The Association of Polish Cities is the industry patron of the POLECO 2023 fair

The Association of Polish Cities took the industry patronage over this year's edition of POLECO!

The Association of Polish Cities is a nationwide self-government organization that represents the interests of over 350 municipal governments, is actively involved in activities supporting local self-government and decentralization, and strives for better development of Polish cities. These tasks are carried out through: legislative lobbying, expert support, exchange of experience, promotion of cities, foreign cooperation as well as information and publishing activities.

The Association of Polish Cities has existed since 1917 and already in the interwar period it could boast of many achievements. After World War II, the activity of the ZMP was prevented. However, immediately after the first free local elections after the war (May 27, 1990), an initiative to recreate the Union appeared. Within a few months, the councils of nearly 60 cities adopted resolutions on joining the Union, and in January 1991, its Restitution Congress was held in Poznań, the statutory seat of the Union. Currently, 355 cities belong to the Union. More than 78% of the country's urban population lives in them.

Positions and draft amendments to laws on self-government prepared by the Management Board or problem committees of the ZMP are presented to the Joint Government and Local Government Committee and its working teams, to the Sejm and Senate committees and to the relevant ministries. The union supports cities that apply to the Constitutional Tribunal in cases of unfavorable legal solutions. He also asks the President of the Republic of Poland not to sign the laws. It prepares its own bills, e.g. the Revitalization Act or a package of bills concerning finances.

ZMP provides expert support for cities. It orders legal expertise, conducts surveys, and enables monitoring of public services through the new development version of the Local Government Analysis System (SAS), the Local Development Monitor (MRL), created in 2019. MRL (https://monitor Rozwoju.pl/) is a modern and free-of-charge database obtained from public statistics and the Ministry of Finance, which enables the analysis of the development potential of municipalities and the review of indicators concerning important sectors of the activity of municipal governments. This is the only such project in Poland (and the second in Europe, after the Norwegian KOSTRA), which supports city authorities in current and strategic management to such a wide extent.

The exchange of experience includes the presentation and popularization of good practices from cities and the preparation of thematic conferences, seminars and workshops. Numerous projects implemented by ZMP for cities with the participation of external funds serve to promote interesting solutions. We are currently implementing projects concerning, among others: management in education, participation in spatial planning, higher quality of administration, monitoring of public services or partnerships of local government units.

Since 2019, the Association has been implementing the largest training and consulting project in its history and the largest in Poland (also financed from EEA funds) for local governments of small and medium-sized cities under the name "Building the institutional potential of medium-sized and small cities in Poland for the implementation of effective local development policies" . Following the substantive support of the Association and our experts, 29 cities received investment grants in July 2021, administered by our main partner - the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy.

ZMP also implements campaigns together with cities (e.g. "Arrange your city yourself", #DziękUEmy, "One for all, all for one", "#CityzEntrepreneurs"). By participating in numerous national and international bodies, the Association tries to be an active and effective ambassador of local government issues and a substantive partner of Polish cities. The Union represents the interests of member cities in European organizations associating local governments, such as the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities CLRAE or the Committee of the Regions.

More on the website of the Association of Polish Cities.

Thank you very much!