Over 3,000 participants from 50 countries took part in the 26th Economic Forum in Krynica (Poland). Władysław Ortyl – Marshal of the Podkarpackie region and member of the ECR group in the Committee of the Regions – participated in the discussions and also signed a prestigious agreement regarding the organisation of the Europe-Ukraine Forum.

'United or Divided? Europe in the Face of the Challenges of Tomorrow' was the theme for this year's forum, taking place from 6 to 8 September 2016 in Krynica. For Marshal Ortyl, the key event was the signing of an agreement between the regional government of the Podkarpackie region and the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies regarding the Europe-Ukraine Forum, to be organised by the Podkarpackie region in January 2017.

This agreement, signed by Marshal Ortyl and Zygmunt Berdychowski, Head of the Programme Council of the Institute for Eastern Studies, proposes that the next meeting – and the subsequent four meetings – are to take place in Podkarpackie. The agreement was signed in the presence of Marek Kuchciński, Marshal of the Polish Sejm, and Dawid Jackiewicz, the Polish Minister of Treasury.

Marshal Władysław Ortyl said he was "delighted" with the agreement. Mr Ortyl said: "I am delighted that such an important event will be taking place in our region.We are continuing our cooperation with Ukraine".

"This forum will undoubtedly be a platform for Ukrainian partners and the rest of Europe to exchange experiences and contacts, as well as providing a setting for dialogue on the future of the European Union's relations with Ukraine."

The Europe-Ukraine Forum is one of the most important conferences that has been held since 2007. It is mainly concerned with Ukraine's modernisation, reforms to its state and economy, and questions relating to international security, ethnic minorities, cultural heritage, and Ukraine's relations with the European Union. This last issue – particularly in the wake of Russia's aggression against Ukraine – is of great importance in terms of ensuring the security of Europe as a whole.

Following the prestigious agreement, Mr Ortyl added: "We recently returned from the Festival of Partnership in Lviv.We expect our region's cooperation with Ukraine to have a stronger economic basis."

The Krynica forum is also known as the "Polish Davos". Over 150 panel discussions, lectures and debates took place over three days in the centre of Krynica.