Summary:

The economic potential of communes consists first of all: the professional activity of inhabitants and level of their incomes, the local job market, level and kind of enterprise as well as condition of natural environment. The economic potential decides about economic development of commune or region. It stipulates the economic conversions concerning incrementation of production, employment and investments. The purpose of this article is the diagnosis of the economic potential of polish communes lying near the south border. There were analyzed 70 communes in 5 Provinces: Lower Silesia, Opole Voivodeship, Silesia, Malopolska and Podkarpackie. 47 communes lie at the border with the Czech Republic and 23 on the polish-slovak border. The communes are, in prevailing amount, rural, mountain communes and less favoured areas. The one of chances of the development of this areas, is utilization of their geopolitical location, interregional cooperation with neighboring communes that they have similar values of natural and cultural heritage and the economic potential. The border of the state does not have to mean the border of well developing region. But, the commune in order to be an attractive partner for others, has to offer specific level of services and has a disposal adequate economic potential. In order to estimate the economic potential of communes there were used indicators applicable in practice of structural fund able to approximate the economic condition of regions and their potential.