorial cooperation programmes.

Smart growth means creative use of resources for the sake of the innovative economy. The projects strived to develop modern sectors like nanotechnologies (a research centre of the Technical University of Gdańsk, OP Infrastructure and Environment), pharmaceuticals (implementation of research in chemistry, OP Innovative Economy) or biotechnologies (South Baltic programme) as well as revive the potential of traditional sectors like the woodworking and paper industry by patents (regional programme in Lubelskie) or cooperative networks (South Baltic programme). Several projects were aimed at improving the business environment infrastructure, like a technological park in Szczecin and Elbląg, developing an aviation cluster in Rzeszów, and an incubator of entrepreneurship in Białystok. Some developed cooperation between R&D centres and SMEs in the field of industrial design (Innovative Economy or regional programme of Ślaskie). A number of projects improved the touristic and cultural attractiveness of regions by creating integrated sailing infrastructure in the regions of Pomorskie, Zachodniopomorskie and Podlaskie and common tourist route signs within the Poland – Brandenburg programme.

Investment in the environmental sector meant promotion of green and sustainable growth. Numerous water and sewerage infrastructure projects in both small towns (Mońki) and big agglomerations (Trójmiasto-Sopot) improved the quality of water protection in the basins of the Wisła and Odra Rivers within the Baltic Sea catchment area. Initiatives aimed at biodiversity and environmental protection (information system for monitoring the Baltic Sea, Innovative Economy; promotion of Natura 2000 in the Wielkopolskie region; a project of the WWF concerning Baltic mammal migration) were realised. Several projects concerned renewable energies: a biogas heat and power plant in Zachodniopomorskie and the Baltic eco-energy cluster in Pomorskie.

Investment in transport infrastructure included development of TEN-T road and railway connections (sections of motorways A1 or railway E65), development of port infrastructure (Gdynia or Stępnica) and regional and urban transport systems (Hel-Trójmiasto, Kielce).

The OP Human Capital enhanced inclusive growth by realisation of projects supporting apprenticeships and exchanges of employees between R&D centres and companies, creation of cooperation networks, development of Innovation Strategies and reorientation of employees of declining industries (examples from Zachodniopomorskie).