On February 27-28 the Carpathian Europe Conference will be held in Krasiczyn and Przemysl. However, for the first time in the hybrid (online) formula. - We will combine a substantive discussion with special events, which will be a continuation of the international dialogue in the region of Central Europe, namely the Carpathians, the Visegrad Group and the Tri-City - disclosed former Speaker of the Sejm Marek Kuchciński to Niezalezna.pl.

The idea of Carpathian Europe dates back to 2007. It was then that the first meeting of the Carpathian countries parliamentarians took place, initiated by Marek Kuchciński, the then chairman of the Parliamentary Commission for Environmental Protection, Natural Resources and Forestry. This project gradually evolved into an important forum where economic interests, transit routes, social needs, environmental cohesion, security issues and ability to cooperate are openly discussed. Today, it is a very serious undertaking that affects the stability of the region and its economic importance.

As Marek Kuchcinski reveals to us, this year's installment, which will take place online due to the COVID-19 outbreak, will address issues during the conference:

• 30 years of the Visegrad Group in the parliamentarians' opinion

The four countries have shared converging experiences for many centuries. Is this enough to see a similar future? The past differences within the European Community on foreign and migration policy and closer cooperation, as well as Brexit, pose the V4 community with the question of what the future of the Union should be. The unexpected outbreak of a pandemic has become an additional challenge. EU countries were faced with the choice of cooperation or rivalry in the field of obtaining vaccines and medical equipment.

• Central Europe in an international environment

Will the White House policy towards the European Union and member states change after the US presidential election? What will be the strategic international priorities of the new US administration? What will be the relationship between the United States and other powers, including China and Russia? The rise of China, as well as Russia's military activity, pose new challenges. Will the post-pandemic European Union, abandoned by the United Kingdom, move towards federalization, or will it rather be a Europe of solidarity and sovereign nation-states, with them retaining their political identity?

• North-South Infrastructure 2040

Green Deal - Safe on the road, close for travelers, safe for the environment. Lack of adequate infrastructure on the North-South axis for decades prevented effective communication and development of the Tri-City countries. Construction of high-speed railroad Warsaw - Budapest, Via Carpatia and Via Baltica roads, as well as other infrastructure connecting Poland with its neighbors in the south and north, will allow the movement of people and goods and the development of local communities. The future of transport will also be determined by the European Green Deal policy. Transport is responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions and its modernization will be one of the key issues for EU countries in the coming decades. 

• Development of border areas in the Tri-City region

It is an important factor of development for local communities, which brings economic profits to the borderland lands. Such a strategic location can also be an important asset for the borderland, allowing to equalize the level of development within the countries of the region. The dialogue on the barriers of border areas may enrich the discussion on the Macroregional Carpathian Strategy and the adoption of an effective policy to remove them.

•  Digital Europe as a basis for strong economy and cooperation of Tri-Countries  

Participants of the next panel will discuss issues of cyber security, 5G networks, as well as the possibility of using digitization in traditional industries such as construction, transport, trade and energy. They will also answer questions about fourth-generation industry, the emergence of which is expected to be a result of the fourth industrial revolution, consisting in networking and digitization of production along with modernization of the economy. 

• The European Green Deal

It is a policy of implementing sustainable development in the economy. However, its ambitious assumptions bring with them serious challenges of economic and social nature. In the process of transformation and striving for achieving climate neutrality by 2050 by EU countries, it will be important to adjust the pace of changes to the socio-economic conditions of particular Member States. The European Green Deal is also an opportunity for family farms, tourism and water management in the region. 

• Natural and cultural heritage of the Carpathians on the UNESCO list

Is it worth inscribing the cultural and natural heritage of the Carpathians on the UNESCO list? And also to strengthen the care for cultural heritage in the framework of the Carpathian Convention? These are only some of the questions that will be asked by the participants of the panel Cultural cooperation - preservation of common heritage. The indisputable contribution of Central Europe to the political culture of Europe should go hand in hand with the promotion of and care for the common heritage, and this is impossible without working out the principles of international cooperation, so that the voice of the region is heard not only in our part of Europe, but on a global scale. The narrative of Central Europe does not correspond to either the strategic or the geopolitical status of the region. This state of affairs needs to be consistently overcome.

• Born in times of freedom

How to efficiently connect and institutionalize youth cooperation in Central Europe? One of the barriers for the generation of citizens of the countries in our region born after 1989 is the low level of social services. This in turn leads to emigration to the countries of the "old Union", the phenomenon of "brain drain" and the unfavorable demographic situation in the countries of Central Europe. How to make young people consider Central Europe as the best region in Europe to live and work?

In the framework of special events we will learn about the Visegrad Atlas project, a publication about geographical, natural, social and economic diversity, as well as phenomena and processes resulting from historical and contemporary conditions in the V4 countries.

- Kuchciński emphasizes.

The conference will culminate with the unveiling of a plaque commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Visegrad Group's cooperation "referring to the medieval cooperation of kingdoms and nations in Central Europe - a symbol of combining prudence with action for the future."