Kostrzyn nad Odrą w Unii Europejskiej
Kostrzyn upon Odra in the European Union

Summary/Abstract: Kostrzyn upon Odra, a rapidly developing town of nearly 18,000 inhabitants, is situated on the Polish-German border. Its economic success is mainly based on its good geo-political position in the center of a large complex of enterprises operating in the Kostrzyn-S³ubice Special Economic Zone. Local government plays an important role in supporting entrepreneurship in the town and has received many prestigious awards for its activities. Kostrzyn is a town involved in a local project named the „Pro Europa Viadrina” Euroregion. Kostrzyn upon Odra’s cooperation with foreign partners dates back to the 1980s. Subsequent cooperation has mainly been based on partnership towns and transformed into cooperation in the field of science, culture, sport and tourism. It made excellent use of EU funds allocated for Poland in the pre-accession period, in particular within the framework of joint EU projects implemented with partners from Germany, Sweden and Portugal. The main objective of Kostrzyn, which could act as a model town for other small towns along the Polish frontier, is to eliminate barriers to cross-border cooperation. The residents and authorities of Kostrzyn are highly open to contacts with their Western neighbors. Projects such as the organization of joint cultural events, international cooperation of uniformed services, construction of a railway line between twin towns in Poland and Germany, and alignment of local laws are clear examples of how these once hostile countries (Poland and Germany), that were completely ruined during the war, today, thanks to cooperation within the structures of the European Union, are living in friendship and co-operating with each other to the satisfaction of each party.

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