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XXXIV Economic Forum in Karpacz — the largest conference in the region

Admin of the NAM
Sep 15
10 min read

Photo source: pulsmedycyny.pl — Photo source: pulsmedycyny.pl

This year, the National Anti-Crisis Management became a partner of the Economic Forum for the second time.

We have already published information about the panel discussion we organized, “Forgotten Belarus”, and now we would like to share with you the results of the Forum from the organizers:

Over 6,000 guests came to the XXXIV Economic Forum in Karpacz, which took place on September 2–4, 2025. For three days, representatives of politics, business, economics, science, and culture from more than 50 countries debated the most important challenges of modern times, focusing on this year’s Forum’s leading theme: “Time of Transformation — What Will the Future of Europe Look Like?”

The Forum once again gathered a record number of participants and partners in every sector, becoming an even stronger platform for the exchange of experiences and building relationships between leaders of administration, local governments, business, and academic communities. The event confirmed that cross-sector cooperation is not only a foundation but also a key driver of development in the face of global challenges.

The Forum hosted more than 600 events, including plenary and special sessions, discussion panels, debates, report presentations, special events, author meetings, press briefings, galas, and concerts. The discussions focused on the most important issues shaping the contemporary world, all embedded in the context of this year’s theme on the future of Europe.

This year we welcomed 6,000 guests from 53 countries!

148 Business Partners (9% y/y growth)
3,472 participants at the c-level, director, and business owner level
110 institutional partners
82 media partners

Forum — a platform for dialogue

This year’s Forum brought together key politicians, managers, local government officials, scientists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and other social life environments. As every year, the Economic Forum in Karpacz became a platform for dialogue connecting all these areas.

The world of politics and important institutions was represented, among others, by: Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz — Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense; Krzysztof Gawkowski — Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Affairs; Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk — Minister of Family, Labor and Social Policy; Marcin Kulasek – Minister of Science and Higher Education; Paulina Hennig-Kloska — Minister of Climate and Environment; Dariusz Klimczak — Minister of Infrastructure; Stefan Krajewski — Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz — Minister of Funds and Regional Policy.

Guests of the Forum also included: Andrzej Duda – President of Poland in 2015–2025; Krzysztof Bosak — Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland; Leszek Miller — Prime Minister of Poland in 2001–2004; Mateusz Morawiecki — Prime Minister of Poland in 2017–2023; Janusz Onyszkiewicz – Minister of National Defense in 1992–1993 and 1997–2000; MP Sławomir Mentzen.

Every year, the Economic Forum attracts not only the most important personalities from Poland but also from other countries. This year, participants in the Economic Forum included, among others: Martina Dalić, CEO of Podravka (Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia 2016–2018); Václav Klaus, former President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013); Mirek Topolánek, former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (2006–2009); Alaiba Dumitru, former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister, Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization, Moldova; Mitova Pavela, Chair of the Energy Committee, National Assembly, Bulgaria; Nicole Alexander, New York University — Professor, former Global Marketing Director at Meta; Dmytro Razumkov, former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, head of the “Smart Politics” parliamentary group; Marina Raguš, National Assembly, Deputy Chair of the National Assembly, Se; Oleksii Kucher, Chairman of the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine; Geoffrey Van Orden — founder of the ECR group in the European Parliament, former military officer and MEP, United Kingdom; Alan Friedman, Director of Lugano Global Forum; Robert Hamilton, President of Delphi Global Research Center; Yasheng Huang, Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management; Alexander MacDonald, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). We are pleased to have hosted such distinguished personalities who brought an international perspective to our discussions.

Forum of regions

The Forum was attended by over 1,000 representatives of local and regional authorities, marshals of voivodeships, city mayors, district governors, town mayors, commune heads, and councilors of all levels of local government from Poland and Europe, including, among others: Paweł Gancarz — Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship; Łukasz Smółka — Marshal of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship; Jarosław Stawiarski — Marshal of the Lublin Voivodeship; Krzysztof Grabowski — Deputy Marshal of the Greater Poland Voivodeship; Marek Malinowski – Deputy Marshal of the Podlaskie Voivodeship; Leszek Bonna — Deputy Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship; Piotr Pilch — Deputy Marshal of the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; Agnieszka Ryś — Deputy Marshal of the Łódź Voivodeship; Janina Ewa-Orzełowska — Member of the Board of the Masovian Voivodeship; Elżbieta Pniewska — Chairwoman of the Regional Assembly of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship; Jacek Sutryk – Mayor of Wrocław; Tomasz Mencina – Deputy Mayor of Warsaw; Stanisław Mazur — Deputy Mayor of Kraków; Anna Augustyniak — Deputy Mayor of Lublin; Marcin Deręgowski — Deputy Mayor of Rzeszów; Piotr Grzelak — Deputy Mayor of Gdańsk; Maciej Wujec — Deputy Mayor of Opole; Adam Ciszkowski — President of the Union of Polish Local Governments; Kazimierz Karolczak — Chairman of the Upper Silesia-Zagłębie Metropolis.

More and more partners

Over 6,000 guests attended the 34th Economic Forum in Karpacz, which took place on September 2–4, 2025. Source: forbes.pl — Over 6,000 guests attended the 34th Economic Forum in Karpacz, which took place on September 2–4, 2025. Source: forbes.pl

A very positive signal is the growing interest in cross-sector cooperation within the Forum – this year, 9% more entities joined the group of business partners compared to last year. Among the 148 companies were both small and medium-sized enterprises, the backbone of the Polish economy, as well as leading investors, innovators, and global corporations that have a particular impact on shaping the future of Europe. The Forum was co-created with us by, among others:

Among more than 600 discussions and debates across 20 thematic tracks, the following panels took place, among others:

“Strategies Determining Success in Business!”, with the participation of:

Anna Rulkiewicz, CEO, LUX MED
Krzysztof Pawinski, CEO, Maspex Group
Jan Kolanski, CEO, Colian
Włodzimierz Wlaźlak, CEO, Lidl Poland
Marcin Ujejski, CEO, BeLeaf S.A.
Ryszard Florek, CEO, FAKRO Poland

“Between the Company and the Family – How to Build Lasting Generational Wealth?”, with the participation of:

Szymon Gil, Director of Strategic Clients, Michael Strom Brokerage House
Marek Kiecan, CEO, Biokinetica S.A.
Katarzyna Gierczak-Grupińska, President, Family Business Foundation
Grzegorz Pleta, CEO, Zdrowopolscy ABE Dystrybucja Sp. z o.o.
Dorota Wieczorkowska, President, Vesper Family Foundation
Beata Krzyżagórska-Żurek, Managing Partner, Krzyżagórska Łoboda & Partners sp. P.
Mariusz Wojciech Książek, CEO, Marvipol Development S.A.

The Forum was not only a place for debates but also a space for special events:

XVI Healthcare Forum, which brought together 160 hospital directors within a special block of discussions on medical institutions.
Construction and Investment Forum — over 300 guests debated the future of the construction and real estate industry.
Food Economy Forum — discussions on 21st-century agriculture and food with producers, processors, retail chains, and the HoReCa sector.
Cybersecurity Forum — organized for the seventh time together with the Ministry of Digital Affairs – debates on digital protection in Poland and the EU, the functioning of the NIS, health protection strategies, and digitalization of local governments.
A novelty of this year’s edition — a dedicated space for family businesses, where topics of succession and capital allocation were addressed.

During the Forum, QEMETICA announced the selection of a partner for the development of Poland’s largest thermal waste treatment facility in Inowrocław. This will be carried out in cooperation with PreZero Polska. The panel included representatives of both companies, accompanied by the Mayor of Inowrocław, Arkadiusz Fajok, and Prof. Grzegorz Wielgosiński from the Lodz University of Technology.

A memorandum of cooperation was also signed between Ericsson Poland and Play. Michał Ziółkowski, Director of the Technology Division and Member of the Management Board of Play, together with Marcin Sugak, Director for Critical Network Infrastructure in Northern and Central Europe at Ericsson, established a strategic partnership for the development of Poland’s digital infrastructure.

Increasingly broad cooperation between science and business

At the XXXIV Economic Forum, we hosted the authorities of more than forty universities. Poland’s largest higher education institutions were partners of the Forum, with the Warsaw School of Economics serving as the Main Content Partner. For their exceptional contribution to the organization of the Economic Forum, six universities were honored with the title of Academic Partner – these were: the University of Warsaw, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Jagiellonian University, Wrocław University of Economics, and the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. Several other universities became partners of the Forum and significantly contributed to building its substantive program.

Among the most important events was the Rectors’ Breakfast, attended by Marcin Kulasek, Minister of Science and Higher Education. Meetings of rectors of technical universities with business representatives also took place. The XXXIV Economic Forum highlighted more strongly than any previous edition the key role of universities and Polish science. Suffice it to say, more than 300 professors from Poland and abroad participated in the conference.

The two most important reports presented at the Forum were the result of cooperation with universities – the SGH and Economic Forum Report, traditionally opening the event, was prepared by scholars from the Warsaw School of Economics, and the “Financial Report of Local Government Units” was prepared by researchers from the Wrocław University of Economics.

The richest cultural program in the history of the Economic Forum

During the Economic Forum in Karpacz, guests could enjoy a wide-ranging cultural program, including the most extensive program of author meetings in the history of the conference. The highlight of the cultural program was a concert by Justyna Steczkowska, partnered by McDonald’s.

This year, as many as 36 author meetings took place. The events were held not only on the specially created Book Stage, but also in other locations, including the Main Stage. Books by authors from 8 countries were presented, including from the USA, France, Ukraine, Armenia, Czech Republic, China, Romania, and, of course, Poland. The books covered topics such as economics, politics, geopolitics, society, modern technologies and AI, as well as reportage, fiction, academic and popular science works, and international reports.

This year’s edition featured, among others:

Prof. Nicole Alexander with her book “Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Marketing: Aligning Growth, Responsibility, and Customer Trust”
Stanislav Aseev with his book “The Bright Path. A Concentration Camp in Donetsk”
Prof. Jerzy Bralczyk and Prof. Leszek Czupryniak with their book “Sugar on the Tongue. Conversations about Diabetes”
Prof. Jacek Czaputowicz with his book “Poland and Trump. How We Became an Important Ally of the USA”
Alan Friedman with his book “The End of America?: A Guide to the New World Disorder”
Konstanty Gebert with his book “A Room with a View of War. The History of Israel”
Prof. Roberto Gonzalez with his book “War Virtually”
Prof. Yasheng Huang with his book “The Twilight of the East. How China Became a Power and Whether It Faces Collapse”
Václav Klaus with his book “In Defence of Normalcy”
Prof. Grzegorz Kołodko with his book “Trump 2.0. The Revolution of Sick Common Sense”
Dr. Jacek Kotarbiński with his book “Influencer Marketing. The Economics of 21st-Century Creators”
Simon Kuper with his book “Football Against The Enemy”
Prof. Dorota Niedziółka with her book “Economics of War — The Social, Economic and Geopolitical Impact of The War in Ukraine”
Zbigniew Parafianowicz with his book “Breakfast Smells of Corpses”
Dr. Tamilla Triantoro with her book “Minds Intertwined”
Prof. Przemysław Sadura with his book “On the Power and Powerlessness of the Contemporary Polish State”
Rafał Ziemkiewicz with his book “What a Beautiful Suicide”
Prof. Andrzej Zybertowicz with his book “AI Exploration”

Guests of the events could receive books prepared by the Book Institute, available after the meetings along with a dedication and autograph from the author.

Awards of the XXXIV Economic Forum

The highlight of the Economic Forum was the presentation of awards to outstanding personalities and distinguished economic entities whose activities have an impact on the political and social life of our country. This year, the Program Council of the Economic Forum awarded the title of Person of the Year to Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs. Company of the Year went to PKP Intercity. The cultural distinction of the Chairman of the Program Council of the Economic Forum was awarded to Prof. Jerzy Bralczyk. Also honored were family business leaders: Jan Kolański — Colian, and Jan Szynaka — Szynaka Meble. The Economic Award of the SGH Warsaw School of Economics was given to Irena Pichola, President of the Responsible Business Forum.

During the Gala on the second day of the Forum, further prestigious awards were presented, recognizing exceptional personalities, institutions, and companies. Among the awardees was Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, founder and director of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and the World Hearing Center in Kajetany, who received the Józef Oleksy Award from Maria Oleksy. The title of NGO of the Year of the Economic Forum went to the Foundation for the Development of Cardiac Surgery named after Prof. Zbigniew Religa. The Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship’s Award for popularization and building the regional identity of Lower Silesia was received by Maciej Sokołowski, director of the Andrzej Zawada Mountain Festival in Lądek-Zdrój. Marshal Paweł Gancarz also presented the special award of the Economic Forum and the Marshal of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship to Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski – participant of the Axiom Mission 4 “Ignis,” the second Pole in space and the first to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

The City of Wrocław Awards went to three companies: Capgemini Poland, Hert Bakery, and Pyszne.pl. At the close of the gala, the Tadeusz Kościuszko Cracow University of Technology “AI Visionary Award” was presented to the company DotConnect.

On Thursday, during the closing gala of the XXXIV Economic Forum in Karpacz, awards were presented to young leaders, local government representatives, and companies. The first was the Young Leader Award, presented by Prof. Piotr Wachowiak, Rector of the Warsaw School of Economics. The award went to Kacper Adam Nowicki — President and Founder of the Varia Posnania Foundation and Coordinator of the Polish Youth Dialogue PROM. The Economic Award of the Poland–Europe Institute went to Jakub Jazdon, CEO of Onix.

Traditionally, on the third day, the Local Government Ranking Awards for 2024 were presented. In the category Rural Municipality, the award went to Małgorzata Pachecka, mayor of Michałowice; in the category Urban-Rural Municipality, the award went to Michał Wiśniewski, mayor of Konstancin-Jeziorna. In the category Land County, the distinction was awarded to Wrocław County, while in the category City with County Rights, the award went to Poland’s capital — Warsaw.

The galas of the Economic Forum were enriched by performances of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lower Silesia in Jelenia Góra, conducted by Marek Wroniszewski and Dariusz Zboch, as well as the National Brass Orchestra, conducted by Justyna Chmielek-Korbut.

As every year, the Forum’s debates were covered by Poland’s leading media as well as numerous international outlets. The XXXIV Economic Forum hosted over 700 journalists and media representatives, whose work resulted in thousands of news reports, correspondences, broadcasts, and documentaries.

The XXXIV Economic Forum in Karpacz was organized by the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies, in partnership with the Marshal’s Office of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship — the Main Partner of the Forum, the Municipality and City of Karpacz — the Host City, the City of Wrocław, Wrocław Airport, and the Gołębiewski Hotel, which served as the Congress Center.

For more details, please visit the Economic Forum website: https://www.forum-ekonomiczne.pl/en/news/xxxiv-economic-forum-in-karpacz-the-largest-conference-in-the-region

Экономическbq форум в Карпаче

Forgotten Belarus

34-й Экономический форум

Time of Transformation – What Will the Europe of the Future Look Like?

34-й Экономический форум в Карпаче

The NAM is an official partner of the Economic Forum in Karpacz

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