Dame Melinda Simmons, British Ambassador meets Mayor of Kraków

The Mayor underlined that since the beginning of the war, Kraków has consistently supported Ukrainian citizens, offering a wide range of assistance – legal, psychological and social. He emphasised that the city is working to integrate the Ukrainian community, as evidenced by, among other things, the Dialogue Bench, organised especially for this group. Ukrainian themes are increasingly appearing in the city's cultural events, with the intention to promote openness and mutual understanding. The Mayor also emphasised the importance of symbolic gestures of solidarity, such as displaying Ukrainian flags and illuminating city infrastructure in the national colours. The Ambassador expressed her appreciation for these actions, emphasising that of the seven cities she has visited so far, only Kraków has communicated its solidarity with Ukraine in such a clear manner, which could be an important inspiration for other local governments.

During the meeting, issues related to equality and anti-discrimination were also discussed. The Mayor emphasised that he was the first city leader to participate twice in the Kraków Equality March, and that the Council for Equal Treatment is actively involved in the city's structure. Dame Melinda Simmons asked about initiatives supporting women. The Mayor mentioned Kraków Women's Month – programme organised in March - as well as the operation of the Business Activity Centre for Women. Another interesting initiative is the ‘Obywatelki 2.0’ project, held in cooperation with German and Ukrainian partner cities, aimed at empowering women and developing their civic competences. The conversation also touched upon the issue of combating domestic violence. Mayor Aleksander Miszalski admitted that although this problem always requires attention and responsible action, it is not a widespread phenomenon in Kraków – the city has an effective system of support and monitoring for families in need of assistance. During the meeting, economic relations and investment opportunities were also discussed, particularly for British companies. As the Mayor assured, Kraków is open to foreign investment and has an established position as one of the most important business centres in this part of Europe, offering attractive investment opportunities, including Kraków Nowa Huta Przyszłości (Kraków - Nowa Huta of the Future) project, as well as excellent staffing and infrastructure conditions.

This opinion is confirmed by the decision of the European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC JU) to locate the Gaia AI Factory, a modern artificial intelligence factory, in Kraków, which not only strengthens Poland's position in the European AI ecosystem, but also lays the foundation for future similar initiatives.

After meeting with the Mayor Aleksander Miszalski, the Ambassador visited the Kraków Multicultural Centre in Zabłocie.