The first founding meeting of the Ukrainian-Polish-Slovak Carpathian Initiative was held. Deputy Minister for Development of Communities and Territoriies of Ukraine Maryna Denysiuk delivered a welcoming speech at the event.

The Carpathian Initiative is aimed at developing a strategic partnership between Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine in the restoration, as well as regional integration and economic development of the Carpathian region: Zakarpattia and Lviv regions, Košice and Prešov self-governing regions (Slovakia), Podkarpacie Voivodeship (Poland).

“Our vision is clear: to rebuild Ukraine as a modern, strong and sustainable country. One of our priorities is to strengthen the economic potential of the regions. That is why we are interested in cooperation focused on the joint implementation of strategic infrastructure, energy and socio-humanitarian projects.
We strive to expand economic opportunities, improve logistics, create new jobs, support business and attract international investments. The experience of Poland and Slovakia in forming common approaches and effectively attracting EU resources will be extremely useful for us.
I would like to thank our partners from Poland and Slovakia for their initiative and support on the path to creating sustainable development mechanisms, supporting business and strengthening social stability,” said Maryna Denysiuk.

The Carpathian Initiative was launched at the proposal of Slovakia. Its creation was announced during the 6th meeting of the Ukrainian-Slovak Joint Commission on Economic, Industrial, Scientific and Technical Cooperation in November last year.

The main areas of activity of the initiative:

• Transport infrastructure: development and modernization of transport corridors connecting Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine, in order to improve the logistics and trade routes of Eastern and Central Europe with Western Europe.
• Economic development: creation and support of economic zones to support local business and attract investments, organization of forums and seminars for the exchange of experience, stimulation of innovations and promotion of public-private partnerships.
• Humanitarian and social projects: implementation of projects aimed at meeting the urgent needs of communities in Ukraine affected by russian aggression (in the areas of housing, healthcare, education), support of cultural ties and educational programs.

Among the tasks:

• improving regional integration by developing infrastructure connections between Ukraine, Slovakia and Poland to facilitate regional trade and mobility;
• supporting economic growth through the implementation of strategic projects that contribute to economic sustainability and growth, in particular in border regions;
• supporting the reconstruction of Ukraine, primarily transport and energy infrastructure;
• promoting sustainable development by ensuring that all projects comply with the Sustainable Development Goals and EU standards.

The activities of the Carpathian Initiative will be carried out using EU funds and other international financial mechanisms, as well as private sector investments.

Subscribe to the pages of the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine on Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and WhatsApp