The two-day debate involves over 60 foreign participants, including those from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway, as well as representatives from the European Commission and the World Bank.
Working groups will develop recommendations for potential solutions at both national and EU levels, including through Interreg cooperation programs, with a focus on cohesion policy instruments for regions bordering Russia.
The discussions will also cover the "Eastern Shield" project, scheduled for completion by 2028, which aims to build military installations and defense systems along an 800 km stretch to strengthen military security on the border with Russia and Belarus and hinder potential aggression.
The Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, located in northeastern Poland where this meeting is being held, is the lead partner in the international Regio-Silience project, which is developing solutions for border regions to mitigate the effects of isolation from Russia.
This region also faces demographic challenges, economic stagnation, and a lack of security due to the "new Iron Curtain" following the war in Ukraine.
Olsztyn, January 15, 2025. Professor Arkadiusz Żukowski, Director of the Political Science Institute at the University of Warmia and Mazury, at a press conference discussing talks on EU support for countries bordering Russia, held under the Polish EU Presidency. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Waszczuk
Source: IAR/PAP/X/@WorldBankPoland
(m p)