Brussels, 12/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - Speaking in Katowice, Poland, on Thursday at a conference on 'Urban Policy within the framework of European Union Cohesion Policy 2007-2013', EU Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner said: "It is an exciting moment for Poland because Europe's Cohesion Policy will create a unique opportunity for rapid and progressive transformation of the national economy and society. It is an exciting moment for Silesia and Katowice because, as one of Europe's oldest industrial heartlands, you have the chance to make a qualitative leap forward into a post-industrial structure and establish a pole of excellence with high productivity and more and better jobs". In her speech, focussing on preparing Silesia's Regional Operational Programme, Hubner said the EU's Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 could put Silesia in the fast lane.
The conference in Katowice on 11 and 12 January was jointly organised by the Silesian union of municipalities and districts, the city of Katowice and the association of Polish cities. Some 150 mayors and other participants from the local authorities in Silesia and other regions of Poland, together with a number of guest speakers from other EU Member States, were among the participants. Regional Development Minister Gra¿yna Gêsicka, and Member of the European Parliament, Jan Olbrycht, addressed the conference, which looked at urban policy under the EU Cohesion Policy, Poland's urban policy, sustainable city transport, financial engineering, governance and the interaction of central and regional government. Commissioner Hübner met the Mayor of the city of Katowice, Piotr Uszok, the marshal of the Slaskie voivodship Janusz Moszyñski, and the voivode of Slaskie, Tomasz Pietrzykowski, explains a European Commission press release.
The overall financial allocation for the operational programmes in Poland for 2007-2013, as proposed in the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) submitted to the European Commission, is €67.28 billion in current prices. The Regional Operational Programmes (ROP) for the sixteen Voivodships have a total planned allocation of € 15.99 billion. The Silesia ROP has a planned allocation of € 1,570 million or 9.8% of the total. (gb)