Suchergebnisse

The position of Kaliningrad is unique in historical, economic and geopolitical terms. This one time part of Eastern Prussia, presently part of Russia, is distanced 600 km from this country. It is much closer to Warsaw and Berlin than to Moscow. On the other hand, the Oblast is relatively close to the well developed region of Western Europe. The region enjoys the status of a free economic zone and starting 1996 that of a special economic zone. The A 2005, is to accelerate social and economic development of the region. The Act favours big investors, particularly Moscow capital. It lacks reference to small and medium sized enterprises for which the requirement to invest at minimum 5 million euro is a serious barrier. Current changes on the banks of the Pregola River give rise to hope and to a smaller extent concern. Contemporary Kaliningrad belonging to Russia undergoes continuous transformation in all fields of life. Cut off from the world for decades it is briskly making up economic and cultural backlog. The political tension between Warsaw and Moscow is reflected on the local level. This can be observed in the rhythm and flow of border clearance. However, good international relations facilitate local cooperation. Thanks to the efforts of the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Kaliningrad as well as Polish and Russian local authorities, mutual relations between Polish north east voivodships and the Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation in recent years are much better than on the governmental level. Nevertheless, the decision centre for fundamental issues concerning the Kaliningrad Oblast is not Kaliningrad, but Moscow. Interest in closer formal relations with Russian partners rose after Poland's accession to the EU. Economic cooperation between the Kaliningrad Oblast and Polish north east voivodships continuous to develop and is sustainable though it encounters many problems and legal and administrative changes connected with visa traffic and three year embargo on Polish meat in Russia. Trade exchange between Poland and the Kaliningrad Oblast is developing relatively well, however much below possibility is our capital involvement. The scope of economic cooperation is relatively modest. Work on securing and handling affairs of Polish investors in the Kaliningrad Oblast remains unsatisfactory. A good form of promoting and presenting Polish goods and services in Kaliningrad is the annually held Polish national Polexport in the city. Chances of further export growth to the Kaliningrad Oblast can be seen in the dynamically developing construction, building and finishing materials sector. ; Marcin Polom