The meeting was attended by local government officials and representatives of two euroregions, including the head of the Nysa Euroregion Piotr Roman, president of the Glacensis Euroregion Czesław Kręcichwost, as well as Zgorzelec Mayor Rafał Gronicz and Kinga Hartmann-Wóycicka from the Saxon Education Agency.
K. Hartmann-Wóycicka spoke about cooperation in education between Saxony and Lower Silesia: “A great deal has been done, but there is also a great deal left to do. Institutions that train teachers are needed. We also need experts in education, higher education and teacher training. The university in Zittau does not fulfil these tasks.
The issue of railway connections—or rather, their absence—was raised by Tomasz Gabrysiak from Bolesławiec City Hall. The head of the Bolesławiec Development and City Promotion Department recalled a project unique on a European scale: a cross-border ticket costing PLN 25, which can be used by residents of the border area of Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. “For 24 hours, they can travel using all forms of public transport in the three countries,” he stressed. “The operators of railway lines and bus connections, as well as urban bus operators in the cross-border area, are included. This project has been successful for us.
He also mentioned the modernization of the E 30 railway route [przebiegającej od granicy z Niemcami (m.in. przez Bolesławiec, Wrocław, Opole, Katowice, Kraków, Przemyśl) do granicy z Ukrainą – przyp. „ii”]: “Before the modernization, it was possible to travel from Bolesławiec to Warsaw, Kraków, Dresden, Berlin and Hamburg. Despite such a costly investment, this line has lost importance as a passenger connection between Poland and Germany.
According to T. Gabrysiak, one reason for this situation may be the lack of a so-called railway agreement between Poland and Germany. What is more, railway connections between Poland and the Czech Republic are regulated by an agreement dating back to… 1962.
This leads to many absurdities. “The railway line running through Zawidów is used only for cargo transport, while every day hundreds, if not thousands, of Poles travel to the Czech Republic for work. Such a connection is certainly needed and would undoubtedly have many passengers,” the official stressed.
He concluded: “We have invested a great deal of European funds in modernizing this railway line, yet the state of international connections is worse than it was 10 years ago.
P. Roman expressed a similar view: “There are the fewest railway connections from Poland to Germany—in fact, there are simply none, apart from Szczecin and Warsaw. It is somewhat embarrassing, because how can we explain to people that Poland’s largest railway investment has been completed and that such important connections were then discontinued?!”
Minister Grzegorz Schetyna then spoke: “What is problematic here does not concern my ministry, but I feel like a fellow resident or neighbour—a person who, having this knowledge, can alert, sensitize or hold other ministers accountable for taking action.
He stressed: “The key option is the Węgliniec–Zgorzelec connection. There is plenty of money for railways; the point is to ensure that Lower Silesia’s applications are high enough on the pile.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured those present that he would present the demands of the euroregions’ representatives to Maria Wasiak, head of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development. He also said that he would meet with Lower Silesian local government officials again in September or October: “So that at least by the end of this Sejm and government’s term we can agree on some dates. The pace of action must be maintained, regardless of election campaigns and the election results.