dr Paweł Wais Deputy Directort Department for Regional Development

1. Why regions? - Key role of regions in the economic development of Europe dr Paweł Wais Deputy Directort Department for Regional Development Marshal’s Office of the Podkarpackie Region

2. Issuestackled in the presentation • Cohesion Policy as a tool for equalizing development disparities on a European scale. • The role of regions in the European Cohesion Policy. • Challenges and barriers in the development of Eastern Poland – justification ofthe dedicated support. • Determinants of further development of the regions of the Eastern Poland.

3. Importance of European Cohesion Policy • The Cohesion Policy aims at overcoming economic, social and territorial disparities in the EU by stimulating the development of less developed regions. • It is an expression of solidarity policy, which is strongly justified in the treaty provisions on which the integration of the European Communities is based, and continues to be a strong pillar of the functioning of the European Union (in line with Article 174 TFEU). • The Cohesion Policy has a strong influence on other EU policies, in particular on: social, agricultural and rural development, transport, industrial, energy, environment, innovation and R&D.

4. Role of regions in the EU • Cohesion Policy, is an important mechanism of addressing disparities endured by the less developed regions, which due to their position benefit relatively less from the common market. • Regional policy should be understood as a public intervention, which pursues the development goals of the EU and the country through territorially targeted actions, and whose main coordinator for planning and implementation remains the regions. • Regions are an important participant in the process of European integration - there has been development of strategic thinking about the region - development of own strategic and program documents, ability to choose development goals. • Territorial dimension - the need to take into account the specific conditions and needs of individual areas.

5. Role of regions in the EU • Strong territorial targeting – allows to design bettersupport instruments, take into account the specificities of the conditions and impacts, observe the effects of the intervention. • Significant role of regions - successive increase of responsibility of regional authorities for development programming and fund management. • Regions being responsible for regional policy should manage and coordinate local and itner-local policies – strengthening partnerships. • Necessity to build effective mechanisms for the diffusion of development processes in the regional space. • Coherenceat EU level - intra-regionalcohesion.

6. Role of regions in the EU • Polish regions built awareness of responsibility for regional development and proper use of financial resources, including European ones: • they have their own budgets and pursue an active development policy, • they have the experience and successes in managing large scale CP resources, • have made an indispensable and measurable contribution to the realization of the objectives of the CP, • They have demonstrated that they can manage the EU funds themselves and act as managing authorities for regional operational programs. • Regional government integrates entities responsible for shaping socio-economic processes in the region. • Itis a proven partner in relations with the EU institutions, with the government, local government and social and economic partners..

7. Regionaldiversity - Eastern Poland • Large regional diversity on a European and national scale - Eastern Poland consists of 5 regions with the lowest socio-economic indicators in the country and one of the weakest in the European Union. • Operational Programs of the Cohesion Policy dedicated to regions are an important tool for balancing development in the European Union. • A need for more thematically targeted support – the manifestation of the principle of solidarity: • Operational Program Development of Eastern Poland 2007-2013, • Operational Program Eastern Poland 2014-2020.

8. Challenges and barriers in the development of Eastern Poland • GDP per capita does not exceed 50% of the EU average, • Low level of entrepreneurship of the inhabitants, • Low innovation in industry and productivity, • Significant employment in agriculture – in 2015 the macroregion was characterized by the largest share of the people employed in the agricultural sector thatamounted 19.5%. • Low employment and investment levelin research and development - the last place in the ranking of the number of employees working in R&D sector per 1,000 employed population, • The problem of population decline and aging society, • Higher and negative balance of migration - all regions of the EP exceeded the national average, • Weakness of urban centers - regional centers require strengthening of metropolitan functions, • The problem of communication accessibility - both internal and external,

9. OP EPD 2007-2013 Allcation 2,38 bln euro OP EP 2014-2020 Allocation 2 bln euro

10. Development determinants of the Macroregion • Eastern Poland - a macro-region which, thanks to the support of the Cohesion Policy, has begun the process of catching up with development delays and increasing its competitiveness. • Despite a markedly reduced development gap with the EU, Eastern Poland continues to be one of the less developed macro-regions in Europe - the need for further support. • The need to take on new challenges : • the importance of innovation in business, • the increase of the importance of environmental factors in socio-economic processes (including climate change, energy security but also quality of life issues). • intensification of competition between countries, regions and other territorial units by development factors (territorial marketing), • intraregional inequalities of development processes – they have been particularly deepening since 2006.

11. Thankyou for yourattention