events in 2004

On 2nd-4th February 2004 a delegation from Törnströmska Gymnasiet in Karlskrona visited Gdynia. The visit of vocational education representatives from our twin city was devoted to the programme of vocational training exchange. The guests had a meeting with Ewa Łowkiel, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia. In the course of the meeting they saw a presentation about Gdynia, the education system in the city as well as about the cooperation with Karlskrona. During their stay in Gdynia, the delegation members went on study visits to Refrigeration Engineering and Electrical School Complex, Building School Complex, Shipbuilding School Complex, Mechanical School Complex as well as to Transport Technical School. They also paid visits to Nursery School No. 9 and 43.

In relation to the celebration of the city’s 78th anniversary, on 10th February Mrs Magdalena Kurczewska-Svensson visited Gdynia. Mrs Consul had a meeting with Gdynia authorities in Gdynia City Hall and participated in the opening day of an exhibition of photographs entitled “Cutty Sark Tall Ships’ Races" Gdynia 2003 which took place in the “Ratusz" Gallery. During a ceremonial session of Gdynia City Council organised in Gdynia Music Theatre, Mrs Kurczewska-Svensson, a person known for her charitable activity and involvement in cooperation between Polish and Swedish companies, was awarded a medal of Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski. This decoration is an expression of distinction and recognition. The Medal is bestowed on a person by Gdynia City Council for his or her outstanding contribution to the development of the city of Gdynia and for making its name famous nationwide and worldwide.

On 13th February 2004 an Interschool Knowledge about Europe Competition entitled “The Young in Europe" was organised in Gdynia City Hall. The aim of the competition was to inspire students to assume a creative attitude towards European integration issues, to popularize knowledge about the united Europe among the youth of Gdynia as well
as to promote team work and the ability to solve problems together.

The competition was addressed to pairs of students from Gdynia secondary schools. It comprised EU-related issues in the form of a test in Polish and descriptive questions in English.

It was the team from Gdynia High School No. 3 consisting of Rafał Libera and Sebastian Wydrowski which became the winner. The team was selected out of 13 other teams. The pairs from Jesuit High School and Administrative and Economic School Complex came in second. The team from High School No.6 came in third. The prize winners will participate in EU Youth Summit in Aalborg which will take place between 29th August and 4th September 2004. There will be representatives of 25 European countries taking part in the Summit. During their stay in Denmark, they will be discussing EU-related issues. They will also have an opportunity to get acquainted with the traditions and customs of particular European nations.

On 8th March 2004 the representatives of the OKI company, who is the organizer and sponsor of sailing competition ‘OKI European Challenge 2005’, were the guests of Gdynia City Hall. The working meeting in City Hall concerned the possibility of starting the races in Gdynia.

The OKI Company, founded in 1881, is a Japanese company of electronic devices. The races OKI European Challenge will be 3-month, 11-stage race of sailing ships which will start in summer 2005 in Poland. Crews will call at thirteen different ports in Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Great Britain, France, Portugal, Spain and Italy finishing the event in Monaco.

On 18th March 2004 the representatives of Trade Union from the Spanish city of Extremadura, who also represented European Confederation of Trade Union, visited Gdynia City Hall. Spanish guests met with Mrs. Ewa Łowkiel, the Deputy Mayor of Gdynia. During the meeting there was carried out a multimedia presentation about Gdynia and there were discussed the possibilities of cooperation between Union Trades from EU countries and trade unions from new states entering the European Union. Guests from Spain shared their experiences connected with access to the Union.

As a result of an artistic competition ‘Dreams without limits’, which was carried out among disabled children from the cities which belong to the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC), rich collection of children’s works came into being. It is used as a material for so-called ‘wandering exhibitions’ whose aim is to present works in member cities of UBC.

The display of the first exposition took place on 15th September 2003 in Gdynia City Hall gallery. At the exhibition opening there were present children from schools in Gdynia, among them there was Adam Plichta - competition participant from Gdynia. The following exhibitions were organized in Dramatic Theatre in Klaipeda (Lithuania) during the VII UBC Conference General and in the Gallery of ‘Nadmorski’ Hotel in Gdynia.

In March and April 2004 the exhibition was presented in Szczecin City Hall. The next place of exhibition will be Roctock in Germany.

Annual meeting of the UBC Sport Commission on Sport took place between 2nd and 3rd April 2004 in Narva (Estonia). In the meeting there participated the representatives of 12 cities from 7 countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden. In reply to the Year of Education through Sport, which was announced by the Council of European Union, the UBC Commission on Sport devoted its meeting to that subject. Among presentations there were projects of education through sport, based on sailing, rugby and kick-boxing. The main aim of prepared sport activities is to encourage young to develop both physical and social skills by mans of team work, solidarity, tolerance and fair-play rules. Within the celebrations of the European Year of Education through Sport the UBC Commission on Sport decided to award grants to sport undertakings, taking into consideration counteracting social exclusion of groups socially disadvantaged. The role of the above-mentioned grants is to raise consciousness among educational and sport organizations about cooperation in the field of education through sport, to promote values which are carried by sport as well as to increase the number of school and sport exchanges among young people.


The commission decided to give grants to the following cities:

• Johvi (Estonia) - project called “Healthy Mind and Sporty Body"
• Chojnice (Poland) - project called “European Mobility Week 2004 in
Chojnice"
• Rostock (Germany) - project called “Education and Sport - a Task
for Everybody"
• Gdynia (Poland) - project called “My backyard - Other backyard.
Program of a fight with social non-adaptation of difficult youth."
• Siauliai (Lithuania) - project called “Sports and Community - Manifest
of successful and Targeted Partnership"
• Narva (Estonia) - project called “Days of Narva"

In April, within exchanges among schools of Gdynia and their foreign partners, Gdynia City Hall was visited by groups of young people from Karlskrona (Sweden), Bussum (Holland) as well as pupils from Portugal, Belgium, Italy and Great Britain taking part in SOKRATES Comenius programme. Among guests of City Hall there were also German students who are members of ELSA Marburg organization and students from Faculty of Economy of Christian Albrecht University from Kiel. In June German pupils from Bamberg, participating in youth exchange with Secondary School number V in Gdynia paid a visit to the City Hall. During the meetings students had an opportunity to see presentation about Gdynia and become familiar with economic-social transformation in our city.

The XII Twin Cities Sporting Competition (TCSC) took place in Gdynia from 29th April to 1st May 2004. In the event there took part 318 competitors from Gdynia and its seven twin cities: Baranovichi, Kaliningrad, Karlskrona, Kiel, Klaipeda, Kotka and Liepaja. Young sportsmen competed in 4 sporting competitions: football, volleyball, table tennis and rhythmic gymnastics.

Held in the area of Gdynia Sports Centre, the Competition was opened by the Mayor of Gdynia, Mr. Wojciech Szczurek, on 29th April 2004. On the same day the representatives of twin cities participated in the meeting with the authorities of Gdynia, organized in Gdynia City Hall.

The official closing ceremony of XII TCSC was held on 1st May 2004 during the European Run. In general classification Gdynia won the first place, followed by Kaliningrad and Baranovichi. The closing of the Competition coincided with planting a symbolic tree by the Mayor of Gdynia and competition participants on the occasion of our country’s accession to the European Union. This year’s XII TCSC had a symbolic dimension because youth from 8 countries celebrated the EU enlargement.

On 7th May 2004 to Gdynia came a 40-person group from the sister city of Liepaja (Latvia), including teachers, students, City Hall representatives, social workers, members of the Union of Poles in Latvia - Section in Liepaja and journalists. The group visited our city within the exchange of experiences with school No. 47 in Gdynia. During the stay, the guests met with the city authorities and visited the above mentioned school as well as Tri-City.

On 10th May 2004 there stayed in Gdynia a 4-person delegation from Dalian in China. The aim of Chinese guests’ stay was to discuss the possibilities of establishing cooperation with Gdynia. Within the visit, the delegates met with the city authorities. They also participated in visits to the Port of Gdynia Authority and to Chipolbrok.

Between 5th-6th May 2004 representatives of Karlskrona city authorities, with the Mayor Mats Johansson, visited Gdynia.

During their stay in our city the Swedish delegation took part in an official meeting with the authorities of Gdynia, during which the directions of future cooperation between both cities were discussed. The representatives of Gdynia and Karlskrona worked out the guidelines of cooperation’s programme for years 2004-2005, which include among others social issues, initiatives within the Union of the Baltic Cities, infrastructural undertakings and exchange of experiences as well as cooperation in the field of economy, culture and sport.

During the meeting in Gdynia City Hall the guests from Sweden had an opportunity to learn the experiences of Gdynia concerning realization of projects co-financed from EU funds, including Pomeranian Science and Technology Park.

During the visit guests from Karlskrona got acquainted with social policy of the Municipal Social Welfare Centre. Moreover, they participated in the presentation of a programme called ‘Gdynia without limits’ including comprehensive actions for people with disabilities and they received information on the process of implementing in Gdynia a document entitled ‘Agenda 22 - Local Authorities Disability policy planning instructions for local authorities’, which was prepared by Swedish organizations of disabled people on the basis of “Standard Rules ensuring equal opportunities for persons with disabilities" adopted by General Assembly.

The second day of Swedes’ stay in our city was devoted to the development of enterprise in Gdynia. That day the delegation from Karlskrona went on study visits to the following companies: Vector, Saint Gobain Weber Terranova, Dellner and Couplers, Franke Gastpol, Nordea Bank Polska and Allcon in order to get acquainted with economic potential of our city and to learn prospects of possible cooperation.

From 10th to 13th May 2004 14-person delegation from twin city of Kristiansand, headed by Mayor, visited Gdynia. The visit was prepared in order to renew the relations between Gdynia and Kristiansand and also to discuss mutual projects and opportunities which are offered by Poland’s accession to the EU.

During the visit to Gdynia Norwegian guests met with city authorities and participated in branch meetings with the representatives of particular departments. The aim of those talks was to find potential areas of cooperation in order to benefit from new financial instruments available to EU new members such as: Multilateral Financial Instrument EEA (European Economic Area) and Bilateral Norwegian Financial Instrument. During the meetings there were presented the following projects ‘Creation of the Experimentarium in the complex of Pomeranian Science and Technology Park’ and the project entitled ‘Building of the Baltic Summer Stage in Gdynia-Orłowo’ which are being realised by European Integration Department as well as the project entitled ‘Integration Playground in the Council of Europe Park’ prepared by the Municipal Green Areas Division of Public Utilities Management Department. The Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection presented essential projects concerning ecological education, elimination of low emission of air contaminants, i.e. emission of fumes from coal heating as well as undertakings connected with promotion of renewable energy resources and elimination of asbestos in households. The programme ‘Gdynia without barriers’ as well as structure and functioning of Municipal Social Welfare Centre were presented to the guests from Norway. Also the issues connected with urban planning and problems concerning council housing were discussed.

Norwegians participated in study visits to Public Transport Centre (PTC), District Heating Company (DHC), Museum of the city of Gdynia and Municipal Social Welfare Centre as well as the Consular Agency of Sweden and Norway Kingdom and finally to Secretariat of the Union of Baltic Cities in Gdańsk.

The delegates from Kristiansand visited a new building of Museum of the city of Gdynia and the exhibition room of the Museum in the ‘Gemini’ Centre.

During the visit to the Municipal Social Welfare Centre, in Fredry Street, the delegates visited Single Mothers Home, Daily Stay Home and the Shelter for Homeless Women. The Norwegian guests became familiar with the aim and functioning of this institution as well as the system of social welfare in Gdynia.

Between 16th-18th May 2004 Mr. Glen Lee, Chairman of Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association, visited Gdynia. Mr. Lee came in order to discuss the plans of cooperation between sister cities. During his stay he met with the city authorities and the representatives of Gdynia City Hall and participated in the study visits to Port of Gdynia Authority, Hospice, and Orphanage in Gdynia-Demptowo. During the meetings the proposals of common projects were discussed. Those proposals concerned among others establishment of economic relations between business representatives in Gdynia and entrepreneurs in Seattle. Moreover, the possibility of cooperation and exchange of the experiences between the organizers of Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and Polish Film Festival in Seattle were discussed.

Additionally, participation of young people from Gdynia in scholarships funded by Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association was summed up as well as the rules of future students’ exchanges were discussed.

During the visit to Hospice Mr. Lee got acquainted with the activity, preparation, principles and needs of this institution. Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association intends to support financially the Hospice.
Glen Lee also visited the Orphanage, which had been supported by the Association from Seattle for many years.

The representatives of Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association proposed to present to Gdynia the bronze sculpture showing salmons. The salmons represent the symbol which strictly refers to the history of Seattle, the city whose beginnings were connected with fishery. During the stay Mr. Lee saw several proposals of places for the location of the sculpture from Seattle.

On 1st June 2004, on the occasion of Children’s Day, the Mayor of Gdynia presented small patients of the Children Ward of Gdynia City Hospital with a TV set. It was funded by the Plymouth-Gdynia Twinning Panel, which operates in Gdynia’s oldest sister city, i.e. Plymouth (Great Britain). The Panel has been supporting the Hospital in Gdynia for many years, offering material gifts and financial support.

Once again Gdynia hosted vessels participating in BALTOPS 2004 manoeuvres. The first battleships arrived in Gdynia as early as on 3rd June 2004. On 4th June 2004 the commanders of the participating vessels paid a courtesy visit to Gdynia City Hall. Bogusław Stasiak, Deputy Mayor was the host of this meeting.

The sea phase of the manoeuvres started on 7th June 2004. Al in all 41 vessels from 13 countries belonging to ‘Partnership for Peace’ programme participated in the manoeuvres. Among Polish vessels there were: Polish submarine ‘Sokół’, antisubmarine destroyer ‘Kaszub’, minesweepers ‘Dąbie’ and ‘Sarbsko’, mine destroyer ‘Mewa’ and transport ship ‘Poznań’.

Apart from the vessels, in manoeuvres there took part 35 navy air force planes and helicopters and divisions of Marines. The most important parts of training included blockade operation and escorting sea transport with humanitarian aid. The scheme of training was worked out by the US Naval Forces Command in Europe, the organizer of manoeuvres.

Between 4th-6th April 2004 in Redłowska Polanka took place a moot of scouts and cubs from ZHP (Polish Scouting Union) regiment in Gdynia. The moot was organised on the occasion of 75th anniversary of scouting movement in Gdynia. Apart from Polish scouts in the moot took part scouts from Southend-on-Sea (Great Britain) as well as from Gdynia’s sister city of Kiel (Germany). The scouts from Kiel stayed in a nomadic and old scout nest and participated in classes prepared for this age group.

Between 18th-27th June 2004 the international event ‘Kieler Woche’ (Kiel Week) was organised in Kiel (Germany). Kieler Woche is first of all annual tall ships’ races, which are accompanied by a number of cultural events such as concerts, exhibitions and theatre performances.

In June 2004 Gdynia presented its stand at 27th International Fair which was organised within Kieler Woche. This event is of folk character, during which national stands of particular countries are presented. This year 30 countries had their tourist and promotion proposals, culinary delicacies as well as craftsmanship and music performances from all over the world.

Within Polish presentation there were several stands:
- Gdynia’s stand (amber, Kashubian embroidery, products of
craftsmanship in wood, promotional materials of the city and
Pomeranian Region)
- Stand of the Polish Tourist Office from Berlin with promotional
materials about Poland
- Antique Hotels’ Association in Poland
- Polish Cuisine (‘Lazar’ company)

Within the cultural contribution Poland presented music performances of jazz group ‘Dixie Company’, Old-time Dance Group and shows of knights’ battles.

Gdynia’s stand was visited by tourists from the whole Europe, who were offered informative materials about Gdynia and the materials of Pomeranian Province. At the stand there appeared also participants of numerous exchanges of Gdynia and Kiel citizens as well as the representatives of German-Polish Association and Polish Culture Promotion Association ‘Polonus’. The representatives of ‘Polonus’ donated two computers to the ‘Vitava’ Association for Children and Youth as a gift.

Gdynia’s stand was visited also by Polish General Consul in Germany, Mr. Andrzej Kremer accompanied by Consul of Culture, Mr. Marek Głuszko.

An official delegation of the city was invited to participate in a programme organized for Kiel sister cities between 18th-21st June 2004. Within that programme Gdynia representatives met with city authorities of Kiel as well as with diplomatic corps. They also took part in the Kieler Woche opening ceremony and in the accompanying events. On 19th June 2004 the official delegation represented Gdynia at the 28th International Cities Forum. The Forum was organised in response to the decision of EU Council to announce 2004-The European Year of Education Through Sport. The main subject of the Forum was: ‘Health through physical activity’.

Within the cooperation between Gdynia and Seattle, the Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association (SGSCA) funded a course at Washington Business Week summer school for a Polish student.

Washington Business Week is an educational week’s programme supported by business groups, which is addressed to secondary school student from Washington State. The programme is being realised by the Foundation for Private Enterprise, a non-profit organization which has been existing since 1976. The programme has over 500 sponsors, among them there are: Bank of America, US Bank, Boeing Company, IBM and McDonald’s.

The aim of Washington Business Week is to introduce students to the business world by means of simulations, lectures, discussions in groups, meetings in companies. The course participants get acquainted with the mechanisms of American free competition system as well as develop their skills of managing a company. The students are taught team work, ethics, fixing the aims and become familiar with the principles of running a company and coping with challenges.

At the invitation of SGSCA and Foundation for Private Enterprise, a Polish student, Alicja Głuchowska, attended the Central Washington University in Ellensburg. Before starting the course as well as after its ending, Mrs. Głuchowska was the guest of SGSCA and stayed with an American family from Seattle.

On 24th June 2004 a vessel of Russian Federation’s Baltic Fleet from Baltijsk visited Gdynia. On 5th August 2004 an Italian landing craft “San Giusto" called at our city. The Commanding officers of both vessels paid courtesy visits to Gdynia City Hall during which they had meetings with the representatives of local authorities.

Between 8th - 17th July 2004, Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship 2004 took place in Gdynia. It was the 34th edition of this championship but for the first time it was organised in Poland. Each year a couple of countries strive to gain the positive opinion of International Sailing Federation (ISAF) management, the official organiser of the event. Poland beat among others Denmark and Spain in this competition.

This Championship is one of the most prestigious sailing competitions in the world. It is with this championship that the careers of greatest sailors from all over the world like Russel Coutts, Grant Dalton or Mateusz Kusznierewicz started and during these competitions they won their first laurels.

About 300 young sailors coming from more than 50 countries of the world participated in the Gdynia edition of the Championship. Young people competed for medals in the following classes: Laser (boys), Laser Radial (girls), Mistral (boys and girls), 420 (boys and girls) and Hobie Cat 16 (boys and girls). A Polish representative, Zofia Klepacka competing in Mistral class who at the same time represented our country during the Olympic Games in Athens, won the championship for the fourth time in a row.

Between 2nd - 3rd September 2004 a training for Kaliningrad City Hall employees entitled “Public Utilities Management in the city" was organised in Gdynia. The training was addressed to municipal officers from our twin city responsible for the “Square of Polish-Russian Friendship" project.

The project consists in restoration of an existing area, and its completion is planned for the celebrations of 750th anniversary of Kaliningrad in 2005. The project is meant as a contribution of Polish partner cities of Kaliningrad to the celebrations of the city holiday. It is the General Consul of Poland in Kaliningrad that is the coordinator of this undertaking. The city of Gdynia decided to contribute to the realisation of the above-mentioned project by sharing its knowledge about the development of green areas with Russian specialists.

During their visit to Gdynia, the employees of Kaliningrad City Hall had meetings with representatives of Public Utilities Management Department during which they got acquainted with the structure, tasks and functioning of this municipal entity. Moreover, the Russian guests participated in study visits to parks, squares and playgrounds of Gdynia.

On 6th September the employees of Green Areas Division of Karlskrona City Hall paid a one-day visit to Gdynia City Hall. Just like in the case of the guests from Kaliningrad, the aim of this visit was to exchange experiences connected with the development of municipal green areas. Apart from attending the meeting in the City Hall, Karlskrona representatives visited green areas and parks in Gdynia.

On 2nd July 2004 a representative of Stockholm County Council and the General Consul of Sweden paid a visit to Gdynia City Hall. The visit was aimed at exchanging experiences concerning city’s policy on the disabled and discussing future cooperation in “Gdynia without Barriers" programme as well as “Agenda 22".

On 27th September 2004 Gdynia was visited by guests from the Swedish city of Helsingborg responsible for social care. It was the aim of the visit to get acquainted with the social welfare system in Gdynia, especially with the issues concerning care of elderly people as well as to establish new contacts and initiate exchanges between Polish and Swedish social workers.

The Swedish guests participated in a study visit to the Day Activity Home for elderly people and Social Community Home for mentally disordered people. During the visit, Helsingborg representatives were shown round the centre, had a meeting with the director of Municipal Welfare Centre and got acquainted with the structure of social welfare in Gdynia.

The Swedes also visited District Clinic in Legionów Street where they received information about the work of district nurses. They also paid a visit to Social Welfare Home at Legionów Street.

On 6th September 2004 representatives of Scottish Executive EU Office in Brussels visited Gdynia City Hall. It was a working visit, and the meeting with a representative of the authorities was aimed at discussing the possibilities of initiating cooperation.

On 30th September 2004 the new ambassador of Chile to Poland, Mr. José Manuel Ovalle Bravo accompanied by the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Chile in Gdańsk paid a courtesy visit to the City Hall.

Between 11th-19th September 2004 representatives of Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association visited Gdynia together with the Director of Polish Film Festival in Seattle. It was the aim of the visit to get acquainted with organisational rules of Polish Film Festival in Gdynia, to advertise the Seattle Film Festival during the event in Gdynia and discuss the possibilities of funding one of the awards of the next year’s Polish Film Festival in Gdynia by Seattle.
As a result of talks with Gdynia Festival management, it was decided that during next year’s 30th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia an additional award “Best Independent Film" would be funded. It is the Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association and the Polish Film Festival in Seattle that will be the sponsors of this prize. The prize-winning film will be presented during a special projection at the Festival in Seattle and its director will be invited to this festival.

During their stay in Gdynia, the representatives of Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association participated in a ceremony connected with the 3rd anniversary of terrorist attack on World Trade Center in New York. Moreover, they made a donation to the Hospice in Gdynia as well as to the Navy Museum that is being built at the moment.

On 2nd October 2004 teachers from the Netherlands, Latvia, Germany and Portugal, the guests of High School No. 14 in Gdynia cooperating with Polish teachers in Socrates Comenius programme visited the City Hall. The guests had a meeting with authorities’ representative and watched a presentation about Gdynia.

During a three-day stay in our city, the foreign teachers discussed the assumptions of Socrates Comenius project together with their hosts. They concentrated in particular on subsubjects of “Youth", “Sea" and “Transcending borders" projects within the above mentioned programme.

Between 4th and 5th November 2004 the representatives of Gdynia participated in an international forum entitled “Socially responsible consumption and finance systems: public authorities’ and citizens’ commitment to social cohesion", which was organised
in Strasbourg (France) in the seat of the Council of Europe. At the invitation of the Council of Europe, Gdynia delegates (the Chairman of Gdynia City Council and an Economic Foundation representative) took part in the forum as speakers and presented the city’s programme of cooperation with NGOs as well as activities aimed at counteracting unemployment and supporting the development of entrepreneurship.

Between 24th and 27th November 2004 the Syndicat Mixte de la Côte d’Opale (SMCO) in the French Republic represented by Boulogne-sur-Mer, Calais and Dunkirk delegates visited Gdynia. The main aim of this visit was to sign a cooperation agreement with Gdynia on 25th November 2004.

The agreement concerns cooperation in the field of economic development, promotion of maritime economy and development of ports, intercommunal cooperation, environmental protection, tourism, culture, education and sport. The ceremony of signing the agreement took place onboard "Dar Pomorza" tallship and was attended by the authorities of Gdynia, Boulogne, Calais and Dunkirk as well as the Honorary Consul of the French Republic in Sopot.

On 25th November 2004 members of the delegation paid a study visit to the Port of Gdynia Authority where they had an opportunity to get acquainted with the structure and functioning of the port as well as to familiarise themselves with the direction of its planned development.

Additionally, during the stay in our city the delegation became familiar with the activities of two universities from Gdynia: Gdynia Maritime University and the Business and Administration School, which may result in future cooperation with the intercommunal University of Syndicat Mixte de la Côte d’Opale operating on the territory of Côte d’Opale.

The French guests had also an opportunity to learn about the activities of Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC). In addition they were informed about the actions the city of Gdynia carries out within UBC Commissions of Sport, Transport and Urban Planning.


On 26th November 2004 there were organised branch meetings and presentations the goal of which was to show the potential of Gdynia in a broader perspective. The delegation visited an air monitoring station in Gdynia and got acquainted with its activity. The possibility of experience exchange with the French institution "Opal’ Air" dealing with air quality monitoring on the territory of Côte d’Opale was also discussed.

During the presentation in the City Hall the guests were introduced to the action programme in aid of the disabled entitled "Gdynia without barriers" and Agenda 22. The cultural offer as well as the offer of sports cooperation was also presented. In the second part of the presentation, the delegation was informed about European projects realised by Gdynia, the investment campaign of our city and the activities in aid of counteracting unemployment.

The delegates paid a study visit to the Pomeranian Vocational Village run by "Economic Foundation", where they became familiar with the scope of Foundation’s activities aimed among others at counteracting and eliminating unemployment as well as rendering training and counselling services to people planning to start their own business. The guests discussed the possibilities of starting cooperation in realising EU projects between the Foundation and its French counterpart i.e. Entreprendre Ensemble".