34th International Conference Europe of the Carpathian Mountains in Poland – 3rd day

In 2011, the International Conference “Europe of the Carpathians” became part of the Economic Forum in Krynica Zdrój. It was then that the Carpathian Memorandum was adopted – the first document stressing the need to develop a Carpathian Strategy, which would gain not only a local and interstate dimension, but also a European one. On August 6, the event of three days lasting deliberation with the participation of politicians, experts and scientists from Central and Eastern Europe started. The participants have focused on forms of cooperation in the region.

The social institutionalisation of the “Europe of the Carpathians” initiative meant a shift in thinking about the geographical environment. Rivers, hollows, mountains and natural resources were more than just causes for political conflicts and rivalry between the states in the past, but this region had always seen the interplay of various influences and cultural, religious and ethical aspects. It is they, which made Central and Eastern Europe unique, with its richness and diversity. In keeping with such thinking, the Carpathians unite, rather than divide the inhabitants of the region. They encourage cooperation not only between local communities living in the mountains, but also between Carpathian states.