Ministry of Culture and National Heritage reports that local government cultural institutions and units in smaller towns will be able to benefit from the EU’s European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment (FEnIKS) programme. The Ministry has opened the programme to 139 medium-sized towns that are losing their socio-economic functions.

Local government cultural institutions and units will be able to take part in the next call for applications for the EU FEnIKS Programme. Expanding the catalogue of potential beneficiaries will enable the construction of a modern cultural infrastructure, responding to the needs of the inhabitants.

“We want to provide the inhabitants of medium-sized towns with good conditions for enjoying the cultural offer to strengthen local communities. The possibility of carrying out joint neighbourhood activities, exchanging and drawing on knowledge, strengthens identity. We are keen to eliminate barriers such as the high cost of entertainment or limited access for people with special needs”, stresses Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

The medium-sized cities on the list are characterised by a loss of socio-economic and administrative functions, an exodus of people to large centres (especially educated people of working age), the decline of traditional local industries, an ageing population, as well as changing demand for certain services and a mismatch between demand and supply in the labour market.

Those towns are struggling with unsatisfactory territorial accessibility, including inadequate transport links to other towns and to the functional area, both in terms of the quality of road and rail links and the public transport network. As a result, the economic and financial base of these local authorities is weakened, threatening a further deterioration in living and business conditions.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński