Cooperation within the Central Mountains project has officially begun. On May 23-24, 2023, the Kick-off meeting was held by the Lead Partner – Rzeszów County.
The purpose of the project is to strengthen and improve governance models in mountain areas of Central Europe (the Alps, Carpathians and Sudetes), with particular emphasis on cross-border and transnational cooperation structures. All activities are aimed at solving common challenges for the sustainable development.
At first, we will develop perspective for better cooperation governance; then we will carry out joint actions across borders for better cooperation (including pilot actions). The final step are joint solutions and territorial uptake with strengthening the capacities of the stakeholders and mobilize policy makers.
The Kick-off meeting was organized in a hybrid form with the participation of all partners, Joint Secretariat and the Carpathian Convention. It was a moment when the first conversations, arrangements and meetings took place. Issues of management, communication and promotion in the project were discussed, as well as solutions operating in the Carpathians. Each partner presented their organisation/ institution and described what are its expectations.
The second day of the meeting was to learn about the resources of the Carpathian region and the first cooperation structures. Management solutions such as the Carpathian Sustainable Tourism Platform and Cross-Border Functional Areas, which we will develop as part of our project, were presented to partners and discussed.
All locations are part of the Cross-Border Functional Area “Kremenaros” laying at the border area of 3 countries: Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine.
Project partners visited among others Polańczyk – a village (seat of municipality) as well as spa resort located in Bieszczady Mountains (the heart of the Carpathian Mountains) located at the Solina Lake – artificial reservoir called the Bieszczady Sea as well as the Ruins of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery in Zagórz – Foresterium (Cultural Centre in the ruins of the monastery in Zagórz).These are tourist destinations, full of investments aimed at the sustainable regional development as well as a good example of cooperation local authorities with entrepreneurs and inhabitants.