The XXXIII Economic Forum in Karpacz is behind us

The XXXIII Economic Forum in Karpacz, held from 3 to 5 September 2024, gathered over 6,000 participants, including representatives of politics, business and science. The event became a platform for exchanging ideas on the most important socio-economic challenges of Central and Eastern Europe.

SGH report

During the inaugural session, a key report was presented, analyzing changes and development prospects for the region. Zygmunt Berdychowski, Chairman of the Forum Program Council, emphasized its importance, and Teresa Czerwińska from the European Investment Bank drew attention to questions about innovation and development barriers. Dr. Piotr Maszczyk from the Warsaw School of Economics added that although the pace of growth of the region was impressive, institutional shortsightedness may be a threat.

Housing and healthcare issues also took center stage. Prof. Adam Czerniak from the Warsaw School of Economics presented disturbing data on the so-called rent gap, which in Poland amounts to 35 percent, which places the country in fourth place in the EU. In turn, health policy was debated in the Wprost zone, taking up, among others, the problem of increasing mortality due to lifestyle diseases and cancers.

Person of the Year

The Person of the Year 2024 of the Economic Forum in Karpacz was the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. In the category of Company of the Year 2024, the award was given to Budmieks, and in the category of non-governmental organization – to the Foundation for the Development of Cardiac Surgery named after Prof. Religa in Zabrze.

Awards in these categories are traditionally presented during the evening galas of the Economic Forum.

Health debates “Wprost”

The editorial offices of Wprost and Newsmed were also present at the Forum, organizing a number of events dedicated to health in their zone. On the first day of the Forum, we organized three debates:

– How to reduce mortality in Poles due to lifestyle diseases? Effective prevention and treatment to avoid complications.

– Health care as a necessary condition for economic development and quality of life of Poles.

On Wednesday, the second day of the Forum, Wprost and NewsMed organized a debate “The domino effect: heart-kidney-metabolism (CRM). How to improve patient care and slow down the progression of co-occurring diseases?” and the “Oxford Debate”. Its thesis is: “To catch up with Western Europe in terms of life expectancy, we need to spend more money on prevention than on treatment”. The formula of the debate assumes dividing the participants into opponents and defenders of the thesis.

Supply Chain Security

On the second day of the forum, a letter of intent was signed on cooperation in the development of a report on the security of the supply chain in the Polish defense industry. Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized the importance of production independence in Europe, pointing to strategic challenges for Poland.

“This is a very important moment. We are signing a letter of intent on cooperation with the Institute of Eastern Studies. Europe must be independent, it cannot lose its production capabilities. This report will serve the Republic of Poland. Strong alliances will not be enough if we are not strong. We must take care of the independence of our supply chains. The report will show the shortcomings and what is already functioning well,” he said.

Decarbonization of industry

During the third day of the forum, discussions included the decarbonization of industry. In the panel on the role of natural gas in energy transformation, Robert Czekaj from ORLEN SA drew attention to its importance for stabilizing the Polish power system, and Deputy Minister of Climate Miłosz Motyka emphasized its key role in the decarbonization process, especially in the heating sector.

Another important point of the day was the debate within the 6th Security Culture Forum. Experts from various branches of transport, including rail, sea and air, considered the importance of investing in technology and training employees.