Ukraine Seeks To Present Carpathian Strategy To EU By Mid-2027, Bezgin Says

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Vitalii Bezgin, Ukraine's Minister for Communities, Territories and Internally Displaced Persons, said this in comments to an Ukrinform correspondent on the sidelines of the 51st session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

“Our next step is to develop a joint macro-regional strategy within the European Union framework. To this end, just two weeks ago, we secured the support of Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms. The Commission is now planning specific support for regions it refers to as the 'eastern flank.' As allies, we naturally want to be part of this process,” the minister explained.

According to Bezgin, the document must be prepared and discussed with European institutions in the first half of next year, as the EU's next budget period begins in 2028.

“If we secure a dedicated strategy, we could qualify for specific funding under a transport cooperation program, primarily for infrastructure projects,” he added.

Bezgin said discussions at the Congress had been useful in examining how similar initiatives had been launched for the Alps and under the Danube Strategy,“because we want to do essentially the same things with the Carpathian Strategy.”

He said the Carpathian initiative was presented in Strasbourg on October 27 to the permanent representatives to the Council of Europe of countries in the Carpathian macro-region, as well as the heads of the relevant national delegations. It was also presented to the leadership of the European Committee of the Regions.

“At the local level, it is much easier to balance shared interests because the focus is on practical projects and their implementation, as well as on securing financial resources,” he said.

The initiative involves cooperation among eight countries: Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Czechia, Austria, and Serbia. According to the minister, Hungary is currently the only country among them taking a cautious position. However, its representative also joined the discussions in Strasbourg.

On October 28, the Congress of the Council of Europe also decided to support the Carpathian integration initiativ. As a next step, in early 2027, it is expected to facilitate a thematic meeting involving local and regional authorities from the Carpathian region and government institutions to agree on a concrete cooperation plan aimed at promoting cohesion, prosperity, and security.

As Ukrinform previously reported, following the first Carpathian Summit, held in Ukraine's Ivano-Frankivsk region, leaders and representatives of Ukraine, Austria, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia adopted a joint declaration.

Photo credit: Ukraine's Ministry for Communities and Territories Development

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