“We have taken our chance”
Ryszard Pacholik: I The Kobierzyce commune is a very good place to live and it is not a great problem to find a job here. It is situated just outside the city of Wrocław, less than half an hour’s drive from the Old Town Market Square. We have an excellently developed infrastructure, jobs waiting for people and taxes lower than elsewhere.
This is so because at a certain moment we managed to exploit three important advantages of our location. As I have already said, the commune’s proximity to Wrocław means it is an attractive place to settle. We also have excellent soils, one of the best in Lower Silesia, and this is why there are more than 1,540 farms offering products of high quality in the commune. The third advantage is our location close to an important junction of national and international roads, something which has attracted to the commune 185 manufacturers - from small businesses to international corporations.
Q: Good soils and good location are indeed an advantage. But Poland has thousands of communes with such advantages and little activity in them.
A: Indeed, it is not enough to have potential. Also needed is initiative. And we in Kobierzyce did take the initiative at a certain moment. We prepared plans for turning undeveloped sites, mainly wasteland, into commercial land. Then, the first investors appeared in Kobierzyce. Now, the total value of investment made in the commune by Polish and foreign companies is estimated at more than USD600 million and jobs have been created for over 6,500 people. And this is not all – new plants to be opened by LG Philips LCD, LG Electronics and their six suppliers will offer more than 12,000 jobs. The value of the contract exceeds USD852 million. If one adds to this another 1,000 jobs to be created by other investors, the total number of jobs in the commune will reach around 20,000.
Q: And what next?
A: We still have vacant sites designated for investment projects. But we try to analyse offers from prospective investors very carefully to make sure that their projects meet our expectations, which include environmental protection, minimum nuisance to local residents and the creation of jobs for residents of Lower Silesia.
Q: And what do you offer to those who invest in Kobierzyce?
A: They are offered well-prepared sites, full service and a five-year exemption on property tax.
Q: And how do the residents of the commune benefit?
A: As I have said, they benefit from the modern infrastructure and new employment opportunities. Additionally, large investment projects have stimulated local enterprise in the commune. There are now around 1,100 small and medium businesses operating in Kobierzyce and their number is on the rise, while we only have 13,650 residents.
