New opening in relations between the Lubelskie Voivodeship and Rivne Region

On the 10th anniversary of signing the Agreement between the Lubelskie Voivodeship and Rivne Region on economic, trade, science-technology and cultural cooperation, the Chairman of the Regional Administration of Rivne Witalij Kowal paid an official visit in the Lubelskie Voivodeship. He was accompanied by the Vice-chairman Sergij Gemberg, as well as by the Director of Finances Lidia Bilak, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and European Integration Olga Jutowiec and the Spokesperson Zoriana Litwiniuk.

The delegation was hosted by the Marshal of the Lubelskie Voivodeship Jarosław Stawiarski and Vice-marshal Zbigniew Wojciechowski along with the colleagues from the Marshal Office.

The main aim of the visit was restart in mutual relations (proposed by the Ukrainian side), looking for new cooperation areas on the eve of launching new financial  perspective 2021-2027 within the Cross-border Cooperation Programme 2021-2027. The discussion was about engaging the Rivne Region in the works on the  Cross-border Cooperation Strategy 2021-2027 being prepared by the Department of Strategy and Development of the Marshal Office.

Next meeting within the visit was dedicated to establishing horizontal relations between hospitals in Lublin and Rivne. Both regional hospitals (specialist and children’s hospitals) are of similar size and the number of surgical operations performed annually and the staff employed is also almost the same. It gives a good ground for cooperation in the field of exchange of know-how and raising funds for modernisation of medical equipment. The meeting was attended by dr Małgorzata Piasecka – Deputy Director for Medicine in the Regional Specialist Hospital in Lublin, dr n. med. Andrzej Szczepanowski – acting Deputy Director  for Medicine in the Jan Boży Independent Regional Hospital in Lublin and Katarzyna Sławek -on behalf of the University Children’s Hospital in Lublin.

Visit in the newly opened head office of the Lublin Regional Tourist Organisation and the meeting with its President Dorota Lachowska and Director of the Department for Sport and Tourism Andrzej Domański were an occasion to talk about projects in the field of bike tourism, joint initiatives such as a partnership festival together with the fair showing culinary heritage of the Polesie land, new investments in sport infrastructure (stadium and sports hall in Rivne) as well as exchange of experience on territorial marketing and creating an attractive product in the region.

During the meetings partners from both regions also talked about promising cooperation in the field of start-ups and acceleration of innovation projects in Lubelskie and Rivne. An example of such an initiative is the Connect Poland Prize project for supporting start-ups in the field of biotechnology, technological innovations and IT technologies initiated by the Lublin Scientific and Technological Park. There was also a fruitful exchange of experience and settlements with the President of the Park Magdalena Stachyra and her colleagues, which will be presented next month at the Innovations Week in Rivne.

The delegation also met the Lublin Voivode Lech Sprawka. The programme additionally included a short visit in the National Museum in Lublin, where the delegation had a chance to admire unique frescoes in the Byzantine and Orthodox style in the Holy Trinity Chapel. Partners from Rivne also exchanged experience in the field of recycling and regional installations for waste processing as part of the visit to the Municipal Service Office in Puławy prepared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of Marshal Office.