Network of Cities of the Carpathian Euroregion
The Network of Cities of the Carpathian Euroregion (SMEK) is a proposal to create a permanent, professional cross-border structure that will support the cooperation of municipal governments from the Carpathian Euroregion. The network is to connect the existing scattered cooperation of individual local governments. The area of the network's operation will be the border regions of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Ukraine. The task of the created structure is to support the cooperation of municipal governments from the Euroregion in their social and economic development. The project initiators and coordinators are: the Association of the Carpathian Euroregion Poland and the Association of the Carpathian Euroregion Slovakia-North. Currently, he is involved in the Network of Cities
The idea of establishing SMEK
The idea of establishing the Network of Cities of the Carpathian Euroregion has several years of history. Several small-scale cross-border pilot projects were implemented under the slogan of establishing the Network. In the years 2009-2010, the first network project co-financed by the Republic of Poland - Slovak Republic 2007-2013 Cross-Border Cooperation Program was implemented under the name: "Network of Carpathian Euroregion Cities".
The scope of this project fully takes into account the working (mid-term) conclusions from the implementation of the first project and introduces measures to improve the functioning of the Network. Of the identified problems, the most important that have become the basis of this project are:
- no formalized way of involving city authorities in the network's activities,
- low level of effectiveness of city officials' involvement in network activities,
- difficulties with the coordination of the entire Network by local government,
- lack of a specialized communication mechanism and remote cooperation ensuring effective information exchange and implementation of joint activities.
On the other hand, the idea of establishing the Network of Cities of the Carpathian Euroregion met with the approval and interest of additional municipalities participating in the project. Hence, the main problem addressed by this project is the division between the potential of Carpathian cities and the support of their authorities for the idea of the Network, and the lack of specific organizational and institutional solutions for managing cooperation within the Network. The created partnership and selected resources under the continuation project will guarantee the solution of the identified problem
