This local government program is intended to create new development prospects in every corner of Poland. “We hear about problems from Lesko all the way to Świnoujście. (…) Today, the current government has fallen silent and has slowed down investment processes in local governments. We must restore every municipality’s chance for normal development,” said Mateusz Morawiecki while presenting the “One-Speed Poland” program.
During a press conference today, Mateusz Morawiecki, former Prime Minister and politician of Law and Justice (PiS), presented the “One-Speed Poland” project developed as part of the Team for Poland initiative.
He stated that “when I heard about the end of the investment program for local governments, I could not believe my eyes.”
“The government has returned to a development model based on polarization and diffusion. (…) Under the new local government financing rules, Warsaw has benefited the most. The art of managing the economy and ensuring fair development lies in restoring socio-economic functions to small and medium-sized cities. The economy and development must function like a well-tuned orchestra,” the former Prime Minister said.
Morawiecki outlined a model in which a local entrepreneur employs local workers, wages increase, local consumption grows, and taxes flow into municipal budgets, “which ensures that the great economic machine moves in the right direction.”
“The program was not halted by itself, nor by accident. These were bad decisions by the current government. These decisions are leading to a growing imbalance. The last programs being implemented in local governments are those for which we left both documentation and funding. Today, local governments must patch investment gaps with loans and once again face difficulties in attracting entrepreneurs to create new jobs,” he said.
He then presented the framework of a new initiative called “Local Government 500+,” which is to be a new version of the well-known Strategic Investment Program.
The program provides support for municipalities amounting to 500 PLN per resident annually. For small municipalities, this would mean a minimum of 5 million PLN per year, while for large urban centers, the maximum would be 100 million PLN annually.
Mateusz Morawiecki announced that a nationwide public consultation process on the proposal will be launched across municipalities, counties, and regions.
“This program is meant to become another major engine of economic growth for the next decade. It is designed to create new development opportunities in every corner of Poland. We hear about problems from Lesko to Świnoujście. (…) Today, the current government has fallen silent and slowed down local investments. We must restore every municipality’s chance for normal development. That is the purpose of the ‘One-Speed Poland’ program. Poland should be a good place to live everywhere. This is our plan – an ambitious plan. A Poland that develops evenly and rapidly. I thank local government officials – they said this program must be simple, with zero bureaucracy,” he added.