The new edition of the report on investment attractiveness of Polish regions was presented at PAIiIZ. Mazowsze still reminds the best, however the other provinces are closing the gap to the leader.

The main conclusions of the report are that the investment map of Poland has not been changed significantly during recent years. However, the distance between the leader - the Mazowsze province, to other Polish regions, such as: Dolny Śląsk, Śląsk, Małopolska, Pomorze and Wielkopolska is more visible. In recent times, the investment attractiveness of  Lubuskie and Podkarpackie areas has raised, what is associated with the success of the restructuring, incurring expenditures on infrastructure and development of the aviation sector.

- There is a significant increase in the attractiveness of rural areas. They have done a great progress during the last three years. I am convinced that the next three years will be also so spectacular for this regions. This time should allow the Polish countryside to catch up in terms of the attractiveness of urban agglomerations- said professor of Warsaw Scholl of Economics ( SGH), Hanna Godlewska.

The report also shows the increase of the investment attractiveness of the western provinces of Poland. The proximity of Germany is a very important factor. - Many miles separate us from Warsaw, but only one hundred from Berlin. This neighborhood and the “transit corridor”, that exist nearby, undoubtedly encourages investments to our area and contribute to the development of the region - argued mayor of Witnica, the community awarded with the "The Ground for a medal" 2010 prize by PAIiIZ .

Speakers during presentation of the investment attractivenes of Polish provinces

The conference participants discussed the impact of special economic zones on the development of investment regions. As it turned out, existence of the Special Economic Zone in a region is not a priority for all and is not the main factor increasing the investment attractiveness. Small municipalities are doing well thanks to high activity of their local communities. - In the past we really wanted to belong to a special economic zone, today economic zones want to come to us -  added mayor of Witnica.

In most cases membership in the SEZ is highly connected to investment attractiveness and success of many cities in Poland. So called “engines of growth” - big cities, which belong to the SEZ, affect the investment development of each region. They create the best conditions to open a new business (state aid, lower personal income tax).

The report was prepared for PAIiIZ by the Regional and Local Analisis Center under the supervision of prof. Hanna Godlewska-Majkowska of SGH. This is the first report of the cycle, which includes the study of the province and local communities. The report distinguishes the potential investment attractiveness of the region and the real one. Therefore, the document is a unique and authoritative source of information about the possibilities and potential of Polish regions.

- Our goal is to popularise the report as a very useful and helpful tool in establishing and developing business - Monika Gąsiorowska, argued the head of Regional Development in PAIiIZ.