Border Region Between Poland and Germany: Strengthened by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic is a humanitarian tragedy with millions of deaths worldwide. However, this virus is also a tremendous economic challenge. There is some evidence that vulnerable groups and regions are in particular at risk of suffering from unemployment, insolvency and other economic hardships during the pandemic. We analyse the economic consequences on one of the poorest regions, the borderland between Germany and Poland. Based on statistical analysis, an online survey of entrepreneurs and key-informant interviews, we can conclude that the consequences of the pandemic are not as disastrous for the region as expected. The instruments of mitigating the economic challenges (including support for enterprises, unemployment insurance and support for temporary under-utilisation of “Kurzarbeitergeld”) were quite successful. The survey partners even see some improvements, in particular in the field of digitalisation. All agree that the flow of information and cooperation between Poland and Germany should have been more intensive to reflect the manifold economic and personal interdependencies between the two countries.