CARPATHIAN EUROPE" CONFERENCE

Krynica, September 4, 2013.

"What can the Carpathian states contribute to Europe?

(draft program)

10:30
opening of the conference "Carpathian Europe", Marek Kuchcinski, Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm

10:40 - 11:55
And panel: Carpathian alliances

The Carpathian Mountains is an area where for centuries various forms of cooperation have permeated, where borders have changed and shifted, where traditions and ideas have been exchanged. We would like to remind ourselves of the mutual relationships, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries, assess the impact of their past relations on the national identity of the Carpathian countries and consider whether strengthening the sense of identity can become a goal of common activities.     

1. Political alliances of the 20th and 21st centuries: history and challenges for the future.
2. Parliamentary cooperation in the face of the richness of diversity.What should parliamentarians of the Carpathian region countries do to strengthen forms of cooperation?
3. Experiences of economic cooperation and common interests in a world of economic globalization.
4. Intellectual discussions and educational activities across borders. School, academic and scientific collaboration projects.

Moderator:
Stanisław Karczewski, Deputy Speaker of the Senate
Introduction:
Prof. Ryszard Terlecki, MP
Panelists:
-Přemysl Sobotka, Vice President of the Senate of the Czech Republic
-Richard Hörcsik, Chairman of the Committee on European Union Affairs of the Hungarian Parliament
-László Borbély, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
-Magdalena Vassaryova, Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic
-John O'Sullivan, Director, Danube Institute, Hungary

12:05 - 13:05    
Panel II: Cultural and natural heritage of the Carpathians

This year marks 10 years since the ministers of Central European countries signed an agreement to support sustainable development in the Carpathians. We would like to find out what the effects of this agreement are and what recommendations result from it for the future. We would like to ask what makes the Carpathian region so special compared to the rest of Europe. How does the culture of the Carpathians influence the culture of the peoples of Central and Eastern Europe? How does the nature of the Carpathians influence the environment of the surrounding areas?

1. 10 years of the Carpathian Convention.
2. Specificity of Carpathian culture and its popularization.
3. Wooden architecture in the Carpathians.
4. The natural environment of the Carpathians.

Moderator:
Prof. Jan Szyszko, MP
Panelists:
Zsolt Feldman, Deputy Minister for Rural Development, Hungary
Janusz Zaleski, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of the Environment
Marek Balt, deputy to the Polish Parliament, member of the Committee on Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry
Pier Carlo Sandei, Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, Italy
Prof. Oleksandr Bokotey, Uzhgorod University, Ukraine
Prof. Bronisław Wołoszyn, Polish Academy of Sciences

14:20 - 15:30        
Panel III: Carpathian strategy

There is a growing need for increased cooperation among Central European countries to better pursue a common policy for the development of the Carpathians and to make more rational use of Community funds. In addition to the Danube and Baltic strategies, Alpine and Adriatic strategies are being developed. Now it is time for the Carpathian strategy. We will answer the question: what should be its characteristics and goals (e.g. strengthening of Eastern Partnership)?
 

1. The idea of macro-regional strategies - why is it relevant for the Carpathians?
2. Tourism as an engine for development of the Carpathians.
3. Forestry in sustainable mountain development.
4. Infrastructure as a condition for communication development.
5. Carpathian region of clean energy sources.

Moderator:
Tomasz Poręba, Member of the European Parliament, Poland
Introduction:
Jarosław Kaczyński, MP, President of the Law and Justice party
Panelists:
Jerzy Kwieciński, Vice President of the European Enterprise Centre
Zbigniew Rynasiewicz, Secretary of State, Ministry of Transport, Construction and Maritime Economy,
Beata Szydło, MP, deputy chairman of the Public Finance Committee
Józef Lassota, deputy to the Polish Parliament
Władysław Ortyl, Marshall of the Podkarpackie Province
Mihailo Vyshyvaniuk, Governor of Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, Ukraine

15:40 - 16:50
IV Panel: Carpathian Europe - future prospects

Moderator:
Prof. Krzysztof Szczerski, Member of Parliament, Committee on European Union Affairs
Panelists:
Bogusław Sonik, Member of the European Parliament
Professor Włodzimierz Bernacki, Member of Parliament of the Republic of Poland
Prof. Bohdan Hud, Lviv University, Ukraine
Prof. Vasyl Marchuk, Vice-Rector of the University of Transcarpathia in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
Prof. Stanisław Karczmarczyk, Warsaw University
Prof. Zdzisław Krasnodębski, University of Bremen, Bremen