Further plans for the strategy, the Carpathians from a Romanian perspective and the presentation by European Committee of the Regions President Apostolos Tzitzikostas were the main topics of successive meetings of the Carpathians Interregional Group, which was chaired by ECR President Władysław Ortyl, Marshal of the Podkarpackie region.
The President of the Committee of the Regions reiterated his support for the Carpathian Strategy, stating that "the issues of the Carpathians can also be seen from Mount Olympus".
A large part of the discussions was devoted to Romania. The Polish-Romanian strategic partnership was discussed as a driver of comprehensive development cooperation. The first guest was Maciej Lang, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland in Romania, who spoke about cooperation between the two countries.
Other local and regional politicians from Romania – Doru Alexandru Lazăr, Vice-President of Maramureș County Council and Gheorghe Flutur, President of Suceava County Council – called for commitment and engagement in creating the Carpathian Strategy. Similar declarations had been made in Brașov, Romania, the year before. Adrian Teban, Vice-chair of the Group, President of the Union of Romanian Municipalities and Mayor of Cugir, and Simion Creţu, Director-General of the Centru Regional Development Agency, spoke about the benefits of working in partnerships within the Carpathian macro-region. Jean-Pierre Halkin, Head of Unit from the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, made an important statement about the role of macro-regional strategies in the new financial perspective 2021-2027.
Another important guest was MEP and chair of the foreign affairs committee, Marek Kuchciński, who, referring to the guiding principles of the Carpathians group, spoke about actions for a Carpathian Strategy at governmental and parliamentary level. He also extended an invitation to the annual Europe of the Carpathians conference, which, despite the adverse circumstances of the pandemic, would take place this year in the form of an online meeting.