Opolskie Voivodship
- Opolskie Voivodship belongs to
the group of small European
regions with a population of
about one million people
(similar regions in EU include
Steiermark, Limburg, FrancheComte, Upper Palatinate,
Saarland, Extremadura)
- Opolskie Voivodship is a NUTS2 level unit located in the south
- western part of Poland
- Neighboring to the
Dolnośląskie, Łódzkie,
Wielkopolskie and Śląskie
Voivodships and in the south to
the Czech Republic
Permanent External Migration
Region with Population decrease
•Emigration process is
mainly conditioned by
historical and political
factors
•Shaped resilient migration
networks, covering almost
the entire groups of
residents of the region
•The loss of population
caused by external
migration and their
permanent nature, directly
and indirectly affect the
deterioration of the
demographic and social
structure of Opolskie
Foreign net migration in Poland and Opole Voivodship
(1995-2009, 1995=100)
Foreign migration
balance
in Poland and
Opole Region
Long-term population projections level for
regions in Poland (2004-2031)
Deviation from the average for Poland (in %)
Net International Migration for Poland and Opolskie
Voivodship
period 1975-2035
Forecast
2035
2030
2025
2020
2015
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
1995
1994
1993
1992
1991
1990
1989
1988
1987
1986
1985
1984
1983
1982
1981
1980
-4
1979
1978
1977
deaths
1976
Natural increase
1975
20
births
16
12
8
4
0
urodzenia żywe na 1000 ludności
przyrost naturalny na 1000 ludności
zgony na 1000 ludności
-8
Natural increase in Poland and Opole Voivodship
(1995-2009, 1995=100)
Natural increase
in Poland and
Opole Region
Source: K. Szczygielski 2012
Consequences of migration in regional
development
 Permanent outflow results in progressive depopulation of
the migration region
 weakens human resources and limits regional demand significantly affect regions development prospects and
competitive position
 The deepening demographic crisis including fixed and
stabilized processes of external migration in Opolskie
Voivodship call for concerted efforts at halting and reversing
the negative trends in this regard
 This applies in particular to facilitating return migration
(labour and permanent), stabilising the demographic
situation as well as immigration opening
Consequences of migration in regional
development
Net International Migration
 There is a clear link between unemployment in local labor markets and
temporary (liquid) work migration to other EU countries for economic
reasons
 Drainage of highly qualified staff in deficit professions in local labor
markets creates serious difficulties in the economy of the entire region
Favorable wage relations for abroad
workers between Poland and EU countries
Seasonal migration assume a mass
character (more as 70000 workers per year)
Also, definitive migrations from Opolskie
to the EU throughout the transition period
(1989-2012) are very high (70 000 people)
the analysis of net international migration
suggests that the current migration
potential is gradually depleted, more
strongly in rural areas, to a lesser extent in
cities
Coach Services Timetable
Examples of companies
associated with the migratory
movement
Regular Coach services SINDBAD (from Opole)
 Social capital - multiculturalism,
strengthening of entrepreneurship
and economic activity of residents
 High quality of life, unpolluted
natural environment, sustainable
development
 Availability of the region, the center
of regional and local structures
 Attractive investment areas and
good climate for investment and
entrepreneurship
 The high mobility of inhabitants
Special Demographic Zone Initiative
Alluding to special economic zones is to be an antidote to the very bad demographic
indicators
Main purpose is to „prevent further depopulation of the Opolskie and to implement a
systematic reconstruction of the human potential by creating new sustainable jobs
and improving the quality of life”
Special agreement concerning Opolskie Family and Seniors Card
An initiative for the partnership and support of large families, foster families and
seniors in the Opolskie Voivodeship. This is an example of solution solving the problem
of demographics based on local and regional potential
Opolskie Marshal's Office and Opole Technical University signed an agreement on
cooperation in the implementation of the Special Demographic Zone. The university
wants to open study courses whose graduates are sought after in the regional labour
market
Preventing and counteracting of depopulation processes
Achived/estimated goals
Preventing and counteracting of depopulation processes
ACTIVE SOCIETY PREPARED TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF
THE LABOUR MARKET
COMPETITIVE ECONOMY BASED ON INNOVATIVENESS
AND COOPERATION WITH SCIENCE
ATTRACTIVE AREAS FOR RESIDENCE, INVESTING AND
LEISURE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL CENTER
(Opole Functional Urban Area) AS WELL AS TOWNS
AND RURAL AREAS IN THE REGION
•COMPETITIVE AND STABLE
LABOUR MARKET
•AN ACTIVE REGIONAL SOCIETY
•INNOVATIVE AND
COMPETITIVE REGIONAL
ECONOMY
•DYNAMIC ENTERPRISES AND
FIRMS
•GOOD ACCESS TO SERVICES
AND ATTRACTIVE TOURIST AND
CULTURAL OFFER
•GOOD ACCESSIBILITY TO
LABOUR MARKETS, GOODS AND
SERVIVES
•HIGH QUALITY OF
ENVIRONMENT
•COMPETITIVE OPOLE
AGGLOMERATION
•URBAN CENTRES AS GROWTH
POLES
Opolskie Voivodship strategic goal of regional development:
To enhance competitiveness and ensure social, economic and spatial
cohesion to strengthen the attractiveness of the Opolskie Voivodship
as a place for investing, working and living
Lessons for EU migration regions:
Transition from emigration to immigration
in regional scale
Sustainable work places and attractive life
conditions gradually solve the demographic
problems of the region
Good transport accessibility and
competitive regional Center reduces the
migratory pressures and demographic
challenges
Is it the destiny of modern European regions?
 Krystian Heffner, Brygida Solga, Foreign migration of Poles in scientific research on the turn of
century, “Bulletin of Geography” socio-economic series, no. 10/2008, Toruń 2008, p. 49-62.
 Krystian Heffner, Regional identity and citizenship in Silesia (w:) Reinventing Poland. Economic and
political transformation and evolving national identity. Ed. by Martin Myant and Terry Cox,
Routledge, London and New York 2008, p. 165-178.
 Krystian Heffner, W kierunku strategii migracyjnej regionu w nowej Europie, (in:) Colloquium Opole
2008: Otwarta Europa – otwarte regiony – nowy wymiar migracji, Krystian Heffner, Aleksandra
Trzcielińska-Polus (Eds), PIN – Instytut Śląski w Opolu, Osteuropa-Institut, Regensburg, Opole 2009, p.
46-60. [Towards the migration strategy of the region in the new Europe]
 Krystian Heffner, Migracje Ślązaków po 1945 roku, „Śląsk”, Miesięcznik społeczno-kulturalny, Katowice
2012, no. 5, p. 12-14. [Migration of Silesians ofter the year 1945]
 Krystian Heffner, Robert Rauziński, Region migracyjny, jego cechy i ewolucja w Polsce na przykładzie
Śląska Opolskiego, (in:) Krajobrazy migracyjne Polski. Paweł Kaczmarczyk and Magdalena Lesińska
(Eds), Ośrodek Badań nad Migracjami Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2012, p. 61-84.
[Migration region, its features and evolution in Poland on example of Opole Silesia]
 Krystian Heffner, Brygida Solga, Features of a migration region – an analysis using the example of the
Opolskie Voivodship. (In:) Szymańska, D. and Chodkowska-Miszczuk, J. editors, “Bulletin of
Geography. Socio-economic Series”, No. 20, Nicolaus Copernicus University Press, Toruń 2013, s. 43–
58.