The 35th Economic Forum, held in Karpacz on 8-10 September 2026, was organised with the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IGSO PAS) as one of its partners. This year’s edition brought together more than 6,500 guests from 55 countries. Over the course of three days, representatives of politics, business, public administration, academia, social organisations and culture took part in debates devoted to the most important challenges of the modern world. The Forum’s central theme was The Architecture of a New Order – Stability in Times of Change.

The scale of the event was significant: the programme included more than 500 events – plenary and special sessions, discussion panels, debates, report presentations, author meetings, press briefings, galas and concerts. Once again, the Forum served as a platform for dialogue bringing together different communities and sectors. Representatives of central and local government, business, academia, non-governmental organisations and international institutions met in Karpacz. More than 900 participants came from abroad, highlighting the international character of the event.

An important part of the Forum consisted of discussions on regional development and local government. More than 1,200 representatives of local and regional authorities took part in the event, including provincial marshals and deputy marshals, mayors, county governors, municipal heads and councillors. The Regions Forum provided a space for exchanging experiences among representatives of different levels of territorial administration from Poland and Europe. Many debates focused on challenges related to modernisation, economic development, infrastructure and cross-sectoral cooperation.

IGSO PAS in the Forum Programme

Representatives of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization of the Polish Academy of Sciences took part in debates devoted to key challenges related to the spatial and socio-economic development of Poland.

One of the important events was the session “The Billion-Zloty Cost of Spatial Chaos. How Can We Stop the ‘Mess’?”, organised in partnership with IGSO PAS and moderated by Professor Tomasz Komornicki. The discussion focused on the effectiveness of spatial planning reform, the division of responsibilities between different levels of administration, and the future of regional planning. Panellists highlighted the scale of the spatial chaos that has accumulated in Poland, the need to strengthen planning at the supra-local level, and the importance of national strategic documents.

The topic of another debate, “Dam Reservoirs: Water Security or Environmental Cost?”, was Poland’s water security. The panel was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Łukasz Wiejaczka. The discussion focused on the possibilities of combining natural and artificial water retention, the need to adapt solutions to regional conditions, and the necessity of protecting river ecosystems. The participants emphasised the importance of comprehensive and long-term water management planning in the face of increasing risks of droughts and floods.

Professor Piotr Rosik took part in the panel “Towards a Europe of Regions? Challenges and Dilemmas of Decentralisation”. The discussion focused on the role of regions, the principle of subsidiarity and decentralisation, and their importance for territorial development. Professor Rosik pointed to the need to overcome disputes over competences – both between different levels of governance and between institutions and sectors operating at the same level.

The participation of IGSO PAS representatives in these debates formed part of the Forum’s broader agenda concerning regional development, public governance and spatial planning. A common theme running through the discussions was the need for better coordination of public activities, strengthening the role of regions, and pursuing integrated and long-term spatial development planning for Poland.

Science, Economy and Cross-Sectoral Cooperation

The science and higher education sector was also strongly represented. Rectors and representatives of Polish universities participated in the Forum, and one of the programme highlights was the Oxford Debate of Jagiellonian University. In total, this year’s Forum had 390 partners: 170 commercial, 82 media, 10 academic, 105 institutional, 15 civil defence zone partners and 8 social partners. The growing number of business partners, together with the broad presence of public and academic institutions, demonstrated the cross-sectoral character of the event.

Cooperation with the business sector was also an important area. The group of business partners included 170 companies, and the number of entities cooperating with the Forum in this category was 15% higher than the previous year. The Family Business Network brought together 107 Polish family-owned companies, represented by their owners and successors. They took part in 13 debates, panels and discussions, as well as five closed meetings. The presence of companies of different sizes, representatives of state institutions and the academic community further strengthened the Forum’s cross-sectoral character.

The programme also included several major thematic blocks. The 17th Health Protection Forum brought together nearly 800 participants and included more than 60 debates, panels and meetings devoted, among other things, to healthcare system financing and management, prevention, new technologies and digitalisation. The Poland-Czech Republic Forum focused on the energy transition and implementation of the European Green Deal, while the Polish-Chinese Forum was devoted to business cooperation, investment, innovative technologies and global market trends.

Reports, Initiatives and Cultural Programme

The Forum also provided a venue for presenting new initiatives, reports and decisions. These included the announcement that PKP Intercity had ordered 32 additional Griffin EU200 electric locomotives, the signing of an agreement concerning the reconstruction and modernisation of the High-Mountain Meteorological Observatory of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management – National Research Institute (IMGW-PIB) on Śnieżka, and the presentation of the report “Security of Supply Chains in the Polish Defence Industry in Peacetime”. The “SGH and Economic Forum Report”, devoted to contemporary dilemmas facing Central and Eastern European countries, was also presented. During the event, the assumptions of the State Pharmaceutical Policy for 2027–2032 were also announced.

An extensive cultural programme was an important element of this year’s edition. There were 54 author meetings devoted, among other topics, to economics, politics, geopolitics, social issues, new technologies and artificial intelligence, as well as academic and popular science literature and reportage. The programme was prepared in cooperation with Jagiellonian University and PWN Scientific Publishers. The Forum also provided an opportunity to present awards to individuals, institutions and companies recognised for their achievements in various areas of public, economic, scientific and social life.

The 35th Economic Forum in Karpacz was organised by the Institute for Eastern Studies Foundation in partnership with the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, the municipality and town of Karpacz, the City of Wrocław, Wrocław Airport and the Gołębiewski Hotel, which served as the Congress Centre. More than 500 journalists and media representatives also attended the event.

For IGSO PAS, participation in the 35th Economic Forum – both as an event partner and through the involvement of our researchers in its substantive programme – provided an opportunity to present an expert perspective on spatial planning, regional policy, decentralisation and water resource management. Through the scale of its programme and the diversity of topics addressed, this year’s Forum created a broad space for exchanging experiences and discussing the directions of change taking place in Poland and Europe.

More information: https://www.forum-ekonomiczne.pl/en

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