Ukraine has started shaping a new regional platform — the Carpathian Integration Initiative — to deepen cooperation between the states and regions of the Carpathian space. The idea comes from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is meant to turn the Carpathians from a border zone into a joint development zone.
On November 4, a coordination meeting was held with the heads of Ukrainian regions, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian ambassadors to EU countries that belong to the Carpathian macro-region, and members of parliament. Deputy Head of the President’s Office Viktor Mykyta said the main item on the agenda was creating a permanent cooperation mechanism for Carpathian regions.
Who is involved
The initiative is being discussed with regions of Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Austria — that is, all countries whose territories are historically and economically tied to the Carpathians. On the Ukrainian side, the key drivers are Zakarpattia, Lviv, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts — regions that already have dozens of working cross-border agreements, euroregional projects and experience in using EU instruments for regional development.
What the platform is for
-
to synchronize regional development programs in the whole Carpathian belt;
-
to launch joint infrastructure, transport, tourism and environmental projects;
-
to make it easier to attract EU and international funding for border areas;
-
to strengthen people-to-people and municipality-to-municipality cooperation;
-
to support Ukraine’s European integration at the regional level.
According to participants, this is not about creating a new bureaucracy, but about giving existing cross-border ties a political “roof” and a common voice in dialogue with governments and EU institutions. Regional administrations and regional councils are already working with partner regions, counties and federal states to form a common position, so that the Carpathian Integration Initiative can start with ready-made project proposals, not abstract declarations.
In essence, Ukraine is offering neighbors a simple logic: the Carpathians are a shared space, so development here should also be shared — coordinated, funded together and focused on the needs of border communities.
