The countries of the Carpathian region have significant potential for cooperation in defense, energy, and transport, which can deliver real economic growth, investment, and jobs. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during the first Carpathian Economic Forum, which he attended together with President of Romania Nicușor Dan.
The forum brought together nearly 1,400 participants from 25 countries around the world, including all the countries participating in the Carpathian Initiative. Among them were more than 800 representatives of central governments, regional administrations, and local authorities. Nearly 400 companies from all countries of the Carpathian Eight (C8) represented the business community. The forum’s investment portfolio includes 95 projects worth more than €42.5 billion in energy, industry and manufacturing, innovative technologies, transport and logistics, infrastructure and real estate, the agri-food sector, healthcare, and construction materials. Of these, 55 projects worth €8 billion are from Ukraine’s Carpathian region.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, this is the first summit of this scale for the region.
“This region has changed a lot during the years of war. What was once seen mainly as a border region has really become an important base for logistics, energy and industry,” the President emphasized.
The Head of State noted the importance of attracting more investment, boosting industry, creating new opportunities for the entire region, and strengthening the region in the face of Russia’s extremely aggressive policy.
“More security. Stronger energy links. Better roads and railways and, of course, ports. Security always depends on our ability to work together – when our systems are connected and our countries cooperate, our protection is stronger too,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
According to the President, about half of the investment portfolio is in energy, and this sector should become one of the Carpathian region’s main contributions to Europe.
“Solar and wind energy. Energy storage. And new interconnectors. And our large underground gas storage facilities. And there is also a proposed Carpathian wind cluster with 1.5 gigawatts of capacity. The Carpathians can become an energy contributor to the European Union – and not only a transit region,” the President emphasized.
The Head of State noted that implementing such projects will help achieve energy independence from Russia.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it is important to develop logistics and industry by creating transport corridors, logistics hubs, terminals, processing and storage centers, as well as new manufacturing facilities.
“The war has proved something very, very clearly – when the roads, railways and ports of neighboring countries work together, trade can continue even under the hardest conditions, difficult ones. So we need to turn this resilience into permanent infrastructure – not a temporary wartime solution,” the President emphasized.
The Head of State noted that Carpathian regions and communities must play a real part in this work.
“Around 170 representatives of Carpathian regions are here today. Mountain communities often face the same problems – roads, environment, demographics, and development. And these are problems that no capital city can solve alone. This is why cooperation between regions and communities matters so much,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
According to the President, Ukraine sees the European Union’s readiness to support the Carpathian region.
“The Carpathian region naturally connects three other European macro-regions – the Baltic, Alpine, Danube regions. And here in the Carpathians, major trade, energy, and defense routes from the eastern part of Europe come together. And this region also connects directly with the south of Europe,” the Head of State noted.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the Carpathian region has also become an important center of defense production and industries that support modern defense capabilities, and that this role will only grow.
The President noted that cooperation in the Carpathian region is helping bring Ukraine closer to the European Union.
“The more our regions, our businesses, communities work together here, the more Ukraine becomes part of the practical life of the European Union. All this cooperation must bring real economic growth, real investment, and real jobs,” the Head of State emphasized.
President of Romania Nicușor Dan noted that the countries represented at the forum need to scale up economic cooperation and effectively create a common market in the region.
“We, as government representatives, need to do two things. First, connect our countries with roads and energy grids so that we can create a common energy network. Second, we need to increase the level of trust. Companies from one country could do business and sign agreements in another. The political meetings we held this morning are already a sign that we have trust in one another,” the President of Romania noted.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen recorded a video address to the forum participants. She emphasized that the Carpathian region holds a special place in Europe and has great potential because it is where Ukraine’s European future is being shaped.
“Today’s summit is an important step toward a truly shared vision for the region. And I am especially pleased that businesses, as well as young people, are at the heart of the Carpathian Initiative. Because this work is fundamentally about building a shared future and addressing the common challenges we need to overcome so that our businesses and citizens can thrive,” Ursula von der Leyen said.
The forum also featured a special EXPO zone with a booth for each of the eight countries of the Carpathian region. The Presidents of Ukraine and Romania spoke with business representatives, companies, and entrepreneurs showcasing the region’s investment opportunities. In particular, nine Ukrainian companies presented projects in energy, industrial production, transport and logistics, and the agri-food sector.