Recently, Natalia Oksenyuk (NO), Deputy Director of the Volyn Investment Promotion Agency, conducted an interview with Zenon Kichka (ZK), Chairman of the Municipal Committee of the Polish Economic Chamber, an expert on planning in the Wielkopolska Province, head of the holding HOLDIKOM and head of EU projects in the region.

Natalia Oksenyuk (NO): 2011 marked the end of the economic and financial crisis. How do you view the current economic situation?

Zenon Kichka (ZK): The crisis will certainly have a more profound impact than we expect. It is clear that the previous age is coming to an end. Definitely, the basis of markets and socio-economic relations will have to be developed again. This will be a time of great change.

NO: You have been in Ukraine and working here for over 2 years now. What have you accomplished in that time?

ZK: It’s good that we started by discussing the current reality. From the current crisis, the countries that will emerge will be those that can build good relationships with other countries. These should be effective relationships that bringing benefits to each party. I am very happy that at the end of 2011, we have implemented a new initiative to create cooperative networks in the Polish-Ukrainian border area, in conjunction with the Volyn Investment Promotion Agency.

NO: What is special about this initiative?

ZK: This initiative came together very successfully, perhaps more so than we understand. For the first time in Volyn, and perhaps in Ukraine, an initiative was implemented that brings together three districts (rayons) for one goal. This is important. The new network consists of many people, a large area and significant economic potential. This cooperative network can be a partner for serious investors and may also be crucial for opening the border areas to cooperation with Poland and other EU countries.

NO: What barriers must be overcome for the initiative to become active and bring benefits?

ZK: The biggest enemy of these types of initiatives is a lack of persistence. Often we expect to get immediate profits and results. Of course, the best situation would be if after one month of the network’s formation, construction would begin on new buildings and roads, and local communities would become richer. However, you need to start from scratch to achieve success. Networking is a great opportunity for regions and cities, and also for young people. It opens up opportunities for funding from sources such as the Eastern Partnership. To submit such applications for funding, there must be very good preparation. I must say clearly that the formation of the cooperative networks has been a great success!

NO: How would you rate Polish-Ukrainian cooperation after your two years of work in Volyn?

ZK: The crisis we spoke of at the beginning poses entirely new challenges. The crisis accelerated socio-economic changes. There already are not enough cultural projects or study visits. Now we need to develop a joint strategy for development activities for youth, providing them with knowledge and skills training, so they can actually implement key initiatives. Today, the challenges are modern economics, modern management and strong partnerships.

NO: In two years, do you think it is possible to establish strong cooperation with investors and organizations from the EU?

ZK: Sometimes the solution is very simple. Sometimes you just take advantage of the opportunities that we have in hand. An example is our cooperation with the Volyn Investment Promotion Agency. With only one meeting of a few people who knew what they wanted and had a clearly defined goal, it was possible to create a very innovative structure, which is a cooperative network of the border regions of Volyn. I manage a municipal committee, which consists of 1,200 Polish enterprises. The Committee has great connections and implements projects with the European Centre for Enterprises in Brussels, which consists of 16,000 companies from 20 countries, and works to implement European projects with groups like the French Federation of Enterprises in Paris (1,300 companies) and with VKU in Berlin (1,100 companies). There is huge potential to use this network to accumulate enormous knowledge and harness immeasurable possibilities. This all can be linked into one large cooperative network. Ukraine has a good friend in Poland, many people in Poland want to cooperate and are in favor of our continued cooperation. Ukraine is a hospitable country and a hard-working people. With all this, we can be optimistic. I am sure 2012 will be a very good year. It will be full of interesting events and important initiatives. I am an optimist.

NO: Thank you for the interview.