Presidents of eight domestic cities – Chełmno, Legnica, Piekary Śląskie, Płock, Skarżysko-Kamienna, Świętochłowice, Zabrze and Zgierz – concluded contracts about investment cooperation with the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (PAIiIZ) on 15th December this year. Hence, they extended the group of 47 cities which have cooperated with the Agency so far.
A good investment atmosphere is an effect of hard work on the side of local authorities. Only active cities with a complex investment strategy may challenge for investments. A systematic approach is necessary – said vice-chairman of PAIiIZ Michał Dąbrowski. The cooperation with PAIiIZ constitutes a commitment for a new partner in the area of providing investment service at the highest level and in accordance with standards specified by the Agency. On the other hand, it also provides the opportunity to attract strategic investors. Each city is different and thus we try to support them by offering our support in attraction of appropriate investments for our partners – explained vice-chairman of PAIiIZ. According to Michał Dąbrowski, some cities have already achieved their first successes in the area of encouraging investors to locate capitals on their area, others are currently starting doing it by establishing new teams of people responsible for gaining new entrepreneurs. No matter of the size of a borough, each investor coming to a city which cooperates with PAIiIZ is going to receive an access to necessary and uniform information as well as professional consultancy.
Presidents of cities who have just became partners of PAIiIZ are aware of the fact that a small and local investor has different expectations in comparison to a bigger one with foreign capital. Such player may be a strategic business partner for the borough. Thanks to the cooperation with PAIiIZ we would like to create an investment national offer from our crucial investment area, that is the former military airport – said president of Legnica Tadeusz Krzakowski.
A great majority of cities which started cooperation with the Agency are adjacent. Although we compete with each other every day, we may all profit from a move of a foreign investor to a neighboring city – pointed out vice-chairman of Piekary Śląskie Krzysztof Turzański. We believe that thanks to PAIiIZ big investors will not avoid smaller boroughs – added Turzański.
The project concerning cooperation of PAIiIZ with entities of local self-government has been functioning since 2009. At present, 55 contracts with different cities have been already concluded. The partner of PAIiIZ is also the Wrocław Agglomeration Development Agency. The cooperation is based on training courses and consultancy for officials in the area of establishment and promotion of investment offers, management of data bases and cataloguing of greenfield areas or postindustrial plots (so called brownfield).