Record Attendance at the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities in Zakopane

October 23, 2026

During the first edition of the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities in Zakopane, held under the slogan “New Challenges for Local and Regional Authorities,” 1,100 guests arrived in the capital of the Polish Tatras on November 25–26, despite the conference originally being planned for 800 participants. The tremendous interest meant that the organizers had to prepare for the participation of a significantly larger number of leaders of Polish local governments as well as representatives of business, academia, culture, and the media.

In a short time, the Forum gained 62 business, institutional, and media partners. The event was organized by the Foundation Institute for Eastern Studies, its main partner was the Marshal’s Office of the Małopolska Region, and the host city was Zakopane. The unexpectedly high attendance at the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities proved that local governments are not only a foundation but also a key driving force of development in the era of global challenges.

Many important representatives of central administration, local government, and business leaders attended the conference. Among those present in Zakopane were Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense; Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy; Jan Szyszko, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy; and Ireneusz Raś, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. There was a noticeable strong interest in local government issues among members of parliament—over 30 MPs and senators participated in the Forum’s sessions.

Also present at the conference was Marcin Przydacz, Head of the Bureau of International Policy in the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, who conveyed greetings from President Karol Nawrocki and wished all attendees that their hard work in local government would bring increasingly better results.

The event in Zakopane gathered over 400 local government officials, including 3 regional marshals, 10 city mayors, 19 county executives, 68 town mayors, and 86 commune mayors. Many representatives of local and regional authorities participated in the Forum, including: Łukasz Smółka – Marshal of the Małopolska Region; Ryszard Pagacz – Deputy Marshal of the Małopolska Region; Małgorzata Jarosińska-Jedynak – Member of the Board of the Podkarpackie Region; Łukasz Filipowicz – Mayor of Zakopane; Wojciech Bakun – Mayor of Przemyśl; Jarosław Ferenc – Mayor of Radomsko; Krzysztof Hildebrandt – Mayor of Wejherowo; Jakub Kwaśny – Mayor of Tarnów; Michał Litwiniuk – Mayor of Biała Podlaska; Marek Materek – Mayor of Starachowice; Grzegorz Rusiecki – Mayor of Leszno; and Anna Augustyniak – Deputy Mayor of Lublin.

The first edition of the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities also attracted considerable interest from business representatives. Attendees included representatives of PLAY, Supra Brokers, Fonroche Lighting, Cogito Med., Evan – New Technologies, Rentersi, the National Property Stock, Next Bike, Małopolska Railways, AMP Group, Geotermia Podhalańska, and Via Vistula. Event partners also included the Małopolska Regional Development Agency, the Polish Chamber of Information Technology and Telecommunications, the Tarnów Agglomeration Association, and the Wrocław City Hall. Among the speakers in the discussion panels were: Marta Postuła, First Vice President of the Management Board of the National Development Bank; Katarzyna Wolf, President of the Management Board of Cogito Med; Tomasz Tomala, Vice President of the Małopolska Regional Development

Agency; Łukasz Bałajewicz, President of the National Property Stock; and Jacek Bilski, Vice President of Supra Brokers.

An important element of the conference was the participation of representatives from the world of academia. Nearly 100 academics took part in the event, including: Prof. Piotr Jedynak, Rector of the Jagiellonian University; Prof. Andrzej Szarata, Rector of the Cracow University of Technology; Prof. Jerzy Lis, Rector of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków; Prof. Józef Ciuła, Rector of the University of Applied Sciences in Nowy Sącz; Dr. Bianka Godlewska-Dzioboń, Rector of the University of Applied Sciences in Nowy Targ; and Rev. Prof. Tomasz Homa, Rector of Ignatianum University in Kraków.

This year’s program of the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities included over 100 events—discussion panels, special talks, presentations, and author meetings.

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, thanked the assembled local officials during the Awards Gala for their ability to engage in dialogue beyond political divisions and for seeking effective ways to solve the problems of the residents who entrusted them with the mandate of councillor, mayor, village leader, or town mayor. The Deputy Prime Minister also pointed out that legislation limiting the number of terms works to the disadvantage of residents, as it forces experienced and trusted officials to leave their posts. He stressed that in the face of threats posed by the war in the East, forcing experienced individuals to step down is a poor solution.

The Meeting Zone – Jagiellonian University attracted exceptional interest. It was a special track consisting of 20 events—special talks and author meetings. It included meetings with, among others: Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy; Łukasz Smółka, Marshal of the Małopolska Region; Prof. Piotr Jedynak, Rector of the Jagiellonian University; Leszek Miller, former Prime Minister; Rafał Sonik, multiple rally champion; Prof. Łukasz Gacek – China expert; Prof. Piotr Kłodkowski, expert on India and geopolitics; Łukasz Gadziała, expert on the United States; Maciej Pieczyński, expert on Russia; Gen. Jerzy Gut, former commander of GROM; and Zbigniew Parafianowicz, expert on disinformation and Eastern policy.

Summarizing the Forum, Łukasz Smółka thanked everyone for their strong presence. He emphasized the value of working beyond divisions and jointly seeking solutions to many local challenges. Zakopane Mayor Łukasz Filipowicz joined in these thanks. He stressed that their presence at the Forum in Zakopane contributes to the fact that the problems of smaller towns can be better noticed and therefore solved more quickly.

Forum of Local and Regional Authorities Awards

During the ceremonial galas concluding each day of the Forum, the awards of the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities in Zakopane for exceptional achievements in local government and community work for their small homelands were presented to: Mateusz Nędza-Kubiniec, Village Head of Kościelisko; Radosław Włoszek, President of the Management Board of “Małopolska Railways”; Jan Gancarski, former Director of the Subcarpathian Museum in Krosno; Rafał Kukla, Mayor of Gorlice; Jan Smarduch, former Mayor of the Nowy Targ Commune; and Zbigniew Wojas, Mayor of the Gdów Commune. During the gala, awards from the Polish Promotional Emblem Foundation “Teraz Polska”

were also presented. The “Promoter of Poland” statuette was received by the distinguished scientist Prof. Jerzy Lis, Rector of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. The special Teraz Polska award was received by Prof. Mateusz Hołda, Head of the Department of Anatomy at the Jagiellonian University.

The Forum of Local and Regional Authorities in Zakopane was organized in response to the record-breaking interest in the European Local Government Congress in Mikołajki. The exceptionally large number of guests demonstrated the need for dialogue on current challenges faced by local officials in 2026. Once again, the Forum served as a leading platform for dialogue, experience exchange, joint solution development, and the building of regional partnerships. The dialogue on the most important issues facing local governments will continue at the 11th European Local Government Congress, which will be held on March 2–3, 2026 in Mikołajki.

View the photo report from the Forum of Local and Regional Authorities: Forum Samorządowe | Flickr More information: www.forum-ekonomiczne.pl