Summit of cities and regions of Carpathian Initiative may take place in Truskavets in autumn

The Carpathian Integration Initiative (CII), which unites 44 regions from eight countries and aims to strengthen horizontal ties and increase the capacity of communities, may hold a summit of cities and regions within the framework of the initiative this autumn in Lviv region, Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration and chairman of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress Maksym Kozytsky said.

“On the path we are taking toward the European Union, we need to create and strengthen horizontal ties. The issues faced by our mountain territories are not unique to Ukraine; every country in the region faces the same problems, primarily infrastructure shortages. Therefore, the development of the Carpathians is a matter of comprehensive vision,” Kozytskyisaid during the side panel “Carpathian Integration Initiative: from political idea to development instrument for the macro-region” within the framework of the 4th International Summit of Cities and Regions.

As a positive example of building horizontal ties between regions, he cited the Interreg cross-border cooperation programs. In particular, more than 50 projects were implemented in Lviv region under the 2014–2020 program, while more than 30 projects are being implemented under the 2021–2027 program.

“Communities independently write projects and seek partners in neighboring countries. This is an opportunity not only to attract funds, but also to adopt other approaches to budget formation and gain the ability to implement projects. This experience should be scaled to more regions, where even more communities from different countries will be able to solve common problems,” he told Interfax-Ukraine.

The Carpathian Initiative, which is being created following the example of the Danube and Alpine initiatives, is already gaining support from European institutions. In 2025, the EU Committee of the Regions included a section on promoting the integration of the Carpathian regions in the updated 10-point support package for Ukraine.

According to Kozytsky, the next steps involved engaging regions in bilateral cooperation. Agreements have been signed with structures in Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Austria, and others.

“The next step we need to take is to hold a summit of cities and regions involved in the Carpathian Initiative. I propose holding it in Lviv region, possibly in Truskavets. We would also like to see our partners from other countries at this summit within the coming months,” he said.

He named the launch of integration processes at the regional and city levels as the main objective for the near future.

“Certain formal steps have already been taken – last year the 10-point support plan for Ukraine was updated taking into account the Carpathian issue. In order for this initiative to gain formal status [be included in the draft EU framework budget for 2028–2034 – IF-U], communities must actively work with their governments and their deputies who are members of the European Parliament. This process is very complicated and long-term, but we are actively working with our partners on it,” Kozytsky stressed.