Great interest in the DZA among our Polish neighbours

Future-oriented across borders: the development of the DZA is not only of interest to the people of Lusatia, but also to our Polish neighbours in the European city of Görlitz/Zgorzelec. At the invitation of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Transformative Urban Redevelopment (IZS), DZA Founding Director Günther Hasinger discussed the expected effects of the DZA for Zgorzelec and the Neisse Euroregion with the Mayor of Zgorzelec, Rafał Gronicz, and IZS Director Robert Knippschild as part of the European City Talks series. It is already clear that the DZA will also have an impact on urban development, the labour market and the education sector in the Polish part of the European City. The establishment of the DZA with funding from the federal government and the Free State of Saxony is therefore also welcomed in Zgorzelec and seen as a great opportunity. At the same time, there are challenges in terms of demographic development, competition for skilled labour and infrastructure that need to be solved together. The DZA is already benefiting from its location in the German-Polish-Czech border triangle and is aware of its responsibility for development within the cross-border framework. The discussion showed that there are many expectations of the research centre to further strengthen euroregional relations. Together with its scientific and regional partners, the DZA will work towards the development of the three-country region into an innovative European region.