The Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy signed all funding agreements.

“Silesian local governments will be able to deliver investment projects thanks to assistance provided pursuant to the ‘Local Development’ Programme”, said Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy Grzegorz Puda.

Rydułtowy – “In ‘Szarlota’s’ Shadow – Mining for the Potential of the Town of Rydułtowy”

The project stands upon four pillars: economic, social, environmental and spatial, assuming active participation of multiple community groups. Project purposes include improving the attractiveness of the town of Rydułtowy as a place to live and work and adapting local administrative structures to requirements faced by the contemporary local government system. Concurrent task delivery will allow sustainable yet unquestioned urban development. Local residents, those of today and tomorrow, have been identified as the common component, denominator and bracket for all activities planned.

Zabrze – “The City as Space for Development”

The project targets an improvement in local life quality by increasing the city’s socio-economic potential and bettering environmental and urban space quality. In terms of institutional development, project authors are focused on improving operational cohesion and local trust in public institutions, developing state-of-the-art public service standards, and enhancing the institutional capacity of the city’s administrative structures.

Żywiec – “SMART ŻYWIEC - (R)evolution”

The Żywiec project will revolve around activities associated with changes to transportation/commuting habits, restricting vehicular traffic in the town centre, and improving local healthcare-related habits. Project authors are also focused on boosting local entrepreneurship and education in specific target areas: tourism and related fields.

Moreover, the project attaches great importance to activities designed to alleviate antagonisms in the town’s community and build intergenerational bonds. Assignments intended to foster the public participation of persons with disabilities and groups threatened with discrimination have been planned.

The Norwegian Financial Mechanism and European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (i.e. the so-called EEA and Norway Grants) are a form of non-refundable foreign aid awarded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to over a dozen Central European, South European and Baltic states.

Funds earmarked for the development of Polish cities and towns are sourced in a special pool of monies awarded by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to over a dozen Central European, South European and Baltic states, in exchange for which all three countries have been granted access to the internal European Union market despite their non-EU member state status.

At the project delivery stage, cities and towns will be assisted by Association of Polish Cities advisors pursuant to the so-called predefined project.