Wielkopolska contributes to the promotion of initiative Covenant of Mayors

Author: Alicja NOWAK, ENNEREG Project Partner, Urząd Marszałkowski Województwa Wielkopolskiego, Poland - Email

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The Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska Region (UMWW) in cooperation with the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” (supporting structure for CoM in Poland) organized the conference “Covenant of Mayors – initiative of European Commission in terms the energy potential of the Wielkopolska Region” on March, 23^rd, 2011. During the conference there was also an exhibition called ‘Good Energy’ promoting Polish and Ukraine Covenant of Mayors (CoM) signatory towns and cities. There were over 160 attendees, mostly representatives of the Wielkopolska communes and poviats but also from universities, scientific institutes and companies operating in the field of energy. The media patronage was given by the monthly “Czysta Energia” (Clean Energy) and self-government magazine  “Monitor Wielkopolski” (Wielkopolska Monitor).

Participants at “Covenant of Mayors – initiative of European Commission in terms of the energy potential of the Wielkopolska Region

The conference was opened by Mr. Krzysztof Grabowski – Member of the Board of the Wielkopolska Region who welcomed the participants and presented short introduction in which he recalled the role of the self-government regarding energy issues, underlined the importance of the energy safety on the European, regional and local levels as well as described the activities and involvement of the Marshal Office of the Wielkopolska Region in preparation of the regional strategic energy documents and regional SEAP.

Mr. Krzysztof Grabowski – Member of the Board of the Wielkopolska Region	Assist. Prof. Jacek Dach from the Poznan University of Life Sciences

The renewable energy sources in the Wielkopolska Region were presented by Mr. Andrzej Bobrowski – Director of the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development UMWW and Mr. Marek Bryl – Director of the Wielkopolska Office of the Spatial Planning. Mrs. Maria Stankiewicz – Director of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités” presented the initiative Covenant of Mayors and her colleagues introduced the relevant projects.

Prof. Anna Grzybek from the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Falenty, Warsaw Branch	Assist. Prof. Jacek Dach from the Poznan University of Life Sciences

Prof. Anna Grzybek from the Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Falenty, Warsaw Branch, characterized the biomass and its role in the planning documents for the commune. Assist. Prof. Jacek Dach from the Poznan University of Life Sciences explained why the biogas power plants are the chance for the communes. There was given also presentation of the regional energy agency – the Wielkopolska Energy Management Agency Ltd. (WAZE) and its fields of activities and cooperation with self-governments from the Region.

Since the conference, Jarocin Commune has become the first Wielkopolska community to become a member of the Association of Municipalities Polish Network “Energie Cités”. The appropriate resolution was undertaken on 19th of April, 2011 by the Jarocin City Council.

Jarocin is situated in the southern part of the Wielkopolsko - Kujawska Lowland, 71 kilometres from the region's biggest city - Poznan. The commune of Jarocin consists of the town of Jarocin and 26 smaller towns and villages. The town's area is 14.5 square kilometres and the whole commune spreads over the area of 200 square kilometres. The community is crossed by national roads number 11, 12 and 15. The driving distances from Jarocin are: Warszawa - 286km, Poznan - 71km, Kalisz - 52km. The distance to the nearest border crossing with Germany is 251 km and the nearest airport in Poznan - 71 km. The town is an important rail junction. Rail lines going from Lower and Upper Silesia up to the Baltic Sea coast: Szczecin, Kolobrzeg and Gdansk, meet here. The town of Jarocin has a population of 27 thousand people; the population in the total commune of Jarocin exceeds 45 thousand people. The number of households is 11500. The structure of the commune's population consists of: 60% of people in the productive age (19-65 years), 30% of children and youth and 10% of retired persons. The commune has 15 elementary schools, 9 grammar schools and 5 high schools. There are also branches of four universities, offering education at such specializations as: administration, scientific information, librarian studies and wood technology. The unique feature of Jarocin is enormous activity of its inhabitants, who are associated in 60 different societies, associations and clubs.