Basic statements:

Broumov lands

Cozy corner of the Northeast Czechia with a rich history and many of material and spiritual relics. Now it is one of marginal outstanding regions without clearly defined development concept.

Most of qualified young people are leaving the region after useless efforts to find here/his place there. Most of citizens are depending only on one vital industrial enterprise (Veba textile plant). Any interest of reach investors shall be hardly expected thanks to underdeveloped infrastructure , and low qualification of inhabitants.

One of the most important reason of the situation to be found in a historical development in the second half of last century, when most of the German people creating almost one hundred of per cent of inhabitants were moved to Germany. Several falls of newcomers with next collectivization destroyed rests of entrepreneurship of local people, and forty years of building of socialism devastated the region and local people both psychically and physically.

Average length of life here is about two years shorter comparing with the rest of Czech regions. This way the Broumov lands are comparable with the North-Czech coal mining area, where the life is the shortest one in the Czech Republic.

Only twenty per cent of the local people is graduated (A level) and just two per cent has university level of education. Unemployment is above average of the Czechia, salaries are deeply under the average level.

The painful characteristic of the state-of-the-art of the Broumov lands is long term trend of young people to leave the region for higher qualification and to get the next employment in the central regions of the Czech Republic where they stay to live. This way the area is getting old more quickly and the underdevelopment turns to permanent one.

Questions we are interested in:
We discussed it at the "Broumovsko v EU" conference in January 2003

Broumov lands and European Union
Role of the EU, development funds and possible advantages of cross-border cooperation. EU accession - how conditions in the area will be changed? Real expectations of a help from the EU? Are we ready? Are there relevant priorities, projects and qualified professionals available?

Broumov lands and Kralovehradecky region
What is it Broumov lands? Necessary conditions and perspectives of the regional development - are they defined clearly? Relationship Broumov lands - Region - CHKO (Protected Nature Area): partnership or Bermuda triangle? What about building of the infrastructure - first of all transport? What is the role of each level of public administration and other parts of civic society in the regional development?

Development concept of Broumov lands
Why we need strategy of development? Who shall take care of it? Who shall implement it?...

Czech - Polish cooperation
The direct cooperation with Poland - what can it bring and how are we ready for it? Nowa Ruda as a partner of Broumov and Broumov lands? Role of the Euroregion Glacensis?

Europe of regions - just proclamation? Let's think about the possible content ...