On 28 September 2011 the Volyn Investment Promotion Agency invited Zenon Kichka, an expert on national planning from the Warsaw chapter of the Polish National Economic Chamber to a series of working visits in Kovel, Volyn region.

Several meetings were held in the Kovel district, including with the Vice-President of the Kovel District Administration, Boris Andriyukom, and resulted in an agreement with the Polish National Economic Chamber to work together to improve the capacity of the Kovel district by combining resources with several neighboring districts and the development of a strategic plan. This document will be vital to securing external financing and investment, as it is a requirement for most external funds.

Plans were made to sign a letter of intent for cooperation between the Kovel District Administration and the Warsaw chapter of the Polish National Economic Chamber. For the Kovel district, this is a promising development, as cooperation with the Chamber will provide guidance on how the public and non-profit sectors were consolidated and structured in Poland. The chamber currently works with over 1,200 companies and organizations in Poland.

The Warsaw chapter actively participates in international exchanges of knowledge and experience on urban governance and economic management. It collaborates with several major organizations in the European public services sector, including:

• Brussels CEEP (The European Centre of Employers And Enterprises Providing Public Services  – 16,000 companies from 20 European countries)
• FN EPL Paris (Fédération des Entreprises Publiques Locales – Federation of Local Public Enterprises – 1,200 companies and 55,000 employees with over €10.3 billion in annual turnover)

• VKU Berlin – (Verband Kommunaler Unternehmen – Municipal Association of Companies – 1,350 companies and 22,000 employees with over €72 billion in annual turnover)

The Warsaw chapter’s strategic activities are:

• To support Polish companies operating at the municipal level, including by building platforms of cooperation, knowledge exchange, and providing products and services that improve competitiveness.
• To initiate and be involved in the development and implementation of a strategic plan for the Polish municipal sector.
• To promote the Polish municipal sector abroad, including among international organizations, and to represent the European public and NGO sectors in countries, institutions and organizations of the EU.
• To support innovative processes and to transfer those skills among members, including activities that introduce information technology into the Polish municipal sector’s management and operations.

These strategic activities embrace all companies that provide services and products to the Polish municipal sector.

The chapter has introduced several innovative measures including:

• Observatory for Urban Economics – In partnership with international research centers, the chapter works to develop systems that can assess the potential of the municipal sector to implement regional development strategies.

• Increasing Networking Capacity – Recognizing the importance of human resources, the chapter provides training on municipal services to improve skills and help to acquire new skills on staff management.

• National and International Promotion – The chapter takes part in international forums on implementing municipal services both in Warsaw and Ukraine. It organizes conferences and trainings on the municipal sector and participates in other similar meetings.

During the visit, representatives of the Polish National Economic Chamber reached cooperation agreements with the Kovel City Council (including Mayor Oleg Kinder and his first deputy Anatoly Trofimuk).

The meeting discussed the importance of attracting foreign investment and supporting joint projects in the municipal sector.

All participants agreed that there were many possibilities for future cooperation that would mutually benefit both parties. The result of the meeting was an agreement to develop a strategic plan for the public authorities in Kovel.

Natalia Oksenyuk
Volyn Investment Promotion Agency