Opolskie Voivodeship was ranked 8th in the Small European Regions of the Future 2018/2019 ranking prepared and published by the prestigious fDi Magazine, which belongs to the Financial Times.
Opole region was among the top ten European regions with up to 1.5 million inhabitants in the FDI Strategy category, ie the strategy of promoting foreign direct investments (FDi’s Small European Regions of Future 2018/19 – FDI Strategy). – This distinction is not only a proof of recognition for the way of promoting our region’s offer and the investor service we offer, but it also promotes the region. After all, we found ourselves at the forefront of European cities and regions – says the Marshal of the Opole Region, Andrzej Buła.
The ranking was prepared by the fDi (Foreign Direct Investment) Magazine belonging to the Financial Times, and our region was submitted by completing a special survey, operating within the framework of the Opolskie Centrum Rozwoju Gospodarki (OCRG) Investor and Exporter Assistance Centre. – We decided that we have something to be proud of in terms of attracting investors and post-investment support that we offer. That’s why we sent this application. The eighth place makes us very happy – says the head of the Investor and Exporter Assistance Centre at OCRG, Dr Iwona Święch – Olender.
To create a list of distinguished European Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19 fDi collected data using specialized internet tools: fDi Benchmark and fDi Markets as well as data from other sources. They were collected for 489 locations in Europe (including 301 cities and 150 regions) in five main categories: economic potential, working environment, cost efficiency, infrastructure and a friendly business environment. There were also collected surveys in the category: FDI Strategy, in which 146 applications were submitted. Detailed information on the strategy of promoting foreign direct investment were included in them, which were then assessed by the fDi evaluation team.
– Points in this ranking were awarded, among others for the offer of the Opolskie Voivodeship regarding business support and the region’s offer for companies planning investments and development. Including a wide range of meetings and training offered. We were boasting about, among others, the existence of Club 150; a purchase group initiative for companies that has been carried out for many years; organization of meetings within the HR Club; series of meetings of the International Academy of Management and other thematic and integrating business meetings – says Piotr Regeńczuk from the Investor and Exporter Assistance Centre at OCRG.
In the survey regarding Opolskie region the support for the participation of companies and business environment institutions in fairs was also described; cooperation with schools, training centres, universities (vocational education projects); co-financing for the creation and existence of an institution such as the Science and Technology Park. – Cooperation between business environment institutions, entrepreneurs, central authorities and companies was also evaluated – says Roland Wrzeciono, the OCRG director.
The advantage of the Opolskie region is also emphasis on long-term support related to the acquisition of sales markets – eg. Organization of external events in the region, such as Automotive CEE Day in Opole; regular trips to the Leipzig and Hanover fairs, where companies from the region are promoted; participation in business meetings and promoting the region as a good place for investments. Another – support for locally operating companies on international markets through pro-export services and permanent information on EU funds for investing and developing companies.
In the overall FDI ranking assessed the economic potential, including, for example, the unemployment rate, population, inflation, GDP per capita or average annual growth rate, as well as the number of foreign direct investments (from October 2012 to September 2017). Human capital and the quality of life were also assessed.
fDi Intelligence belongs to the Financial Times. It deals, among others, with analyzing and predicting where it will pay off to invest in the long-term in Europe and in the world. In this year’s TOP 25 general list of European cities of the future, Warsaw ranked 11th (the first three places were taken by London, Dublin and Paris). And in the TOP 25 European regions of the future – the Paris region, Dublin and North Rhine-Westphalia. Masovian and Lower Silesian region were in the TOP 10 Eastern European regions. In the ranking in which Opole region came in 8th place, the so-called The Great Helsinki (Finland) were first, the second was the Region of Eindhoven, and the third Region Niš in Serbia. In the TOP 8 large regions (over 4 million inhabitants), the first place took Catalonia, and in the TOP 10 medium regions (between 1.5 and 4 million inhabitants) – the first was the so-called Great Copenhagen region.
