The Mayor presented the economic situation of his town during a meeting of the Rotary Club Szczecin International held on 28 September in Szczecin.

Pasewalk, which is located 40 kilometers away from Szczecin, has 11.8 thousand residents. Their number has decreased by three thousand since the beginning of the 1990s for work related reasons and due to a population decline. In Uecker-Randow region with a population of 75 thousand, the unemployment rate is 16%. It is twice as much as in the western part of Germany, where GDP per capita accounts for 70% of the German average.

“One of our key problems is a lack of one, large plant and the fact that the majority of companies, in particular from the food and beverage sector, were wound up after the changes in the political system”, claims Rainer Dambach.

Currently, the largest employers in Pasewalk include two call centers (the total of 1.1 thousand jobs), two large bakeries employing 100 people each, a plant manufacturing small airplanes sold in the US market as well as a private hospital employing also Polish doctors.
The only company that counts is Romag – established by Jarosław Wieczorek from Poznań. The enterprise specializes in machining using technologically advanced, computerized machine tools.

“In Germany it is easier to obtain EU grants, investment sites are less expensive, while officials provide assistance in completing all formalities. However, qualified employees are more difficult to find, so training needs to be provided”, says Jarosław Wieczorek, discussing the advantages and drawbacks of doing business in Germany.

Pasewalk is trying to attract investors by offering them sites in the Industrial Zone and convenient transport. The town has access to 155 hectares of land, which was supposed to attract a Lexus factory three years ago (joint efforts of Pasewalk and Szczecin).
Rainer Dambach realizes that from the perspective of a potential large investor Szczecin may provide qualified employees and entertainment opportunities. Hence the idea of cooperation in business promotion of the region.

“In cooperation with the authorities of Szczecin and Police, we want to develop a promotional project for the region, financed with the Interreg funds. I also reckon that information on investors might be exchanged. If a plant set up in Germany employs the Poles, personal income tax will return to Poland”, argues the Mayor of Pasewalk.

SG