How the Metropolis was created

The Act on the Metropolitan Union in the Silesian Voivodeship was signed by President Andrzej Duda on April 4, 2017, at the Silesian Voivodeship Office. The ceremony was attended by the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship, the Voivode of Silesia, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Katowice, members of parliament, and local government officials.

"Now it's time for the hard work of local government officials themselves. We really want to involve the residents themselves in the process of creating the metropolis," said MP Marek Wójcik at a press briefing preceding the signing ceremony.

"The race against time begins until June 30th. We have made a significant step, but now we all have to wonder what our metropolis will look like in 10 or 20 years." I am absolutely open to discussions with presidents, mayors, and commune heads regarding the metropolitan area's responsibilities," added Wojciech Saługa, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.

"This is a very special moment. It is an exception to the rule that the president signs bills in the Presidential Palace. This gesture conveys a certain idea, a certain message. This bill is being signed here because it is directed here, it belongs here. I thank all members of parliament and senators from all political parties for their work on this bill," said President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda.

"I thank the President of Poland for symbolically giving this bill a special character," added Jarosław Wieczorek, Voivode of Silesia.

The new law organizes tasks that have previously been dispersed within the metropolitan association. The association will be responsible for, among other things, development policy, spatial planning, roads, and public transport. Residents will use a single public transport ticket and a bicycle infrastructure network. However, the new regulations impose a condition: the metropolitan area must have a population of 2 million. According to the draft law, the metropolitan union must be formed by municipalities that are already connected (e.g., through urbanization), lie within the same area, and have a combined population of at least 2 million.

Katowice was designated in the regulation as the city that will coordinate the activities of all municipalities that expressed interest in joining the metropolis being created. Public consultations were first held, then the relevant resolutions were adopted, allowing Katowice to prepare the appropriate application. During an extraordinary session of the Katowice City Council, held in the Silesian Parliament Chamber, it unanimously approved the application to establish the Upper Silesian-Zagłębie Metropolis.

"Let's not imagine that now, after July 1st, everything will suddenly change as if by magic. Today we are truly beginning work that will last forever," Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice, emphasized before the vote.

"There is no doubt that this is a historic moment for our entire region. The task entrusted to the Upper Silesian Union is a task that has been entrusted to us." "We have fulfilled the metropolitan mandate. I believe that a metropolis means faster development for Silesia," said Małgorzata Mańka-Szulik, mayor of Zabrze and chairwoman of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Association.

"Now we all need to fill this metropolis with substance. A metropolis will be meaningless if its actions are not positively received by its residents. Therefore, we must get to work. Just a few years ago, one could easily find opponents of such solutions among Silesian local government officials. Today, the presidents, mayors, and commune heads of 41 municipalities speak with one voice on this matter," said Wojciech Saługa, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.

The motions voted on by Katowice councilors included information such as the name of the new metropolis, its seat, and its authorities. A total of 41 municipalities, covering a combined area of ​​over 2,500 km², have unequivocally expressed their desire to become part of the metropolis. This area is inhabited by over 2.2 million people, which in turn represents more than half of the voivodeship's total population. Silesian Voivodeship.

In accordance with the procedure, Silesian Voivode Jarosław Wieczorek presented his opinion on the motion adopted by the Katowice City Council to the Minister of Internal Affairs, who in turn prepared the appropriate motion for the Council of Ministers, which issued a regulation establishing the metropolis.

According to the regulations adopted by the Sejm (lower house of parliament) on March 9, 2017, the Silesian metropolis was formally established on July 1, 2017, and will begin operating on January 1, 2018. The metropolitan association is to receive revenue from the state budget – a 5% share of the personal income tax (PIT) from residents living within the association's area, amounting to up to PLN 250 million annually. It will also receive contributions from the budgets of the municipalities that comprise it. (Material: Self-Government of the Silesian Voivodeship)

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