Abstract
The article describes the socio-demographic situation of Western Pomerania following Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004. Western Pomerania faced a number of challenges: a brain drain, a rapidly ageing society and a shortage of workers. The region’s demographic situation was particularly serious compared to Poland’s other regions. However, Western Pomerania is now profiting from an inflow of migrants, especially from Ukraine, which is boosting the region’s economy. The article describes the measures undertaken on the local and regional level to promote the inflow of economic migrants and to integrate them into the local society. The measures described are helping to form a broader regional strategy to tackle the challenges of people leaving the region, the ageing population and a departing workforce. The article argues that if the proper support for newcomers is provided, migration could become a positive factor for the local economy.
Highlights
The Western Pomeranian region of Poland is home to more than 1.7 million people
By 2030, the percentage of people aged 65 and over in Western Pomerania will be higher than the average nationwide
Western Pomerania is facing the problem of an outflow of the population caused by economic emigration, which, in the context of decreasing unemployment, is leading to a shortage of workers
Summary
The Western Pomeranian region of Poland is home to more than 1.7 million people. It is one of the least populated areas of the country, ranking 11 out of 16 in terms of the populations of the Polish regions (Poland, Central Statistical Office 2018). It can serve as a good example of the attitude that policymakers should adopt in order to tackle depopulation and a growing hunger for workers while keeping the local population at ease with their new fellow citizens. The second focuses on a new project, the Western Pomeranian Migrant Support System, which was established in 2018 This project is intended to respond to economic policy by attracting foreign workers with the relevant qualifications to meet the needs of the labour market, which is suffering as a result of unfavourable demographic trends. The third and final section summarises the main arguments and presents the view of the European People’s Party (EPP) Group in the European Committee of the Regions, with the aim of enabling productive discussions on migration at the subnational level
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
