QUAESTIONES GEOGRAPHICAE 33(4) • 2014

THE CHALLENGING TASK OF GOVERNING CROSS-BORDER INVESTMENT IN PERIPHERAL REGIONS: POLISH INVESTORS IN NORTHEAST

Sebastian Kinder1, Kamil Lis1, Wolfdietrich Peiker2, Lech Suwala2

1Economic Geography, Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, Germany 2Economic Geography, Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany

Manuscript received: October 18, 2013 Revised version: March 7, 2014

Kinder S., Lis K., Peiker W., Suwala L. 2014. The challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripher- al regions: Polish investors in northeast Germany. Quaestiones Geographicae 33(4), Bogucki Wydawnictwo Naukowe, Poznań, pp. 27–41, 2 maps, 4 tables, 3 figs. DOI 10.2478/quageo-2014-0047, ISSN 0137-477X.

Abstract: The article investigates the challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripheral regions. The main objective is to identify common opportunities and obstacles in the by taking the case study of Polish citizens/ entrepreneurs investing in northeast Germany. This relatively new phenomenon is accompanied by large uncertainties and risks, and lacks further empirical insights. At the same time it breaks new ground, creates al- ternatives, calls for the development of efficient modes of cross-border cooperation and addresses mutual governance issues on an inter-regional basis between manifold stakeholders on both sides of the border. The case study summaris- es findings from fieldwork, elaborates a quantitative and qualitative assessment of cross-border governance measures within formal and informal institutions, and tries to formulate policy recommendations for prospective approaches.

Key words: governance, cross-border regions, FDI, Germany, Poland Address of the corresponding author: Sebastian Kinder, Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen, Chair in Economic Geography, Rümelinstraße 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; e-mail: [email protected]

Introduction bilateral foreign direct investment (FDIs) tell a different story. Whereas the cumulative inward Germany and Poland are not only neighbour- FDIs from Germany to Poland between 1993 and ing countries in the , but also 2010 amounted to 22 billion Euro, only one bil- close trading partners. A detailed look at Po- lion Euro was invested in the opposite direction land’s trade balance reveals that Germany is by during the same time period (Robak 2011: 10; far its most important trade partner accounting for approximately one forth of its trade volume terwards as “German goods”. Another issue is the with a relatively even balance (Deutsche Bunde large amount of re-exports (including goods such as 1 automotive parts, textiles, apparel) initially imported bank 2012; GUS 2012) . Even so, the statistics of to Germany and then exported again. This creates dis- crepancies between the countries of origin and des- 1 However, there are some statistical ambiguities be- tination. Therefore, the Polish Central Statistical Of- tween German and Polish data due to asymmetries fice (GUS) reports a lower value for German imports stemming from different methodologies applied. A to Poland (e.g. €34 billion, 2011) than the German significant part of German exports to Poland is chan- Federal Statistical Office Statistisches ( Bundesamt) nelled through German harbours; these include also for German exports to Poland (€43.5 billion, 2011) goods originating, e.g., from China and declared af- (Botschaft... 2012: 4). 28 Sebastian Kinder, Kamil Lis, Wolfdietrich Peiker, Lech Suwala

Table 1. Bilateral FDI between Germany and Poland, 2008-2011 (in billion Euro). German FDIs in Polish FDIs in Year Poland Germany Skåne 2008 € 1.08 billion € 0.21 billion 2009 € 2.14 billion € 0.12 billion N 2010 € 2.19 billion € 0.30 billion Malmö 0 100km 2011 € 2.99 billion € 0.41 billion Source: Bundesbank 2012: 14,17,20,28,31.

Botschaft... 2012: 5). Interestingly, current data show a promising rising trend of Polish FDIs in Germany between 2008 and 20112 (Table 1). We want to explore this phenomenon at a much smaller scale by taking a closer look at Polish FDIs in the north-eastern region in Ger- many, especially in the former county (Landkreis) Mecklenburg- of -Randow3. We will focus on how this Vorpommern Zachodniopomorskie phenomenon is governed. We have chosen Ueck- er- for the following three reasons: (1) its vicinity to the ’s only significant agglomeration of Szczecin in Poland (Maps 1 and 2), (2) the highest concentration of enterprises run by Polish owners, proprietors, or managing directors in the German part of the re- BERLIN gion (Table 2), and (3) a detailed media analysis preceding the project concerning Polish entrepre- Map 1. Extent of the Pomerania Euroregion. neurial activities (Neuser, Wicke 2013). Source: Pomerania 2013a. Since Uecker-Randow borders Poland and is located approximately 15 km west of the city cen- tre of Szczecin and roughly 6 km from the city’s Rügen N outskirts, it is not surprising that the county sus- 0 50km tains over three-fourths of Polish enterprises in the neighbouring German counties (Table 2). Al- though those 189 enterprises constitute only 6.5% Ost- of all enterprises (=2,929) in this territory, some vorpommern industries like construction, services or trade rep- resent almost 10% in their sectors (Statistisches Neubrandenburg Uecker- Randow Neubrandenburg

2 Being aware that FDI is a highly volatile phenomenon Mecklenburg- that might depend on individual large-scale invest- Strelitz ment projects in certain years, we want to investigate if this trend is the result of a small, but solid back- ground in the Pomerania Euroregion with regard to the county (Landkreis) of Uecker-Randow. 3 Uecker-Randow was a county between 1994 and 2011 Barmin in the east of the German federal state (Bundesland) of Mecklenburg-Cispomerania bordering Poland (Map 1). The county reform (Kreisgebietsreform) of 2011 led BERLIN to a consolidation and the creation of a new, larger county of Cispomerania-Greifswald encompassing Map 2. Former German counties the old counties of Uecker-Randow, Eastern Cispo- in the Pomerania Euroregion. merania and the Hanseatic City of Greifswald. Source: Pomerania 2013c. The challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripheral regions 29

Table 2. Enterprises run by (a) foreign, (b) European Union, (c) Polish owners, proprietors, or managing direc- tors in selected counties of the German part of the region, Sept. 2011. Foreign-run Industry DM HGW MST NB OVP UER Total Construction 4 0 1 3 3 30 41 Services 26 27 12 32 32 87 216 Tourism 26 43 24 39 58 32 222 Trade 29 28 35 37 39 93 261 Manufacturing 2 3 6 4 10 15 40 Other 7 0 4 0 7 1 19 Total – foreign 94 101 82 115 149 258 799 European Union Industry DM HGW MST NB OVP UER Total Construction 4 0 0 2 1 29 36 Services 21 16 5 17 18 79 156 Tourism 2 15 6 7 19 6 55 Trade 18 11 20 21 20 77 167 Manufacturing 1 1 6 4 7 12 31 Other 7 0 2 0 7 1 17 Total – foreign 53 43 39 51 72 204 462 Polish Industry DM HGW MST NB OVP UER Total Construction 4 0 0 0 0 29 33 Services 3 3 2 2 10 78 98 Tourism 0 2 3 0 2 3 10 Trade 3 2 5 3 7 57 87 Manufacturing 0 0 0 0 2 12 14 Other 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 Total – foreign 15 7 10 5 21 189 247 DM = Demmin, HGW = Hansestadt Greifswald, MST = Mecklenburg-Strelitz, NB = Neubrandenburg, OVP = , UER = Uecker Randow Source: own compilation based on data from the Statistical Office of Mecklenburg-Cispomerania, 2012.

Amt... 2012). This data is also partly visible in obstacles in the Pomerania Euroregion by taking the media (print, visual) by means of ambivalent the case study of Polish citizens/ entrepreneurs headlines like “Help! The are arriving!” investing in Uecker-Randow. This relatively new (Kuiper 2007) or “East German village experienc- phenomenon is accompanied by large uncertain- es an unexpected heyday with the assistance of ties, risks and lacks empirical insights. At the Poles” (Trentmann 2011). same time it breaks new ground, creates alterna- Concerning these facts, our main objective tives, calls for the development of efficient modes is to investigate the challenging task of govern- of cross-border cooperation, and addresses mu- ing cross-border Polish investment in Ueck- tual governance issues on an inter-regional basis er-Randow. Most literature so far has concen- between manifold stakeholders on both sides trated either on general issues of cross-border of the border. The case study summarises find- regions (Schamp 1995; Kaczmarek, Stryjakiewicz ings from fieldwork, elaborates a quantitative 1997; Barjak 2001; Stryjakiewicz 2002; Krätke, and qualitative assessment of cross-border gov- Borst 2004, Virtanen 2004) or on the opposite ernance measures within formal and informal direction of investment (e.g. foreign or German institutions, and tries to formulate policy recom- FDIs in Poland) between both countries (Maack mendations for prospective approaches based on et al. 2005; Maack 2010; Zimny 2012). This arti- general theoretical discussion of governance and cle aims to identify common opportunities and empirical facts from Uecker-Randow. 30 Sebastian Kinder, Kamil Lis, Wolfdietrich Peiker, Lech Suwala

Governance mechanisms (INTERREG, PHARE, SAPARD, ISPA and/or TACIS) on the basis of principles New governance modes experienced a tre- of ‘partnership’ and ‘subsidiarity’, transnational mendous interest in the wake of deregulation, spatial planning, and inter-governmental frame- liberalisation, privatisation and de-bureaucrati- works envisioned as ‘multi-level polities’. These sation triggered by the Washington Consensus frameworks are orchestrated by a multiplicity of in the 1990s and the dictum of the lean state (Fi- actors including the EC, national governments, toussi, Saraceno 2013). Governance is one of the regional and local authorities, non-governmen- most frequently discussed issues in contempo- tal organisations, associations, unions, educa- rary literature on policy science (Kooiman 1993; tional institutions, public-private partnerships, Pierre 2000; Hirst 2000; Kjaer 2004; Schuppert and many other entities of the wider civil society 2005) and a promising field in human geography (Hooghe, Marks 2001). (Fürst 2003; Einig et al. 2005; Sparke 2006). The Although constructed after decades of exper- consequence is a wide variety of conceptualis- imentation in political, economic, social and cul- ations. However, governance is quite an elusive tural decentralisation at sub-national scales with concept. There exists no common definition or a sovereign member states, especially clearly distinguished governance theory. Many in Central and East-European countries face authors have attempted to provide an overview multiple governance dilemmas and remain “lab- of different varieties, emphasising multiple dif- oratories of European integration” (Kramsch, ferences and similarities (e.g. Fig. 1). Hooper 2004: 3). There are still plenty of obsta- cles inhibiting effective cross-border coopera- Hierarchical Closed co- Open co- Self tion and mutual governance. They can be dis- governance governance governance governance tinguished along the lines of legal, institutional, administrative, political, financial, monetary, so- cio-economic, and cultural problems (Ricq 1992). Fig. 1. Different types of governance (Kooimann 2003). The balancing act of each region within Europe- In general, governance pools groups of differ- an cross-border territories is to maintain its local ent institutions and actors that do not belong to identity while working in the national context the same government sphere. The term implies and opening itself to benefits from transnational interdependence between the powers of institu- cooperation at the same time (Heddebaut 2004). tions associated with collective action where au- This article highlights socio-economic obstacles tonomous actors’ networks may intervene and when pursuing mutual governance in the Po- agency is not entirely left to the state power or merania Euroregion between northwest Poland authority (Padioleau 2000: 69). (West ) and northeast With regard to cross-border regions in the Germany (parts of the federal states of Mecklen- European Union, governance is a frequent- burg-Cispomerania and Brandenburg) concern- ly-used notion to describe the mechanism of a ing cross-border investment of Polish citizens in territory being governed by a combination of Germany4. manifold levels and types of governmental au- thorities operating in the same space. This chal- lenging task was tackled by the creation of so- called Euroregions (sometimes also referred to as ‘euregios’ or ‘euregions’ – Kramsch, Hooper 4 The Pomerania Euroregion represents a special case 2004) in the EU, which represent multilevel in- and integrates three EU member states (Map 1). The stitutionalisation where member states rath- Swedish Scania region has not been included into the er than the European Commission (EC) are in study for several reasons: an increased complexity of charge of allocating funds according to the sub- governance modes, the special geographical setting (it sidiarity principle (Heddebaut 2004: 73). Eurore- is separated from Poland and Germany by the ), and poor connectivity (missing spatial proximity gions aim to achieve greater integration by an to the Szczecin agglomeration) with regard to the case adequate management of cross-border funding study. The challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripheral regions 31

Table 3. Comparison of demographic and economic Demographic and economic situation key data of Germany and of the county of Uecker­- in Uecker-Randow -Randow. Share of pop- Per capita Unemployment ulation older income rate The former county of Uecker-Randow is lo- than 50 years Uecker-­ € 17,633 cated in the south-eastern corner of the German 17.6% (Jan. 2012) 48.0% (2010) federal state of Mecklenburg-Cispomerania. It Randow (2009) Germany € 29,027 was administrated from , the largest 7.7% (Jan. 2012) 40.0% (2010) (average) (2009) town in the county. Currently, this region faces Source: own compilation based on data from Thiemann and Wock- major demographic and economic challenges enfuß (2013). (Table 3). In 2009, the per capita income was at 60.7% of the German average, representing one ernance institutions can be considered to play a of the lowest values nationwide. Simultaneous- crucial role in successful investments in Ueck- ly, the unemployment rate, which is more than er-Randow, and therefore in a possible develop- twice as high as the rate of Germany, indicates ment of that region. In the following, several rele- a distinctly weak economic situation. Structural vant governance institutions are analysed on the deficits in Uecker-Randow accelerated since the basis of the supply of services for investors from transformation of the state-commanded econo- Poland to Germany. my of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) in the early 1990s. With the decline in eco- nomic performance and employment, especially Formal institutions in Cispomerania young people seeking work emigrated from that region. Between 1990 and 2010, the population Although governance of a Euroregion in- of Uecker-Randow shrank by 24.9%, from 96,043 cludes influences from several governmental to 72,137 inhabitants. Thus, the demographic spheres, as mentioned above, initiatives from in- situation is characterised by a distinct ageing stitutions at lower levels – due to the principle (Thiemann, Wockenfuß 2013). of subsidiarity – can often be seen as crucial and The eastward enlargement of the European accessible ones for pioneers and private inves- Union, including the extension of its Common tors from Poland engaging in Germany. Due to Market area, offers new opportunities to that re- this relatively new phenomenon and taking into gion, as it is no more situated at the border of the account the complexity of governance modes, supranational entity. It therefore allows infinite different administrative regions (in Germany, possibilities for cross-border activities with the the very former county of Uecker-Randow, and proximate city of Szczecin with roughly 400,000 in Poland) and levels as well as activity spheres inhabitants (GUS 2012: 655) and its agglomera- (public-administrative vs. economic), we have tion. Some Polish citizens even prefer to reside developed a synopsis showing the numerous in Uecker-Randow due to cheaper rents than in interrelationships between the stakeholders in Szczecin, helping both to decrease the vacancy the region involved (Fig. 2). Moreover, with spe- rate of properties and compensate for the loss cial regard to bottom-up governance modes, we of inhabitants on the German side. This is a con- distinguish between formal and informal insti- sequence of the agglomeration diseconomies on tutions. In our case study, we define formal in- the Polish side of the border, such as an increased stitutions as officially registered organisations, cost of living. associations, or administrative-governmental With regard to the economic challenges, hy- institutions that communicate their range of of- pothetically, self-employed Poles and investors fers for potential investors in an explicit way, via may contribute to the regional per capita income, websites, leaflets, and other advertising material. while investors may even create employment. Informal institutions are individuals or groups Due to uncertainties and risks, especially for that assist potential investors without explicitly small and medium enterprises, also with regard offering services in the media but rather commu- to cultural and administrative distances, gov- nicating them via personal networks. 32 Sebastian Kinder, Kamil Lis, Wolfdietrich Peiker, Lech Suwala

The Pomerania Euroregion sides supporting cross-border exchange between social and cultural associations embraced by the We start the analysis of relevant institutions paradigm of “creating areas of border-crossing governing our selected region with a closer look economy and services” (Pomerania 2014), eco- at the Pomerania Euroregion. This cross-border nomic development is one of the main targets of region is organised as an association of munic- the Pomerania Euroregion. This objective can be ipal administrations and other institutions in realised by assistance for economic investments, north-eastern Germany, north-western Poland development of regional infrastructure common- and southern Sweden (Map 1, Fig. 2). Its main ly funded by INTERREG-A programmes, and objective is to develop the bordering regions the creation of economic cooperation by means and to revive the “historically persistent” ties of know-how exchange via cross-border fairs and between those countries (Pomerania 2014). Be- seminars. Although those economy-related activ-

Fig. 2. Formal and informal institutions in Uecker-Randow and their services for Polish investors. Source: own compilation based on information from research. The challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripheral regions 33 ities of the Euroregion are geared in particular to- explicitly Poland-oriented institutions associated wards small and medium-sized enterprises rep- with and/or initiated by the IHK. resentative of most business entities (no matter Firstly, the House of Economy (Haus der whether German or Polish) of the region, they are Wirtschaft/ Dom Gospodarki) in Szczecin de- not explicitly addressed towards Polish-owned scribes itself as a “catalyst for the European in- enterprises operating in the German part of the tegration process” and arranges business ties be- region. tween German and Polish enterprises by means Furthermore, the establishment of Ger- of instruments like web-based online exchange man-Polish grammar schools like the one in and contact fora. Those virtual spaces are pre- the municipality of Löcknitz (Pomerania 2013a) dominantly used by Polish businesses interested may increase the attractiveness of living on the in the German market and searching for German German side for Polish people. In a similar way, cooperation partners. However, some of those the contact and advice centre in Löcknitz may contacts might theoretically turn into a direct ease the immigration and social integration of investment or a joint venture, and therefore this Polish citizens in Germany. It assists Poles in exchange could stimulate Polish investments in administrative procedures and the search for Germany. Quantitative data or reliable empirical housing, language courses and schools (Pomer- evidence with regard to those issues are not avail- ania 2013b). This integration assistance, together able. With regard to foreign direct investments, with social and cultural exchanges, may bridge according to an agent from that institution, the cultural margins between both countries and House of Economy is merely directed towards therefore increase the willingness for Polish citi- German investors doing business in Poland and zens to move to Germany where they might find offers information and a variety of assistance small enterprises or become self-employed. It measures (IHK Agent, 2012). Therefore, it fulfils can already be stated at this point that these for- functions rather similar to those of a foreign trade mal institutions lack concrete assistance needed chamber and is not relevant for Polish investors with the regional economy for the Polish inves- (IHK 2013b). tors in many cases. Secondly, another institution whose target is to intensify relations between Polish and German The Neubrandenburg Chamber of enterprises is represented by the German-Polish Commerce and Industry Business Circle (Deutsch-Polnischer Wirtschafts- kreis), which has been holding meetings once a The local Chamber of Commerce and Industry month in Szczecin since 2001. With a wide array (Industrie- und Handelskammer, abbr.: IHK) is of political and economic topics, these events situated in the city of Neubrandenburg and cov- provide both information and networking op- ers the two counties of Mecklenburg: Lake Dis- portunities for different stakeholders (IHK 2010). trict and Cispomerania-Greifswald, including the Nonetheless, none of the institutions associated former county of Uecker-Randow. As all econom- with the IHK mentioned above provide a distinct ic chambers in Germany, it is an institution under pro-active attraction for Polish investors to Ger- public law which incorporates all enterprises and many. craftsmen of that region (Fig. 2). The IHK gives While comparing with other IHKs located at company founders advice on financing and - ad the Polish-German border, we found that nearly ministrative formalities, and offers further educa- every chamber – with the exception of the IHK tion programmes in business administration from Dresden – offers advice for one direction only, which also investors from abroad may benefit i.e. for German investors interested in business (IHK 2014). According to an IHK representative, activities in Poland. The chambers arrange coop- those services are also available for Polish entre- eration between companies from both countries, preneurs, but are not target in the course of any but none of those institutions addresses explicitly particular recruitment campaigns, except book- potential Polish investors in Germany. Interest- lets in the (IHK Agent, 2012). Of ingly, the Polish Chamber of Commerce in Ger- particular interest for our analysis are the two many was founded about five years ago by some 34 Sebastian Kinder, Kamil Lis, Wolfdietrich Peiker, Lech Suwala renowned Polish enterprises and has its domicile Informal institutions supporting Polish in Düsseldorf, i.e. far away from the study region entrepreneurs in the border region (Polska Izba... 2013). Therefore, it can be assumed that there is neither a well developed network of Polish chambers abroad, nor an effective assis- While the services offered by formal institu- tance for small or medium-sized enterprises in tions explicitly to Polish investors can be seen the peripheral region. as little pronounced, some informal institutions try to fill this gap – not necessarily motivated The Uecker Region Development Agency by business acumen or profits only, but often by privation and personal fortunes of the recip- In comparison with the IHK, the Uecker Re- ients. This shows that also autonomous actors gion Development Agency Ltd. (Förder- und that do not belong to governmental institutions Entwicklungsgesellschaft Uecker-Region mbH, can contribute with their networks to the whole abbr.: FEG,) situated in Pasewalk, is more local- governance process (Padioleau 2000: 69). Infor- ly anchored due to its territorially based compe- mal institutions in Uecker-Randow, for example, tent jurisdiction restricted to the former county are individuals such as a real-estate agent, a pub of Uecker-Randow. It is predominantly funded owner and the mayor of a border town, whose by the municipal administrations of that region services will be presented as case studies in what (Fig. 2). One of the main objectives, apart from follows. offering advice on funding programmes, start- up management and cooperation contacts for The real-estate agent investors, is a pro-active marketing of location- al advantages of the respective district at bilat- The activities of one real-estate agency known eral meetings or fairs (FEG 2013b). While even in the region, situated just at the Polish border Chinese investors potentially interested in the in Germany and run by a Polish agent, can be Uecker region market are explicitly addressed seen as very useful from the perspective of Pol- (FEG 2013a), a pronounced assistance for Polish ish investors in the border area. The operation investors in Germany could not be found on the services of the agency cover the German border official website. But as an FEG agent told us in an zone of the counties of Uckermark (in Branden- interview, in fact, this institution tries to attract burg) and Uecker-Randow (in Mecklenburg-Cis- Polish investors in a pro-active way via presence pomerania). Services include the sale and rent- at trade shows and round tables (FEG Agent, al of houses, plots and apartments. In 2007, the 2012). For instance in 2004, in close collaboration then Polish entrepreneur and today’s real-estate with the service centre of the Pomerania Eurore- agent decided to settle down with his family in a gion in Pasewalk and the Euro Info Centre in small German hamlet. One year later he opened Szczecin, the FEG organised an event in Szczecin his business. At the same time, from 2008 to 2011 which explicitly addressed Polish entrepreneurs there was a big interest in the sale of mainly res- interested in direct investment in Germany. They idential buildings within German border com- were informed about the procedures of founding munities. Generally, according to the agent’s start-ups in Germany and the potentials of the statement, 10% of his clients are Germans and Uecker-Randow region (Pomerania 2004). But 90% are Poles, mostly from Szczecin and its hin- the FEG does not limit itself to Polish investors; terland. The agent observed that Polish citizens for instance, they also recruit and assist sever- who migrated to the German borderland were al entrepreneurs from southern Germany and willing to buy property and at the same time of- Hamburg (FEG Agent, 2012). Even if this insti- ten to start a business, usually registered at the tution seems to focus more on Polish investors in place where they lived before (i.e. in Poland). Germany than other formal institutions, one can However, in recent years, the agency receives observe a lack of communication and orchestra- more and more inquiries from small Polish com- tion of services among those economic govern- panies. In the opinion of the agent, the border ance bodies. region is mainly of interest to Polish micro-en- The challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripheral regions 35 terprises with up to three employees who con- 2012). The agent serves as a good example of how sider the geographical proximity to Szczecin informal institutions may fill out gaps that are a as an important factor. The biggest obstacle for consequence of infant, newly-formed and unco- most of these entrepreneurs is usually lack of ordinated multi-lateral formal governance insti- knowledge of the . Therefore, tutions and structures reacting very rigidly to the real-estate agency seems to be of particular new trends, like Polish investments in Germany. interest to Polish investors, providing them with consulting services in Polish and understanding The mayor the German administrative paperwork (Polish real-estate agent, 2012). Regardless of his official position, the mayor The procedure of setting up a business in of a German border town in Cispomerania also Germany is a complicated task for private Pol- acts as an informal institution for Polish investors ish investors as the authorisation process to carry in his responsibility area. Here, Polish companies out business activities in a desired location can have been present since 2004, therefore he can be take a significant period of time. This is one of seen as a pioneer and gatekeeper. The mayor’s the reasons why some potential Polish investors strategy for Polish investors seems to be simple undertake investments in Polish regions instead. and effective: on the one hand, he maintains reg- Moreover, institutions like tax offices, health care ular contact with Polish entrepreneurs during or chambers of commerce, the membership of the establishment phase and the first phase of which is mandatory in Germany, work different- business development, meets with potential in- ly than in Poland and demand language exper- vestors from Poland to discuss aspects of their tise, time and financial resources. In such cases, relocation to Germany, and helps in dealing with the agent assists by informing investors how to the authorities. His help to possible investors and solve upcoming issues. He also helps in dealing expertise lead to investments that may create jobs with the authorities and banks (Polish real-estate in the town. On the other hand, the mayor en- agent, 2012). sures that Polish investors feel comfortable and Additionally to this specific professional - ex have a sense of security while making invest- pertise and assistance in the real-estate sector, the ment decisions. The increased difficulty to gain agent is an excellent example of a successful es- larger investors from western regions of Ger- tablishment of a functioning private business run many or other countries forces the mayor to at- by a Polish owner in the German border region. tract every potential investor through a detailed The success story requires a good knowledge of and prepared localisation and financial support the region as well as a dense personal network, where even assistance for application is provid- which can also be very useful for more Polish peo- ed. Moreover, he is a “focal figure and boundary ple and/or clients starting economic activities in spanner” by dealing with government officials Germany. Polish micro-entrepreneurs often use and banks (Mayor, 2012). the agent’s advice, cherishing personal contact As an elected representative of his town, the and relationships resulting in a climate of mutual mayor acts to some extent as a formal institution. trust. Many Polish entrepreneurs, like a local Pol- In this function he takes part in official negotia- ish construction company or a Polish company tions with investors and informs them about eco- in the care-for-the-elderly industry, have bene- nomic opportunities in his town. Typically, the fited from the agent’s expertise in the past. This commitment of mayors in the German part of the kind of trust is considered to be built on strong border region is quite small in this respect. Many ties and frequent meetings, and can hardly be of them do not see talks with potential investors realised through spontaneous, sporadic and of- as one of their primary tasks. Instead, they re- ten impersonal contacts with agents from formal fer to formal institutions of German-Polish eco- institutions. The importance of this quasi-institu- nomic cooperation. Mayors get only involved in tion for Polish investors seems to be tremendous, investors’ assistance if they engage themselves although, in our opinion, the interviewee was with high personal commitment in various in- not fully aware of this (Polish real-estate agent, formal activities. This commitment usually goes 36 Sebastian Kinder, Kamil Lis, Wolfdietrich Peiker, Lech Suwala far beyond their formal responsibilities. When a Polish investors and their engagement mayor gives personal advice to an investor (e.g. of institutions helping him to get funding from a local bank), he will do so informally. In this respect the mayor’s practice of action may change between formal On the basis of the joint fieldwork ofE berhard and informal. In the border region we observed, Karls University in Tübingen and Humboldt however, that those mayors were most successful University in Berlin in 2012, it could be proved in attracting and assisting new firms who used that 100% of Polish investments in this border re- diverse channels of informal practices apart from gion were SMEs, whereas a vast majority of Pol- their formal work. In sum, the mayor is anoth- ish investments in the region were private single er example of how an informal institution may economic activities and micro-enterprises with assist Polish entrepreneurs in a way that larger 2–3 employees (IHK, 2012). In the municipality formal institutions do not offer. Due to his vast of Löcknitz-, for example, by far the most experience, extensive contacts and openness, his of the Polish businesses belong to the trading sec- services are certainly a big bonus to Polish entre- tor, followed by dry construction and household preneurs setting up business in the German bor- helpers (Fig. 3). All of those businesses either der area. consist of self-employed Poles or small enterpris- es with very few employees. With the introduc- The pub owner and real-estate agent tion of a full freedom of movement for workers between Germany and Poland in 2011, some Another informal institution that offers ser- fluctuations occurred among Polish enterprises vices to Polish investors is a Polish pub owner (Akman, Akman 2013). For example, in one bor- who also works as a real-estate agent. Together der town, seven Polish companies closed their with her husband, she runs a German pub in a operation, but were soon replaced by new entre- small border town. It is a meeting place for both preneurs. This can be explained by the fact that Poles and Germans from the surrounding area. some of the people working so far on the German It is used primarily for cultural events and hosts market officially as one-man businesses can now a variety of art and youth projects, e.g. German work in the companies for which they previously and Polish children can exhibit their work. In the provided services (Mayor, 2012). While visiting meantime, she was able to revive the shrinking addresses from our database where Polish com- and ageing German community by offering di- panies ought to be located, in some cases we only verse services to interested young Polish fami- found ‘letter-box companies’, mostly operating lies who wanted to settle and start business here. as housekeepers or geriatric nurses in parts of As in the case of the real-estate agent presented south or west Germany. Those enterprises need above, she provides business consultancy mainly an official administrative recording and -index based on everyday concerns for Poles who do not ing, and a physical address in Germany due to speak German. At the same time, she acts like a legal requirements (taxes, health care, etc.), and rich forge of information especially for micro-en- they benefit from ‘middlemen’ living in Poland trepreneurs from Poland, contributing to the de- completing their paperwork or simply obtaining cision-making process of both, those investing tax advantages. Others benefit from the ‘made in in Germany and those moving there with their Germany’ label if they advertise and sell certain families. The pub owner mediates contacts with products elsewhere (FEG Agent, 2012). the authorities and banks, and provides valuable Interviews with selected local enterprises information and comments related to the funda- in the region brought to the fore the fact that mental issues of insurance and taxes, adminis- the proximity to Szczecin often influenced the trative and legal accounts. In her opinion, formal choice of investment in the region. In most of institutions and their paperwork-intensive and those cases, Polish investors first settled in the complex promotion measures lie beyond the ca- study region and later decided to establish a pacity of day-to-day needs of potential Polish mi- business there. A real-estate broker pointed out cro-entrepreneurs (Polish pub owner, 2012). that investment decisions of Polish investors in The challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripheral regions 37

Number of businesses gion, they inform themselves about the market 50 on the basis of the formal institutions discussed 45 above. Some entrepreneurs also benefit from 40 start-up programmes. These include different 35 measures (subsidies, cheap loans for setting up 30 a company) provided by the IHK, like a tax of- 25 fice that got a financial grant during the first one

20 and a half years of operation (Polish tax office,

15 2012). Interestingly, none of the Polish entrepre- neurs in our sample has benefited directly from 10 programmes of the Pomerania Euroregion, with 5 the exception of infrastructure projects. Two en- 0 Trade Household Office IT Massage Others trepreneurs even considered this institution to be help services services too bureaucratic (Polish pub owner, 2012; Polish Dry- Interpreter Hairdressing/ Real Welding construction services beauty estate real-estate agent, 2012). The mentality of Polish micro-entrepreneurs implies that personal con- Fig. 3. Polish businesses in the municipality of Löcknitz-Penkun. tact with people who are already familiar with Source: own compilation based on information from the municipali- doing business in that region is very important ty of Löcknitz-Penkun, 2013. because they may share their knowledge and the German borderland are often linked with the experiences. It is important to establish relations decision to settle there (Polish real-estate agent, with quasi-institutions like the ones presented 2012). But there are also exceptions, such as a tax above. They do not rely on one single contact, office or a food additives company, which oper- but provide information and answers to key ate on the German market but the entrepreneurs questions related to the running of a business in commute to work from Poland (Polish tax office, Germany at the very beginning. 2012). Another example is an enterprise whose Still, there are some barriers which great- owner lives in the same town but runs two com- ly hinder the setting up of Polish companies in panies, one on the German side of the border and the region. Very important in this respect is the the other in Poland (Polish entrepreneur, 2012). cultural difference between Poles and Germans; Other motivations for investments in Cispomera- their lack of this type of knowledge often ham- nia are higher wages obtained for services (elder- pers their functioning on the German market ly care, etc.), investment subsidies, or the effect of (Mayor, 2012). We still consider that a large frac- the ‘made in Germany’ label allowing export to tion of neo-Nazis, which often turn their actions western Europe. against the Polish population in a town and the According to the mayor of a border town, surrounding villages, has a negative impact and Poles are more flexible than Germans and fill par- probably effectively discourages potential inves- ticular market niches faster. About 30% of Polish tors from Poland. A major factor for neo-Nazi ac- companies often make changes, like the transfer tions is the jealousy of some local residents gaz- of business to another location or adjustments to ing on ambitious and dynamic Poles developing the market. They are aware of the competitive- their businesses. However, some gradual posi- ness of the local economy and provide services tive changes could be observed along with more in industries that are often not of interest to Ger- frequent contacts with Poles. mans. Poles are also more willing to learn the German language and work in the afternoons, evenings and at weekends, which could be one Conclusions of the reasons why the majority of Polish compa- nies operating in the region usually employ Pol- Table 4 summarises the results of a SWOT anal- ish workers (Mayor, 2012). ysis focusing on the potential for economic and In many cases, before Polish investors make demographic development in Uecker-Randow the decision to invest in the German border re- with particular regard to Polish investors and 38 Sebastian Kinder, Kamil Lis, Wolfdietrich Peiker, Lech Suwala immigrants. In this case, the strengths and weak- those investments were made predominantly by nesses refer to location-specific advantages and micro-enterprises or self-employed people that disadvantages for Polish investors that can be do not create either employment on any large observed right now, while the opportunities/ scale or a critical mass for stable growth. How- threats section takes into consideration possible ever, entrepreneurs in basic retail (e.g. groceries, changes in the future. As one can see, there is bakeries) and services (care for the elderly) may potential for both positive and negative region- improve local supply in a region affected by loss al development. Our research has revealed that of population and infrastructure. One interview- Polish immigrants residing in the German border ee even complimented the flexibility and work region may indeed increase the number of inhab- ethic of Polish entrepreneurs. The examples of itants. Since the bulk of immigrants are families, larger Polish enterprises being often referred to this fact may turn the demographic trend of the in the media – as mentioned in the introduction ageing population. Also the real-estate vacancy – turned out to be rather exceptions. The find- rate has already been reduced by Polish property ings in Uecker-Randow match the general trend buyers so far. of Polish investment in Germany being much However, with regard to the economic im- less distinct in terms of volume than the other pact of Polish entrepreneurship, we found that way around. Also at the scale of the Pomerania

Table 4. SWOT analysis of Uecker-Randow with regard to Polish entrepreneurs. Strengths Weaknesses –– investment grants –– poor quality of Polish-German cooperation at level of –– preferential loan programmes of German banks formal institutions –– informal counselling institutions in cross-border busi- –– lack of direct recruitment of potential investors from ness (mostly individuals) Poland –– presence of trained advisors in region (business, tax, –– economically underdeveloped region financial consulting) –– impact of Szczecin on regional economy lower than –– Polish-speaking staff in local offices and banks (in case expected there is such staff employed) –– dominance of public sector in region – no outlets in –– geographical proximity to Szczecin region –– good road access, access to motorway network –– lack of proper investment climate –– Poland’s access to Schengen Agreement –– ageing of local population –– inexpensive real estate –– no common citizen identity –– effect of ‘Made in Germany’ –– Polish-German prejudices –– poor knowledge of German and Polish among major- ity of local population –– majority of inhabitants have poor skills in intercultur- al communication Opportunities Threats –– formal institutions increasingly aware of Polish inves- –– formal institutions ignoring Polish investors tors –– phasing-out of funding programmes –– addressing concrete potential investors –– lack of coherent regional development strategy –– further development of Szczecin Metropolitan Area –– further orientation of Szczecin towards large German –– construction of western bypass of Szczecin, Szczecin agglomerations like Berlin and Hamburg better connected with German border communities –– decline of Szczecin as regional social-economic centre –– development of regional academic centres in Szczecin, –– maintenance of bad investment climate in border re- Greifswald and Neubrandenburg gion –– introduction of Euro currency in Poland –– continuing unfavourable demographic trend –– further development of Polish settlement in border –– persistence of mutual prejudices communities of Germany, leading to compensation of –– lack of language and cultural skills in majority of pop- demographic trend ulation –– better language skills of Polish and German youth –– strengthening Polish-German relations of good neigh- bourhood –– increase in cross-border awareness of region’s popu- lation Source: own compilation on the basis of own research, 2013. The challenging task of governing cross-border investment in peripheral regions 39

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