Krakow Special Economic Zone

Tens of millions invested. About 20 new investment permits, capital expenditure worth tens of million PLN and 60 hectares of new terrain - these are the plans for the following year of the Krakow Special Economic Zone (KSEZ).

At the beginning of 2007, on the basis of a new act waiting for the signature of the Prime Minister, the regional aid in KSEZ will increase from 40 to 50 percent for large companies and even up to 70 percent in the case of medium and small enterprises - said Krzysztof Poradzisz, the President of Krakow Technology Park (KTP), the company managing the KSEZ.

The new, higher level of regional aid became a magnet attracting entrepreneurs. This year the KSEZ plans to issue over 20 new permits. For comparison - last year they have issued 13 new permits, and in 2005 only four.

The KTP looks especially for investors from the high-tech, IT and electronic fields. So far the KTP has issued 40 permits to such companies as - Motorola, ComArch, Shell, Ericpol, ACS i MAN, Car Technology Production and RR Donnelley. These investments have brought until now four thousand new jobs and in two years they will create another three thousand. To the end of 2009 the companies plan the expenditure worth 600 million PLN.

The Krakow Zone has been created in 1998, it used to have an area of 66 hectares. Nowadays it consists of 264 hectares in seven sub-zones (Czyżyny, Pychowice, Branice, Kraków Business Park in Zabierzów, Niepołomice and Tarnów Industry Claster) in regions of Malopolska and Podkarpacie. This year the KTP intends to enlarge the area by 60 hectares in Krakow, Niepołomice, Brzesk and Tarnów. The year 2007 should be profitable for all of the Special Economic Zones. The investments started in 2006 may reach nine billion PLN.