Central Europe, including the Carpathians, are becoming a symbol of changes in the world

The Europe of the Carpathians project, which has been implemented for years, is an example of how local actions can affect global security. – Investments in a strategic region must combine military and economic issues with education, culture and interpersonal relations. Then a living tissue of healthy cooperation is created - explains Marek Kuchciński, former Marshal of the Sejm, head of the Prime Minister's office, creator and animator of the event.

On Friday, February 24, the international conference Europe of the Carpathians will begin in Krasiczyn. The main themes of the 35th edition are closely related to the current geopolitical situation; they concern fundamental issues of European unity and cooperation of the region in the face of a multifaceted crisis caused by the war. 

In ten panels, politicians, journalists, people from business and culture will discuss:

• Central Europe in the international security system 
• support and reconstruction of Ukraine on its way to the European Union 
• what freedom used to be and what freedom in the Carpathian region is now
• education of the future and digitization
• communication in Central Europe, including the new policy of TEN-T communication routes
• parliamentary diplomacy of Carpathian Europe
• value systems of our part of Europe
• the most important challenges faced by the women of the Carpathians
• cooperation between Carpathian and Alpine local governments
• food security and strategic autonomy of the EU in the face of the war in Ukraine

Marshals and ministers in Krasiczyn

The conference will be attended by Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Ryszard Terlecki, Head of the Prime Minister's Office Marek Kuchciński, Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moscow, Minister of Family Marlena Maląg, Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk, Minister of Education Przemysław Czarnek, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and numerous foreign guests, including US Ambassador Mark Brzezinski.

– Last year showed us all how profitable investments in the Carpathian region are and how important good communication and cooperation are. A special symbol is the Rzeszów-Jasionka airport or the Via Carpatia road. Russian aggression made the countries of the Carpathian region even closer. In the hour of trial, the declared friendship of the societies of the Carpathian region turned out to be very real - says the originator of the conference, Minister Marek Kuchciński. – For years, we have been building a positive atmosphere for cooperation between the countries of our region. A real success is also the rapprochement at other levels - institutions, non-governmental organizations, local governments, universities, local communities. We often invite young leaders of the Carpathian region to the discussion to learn about their proposals for the future of our region. We are especially looking at the civilizational revolution that is taking place thanks to new technologies (GovTech changes our world every day!), we discuss the topics of science, development and ecology - adds the head of the Prime Minister's office.

Security is also intercultural relationships

Another issue is also gaining importance - strengthening communication in the area of three seas: the Baltic, Black and Adriatic. For example: Via Carpatia, which has been discussed many times during the conference, is to be the core of the entire network of branches leading, for example, to Gdańsk or Odessa. This is not the only way to connect the north with the south of Europe. The idea, which is already being finalized, also assumes the creation of a high-speed Warsaw-Brno-Bratislava-Budapest railway. At the next stage, this railway can reach as far as Belgrade. Our role was to encourage the governments of the countries in the region to work together on these initiatives. The inhabitants of the Carpathians are culturally and linguistically diverse and have unique customs. This is the heritage of many nations and nations. In terms of biodiversity, our mountains are the richest in Europe. The Carpathians are also a gigantic reservoir of drinking water - and only international cooperation can ensure sufficient resources of this strategic raw material for people. Let us also remember about food security, which is ensured by Carpathian farmers. We have been operating in Europe of the Carpathians for years for cooperation and peace. This is one of our most important challenges right now. And we are aware that our security is best ensured by strong states and strong armies. It is worth recalling here the words spoken by Fr. prof. Franjo Topić: "Peace is not everything, but without peace everything is nothing." Last year showed that cooperation in the Carpathian region bears fruit. And let it be a good prognosis for the future.

PROGRAM OF THE 35TH EUROPE OF THE CARPATHIAN CONFERENCE

Friday (February 24)
Przemysl
9:00-10:00 Unveiling of the plaque commemorating the Brzeziński family in Primary School No. 1. Henryk Sienkiewicz in Przemyśl with the participation of the US Ambassador to Poland Marek Brzeziński and participants of the Europe of the Carpathians conference

Castle in Krasiczyn

11:30 Opening of the conference

12:00-12:20 Presentation of the results of the survey of Eastern European Studies of the University of Warsaw and the EWL foundation on refugees from Ukraine in Poland

12:30-14:00 Panel I: US policy towards the European Union, Russia and China in the context of the war in Ukraine

15:15-15:45 Presentation: The role of civil society in the defense and transformation of Ukraine

15:45-16:45 Panel II: From the cycle of reconstruction of Ukraine. Support and reconstruction of Ukraine on its way to the European Union

17:00-18:30 Panel III: Archive of the Freedoms of Europe in the Carpathians

18:30-19:00 Presentation of the center in Mikuliczyn

19:15-20:45 Program Council of Carpathian Europe Clubs

Saturday (February 25)
9:00-9:30 Presentation of the project "Polish culture in the Three Seas countries and in Anglo-Saxon countries"

9:30-11:00 Panel IV: from the series of education of the future Digital Education. Digital Education of the Young.

11:15-12:45 Panel V: Communication in Central Europe - new TEN-T policy

13:00-14:30 Panel VI: parliamentary diplomacy of the Carpathian Europe (V4+)

15:45-17:15 Panel VII: Realism and values in Central Europe. In memory of prof. Waldemar Paruch

17:30-19:00 Panel VIII: from the series Women of the Carpathians: the most important challenges

Sunday (February 26)

9:30 Presentation of projects implemented under the Cross-border Cooperation program Poland - Belarus - Ukraine

10:00-11:30 Panel IX: 30 years of the Carpathian Euroregion. Carpathians, Alps

11:45-13:15 Panel X: Food security and strategic autonomy of the EU in the face of the war in Ukraine