It was a time of new ideas, mutual inspiration and motivation, and a fruitful exchange of experiences.

'Our friendship with the Norwegian municipality of Lørenskog, established during the implementation of the first project, in which we jointly developed our city in terms of investments and organised numerous events for residents under the slogan 'City of Piła with New Energy', blossomed during the bilateral cooperation,' reads the city's website.

Thanks to additional funding from the Bilateral Cooperation Fund of the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, various activities for the development of both cities were implemented, which allowed both to build a strong relationship with the partner municipality and to take the next steps in jointly building a better future for the residents of Piła.

Let us remember that in 2021 Piła was one of the winners of the 'Local Development' Programme financed from the so-called Norwegian Funds. Thanks to external support, almost 40 projects were implemented in the city, which brought multiple benefits to the local community.

‘We carried out investment activities and organised events to integrate generations, strengthen local and neighbourhood ties, mobilise youth and activate the elderly, as well as rehabilitating people with disabilities at the diving centre. As well as providing entertainment, we also provided environmental education and support for the local labour market, helping young people choose a career and broadening their entrepreneurial horizons.

We invited our Norwegian friends to Piła so that they could participate in the events with us and see how, thanks to joint activities, the energy of people and places and green energy, which is the future of us all, are being used. The experience of the entire project team and the interesting ideas of our partners were also important here, resulting in further cooperation during the bilateral initiative. We have visited Lørenskog more than once to take advantage of Norway's potential, looking not only for points of contact in our daily activities, but also for support and a new, different perspective on development that we can share with other cities at home and abroad.'