From 8 to 10 September 2026, Karpacz will once again become the setting for one of the most important debates on the future of Poland and Europe. The 35th Economic Forum will be held under the theme “The Architecture of a New Order – Stability in Times of Change.” This year, Igor Lisin, Vice President of the Management Board of Foundation Ukraine, will also take part in the Forum, organising a panel dedicated to labour migration, integration, and shared responsibility for building cohesive local communities.
For more than 30 years, the Economic Forum has brought together representatives of the public sector, business, civil society organisations, and expert communities. This year’s edition will feature 3 days of meetings, more than 500 debates, and 6000 participants, addressing some of the most pressing social, economic, and political challenges.
Work, Integration, Community
Foundation Ukraine’s panel, “Work, Integration, Community: Who Bears the Costs and Responsibility for Labour Migration?”, will provide an opportunity to discuss one of the key challenges for the coming years: how to develop an effective and sustainable model of integration as migration becomes a permanent feature of Poland’s social and economic landscape.
The Polish economy increasingly relies on migrant workers. At the same time, people who come to Poland are not only employees – they become residents of cities and municipalities, often together with their families. This creates growing demand for education, healthcare, housing, public transport, and other local services. While businesses and the wider economy benefit from migrant labour, a significant share of the responsibilities related to integration is carried at the local level.
One of the main topics of the panel will therefore be how responsibility for integration should be shared between the state, local governments, employers, and civil society organisations. The discussion will explore opportunities for greater business involvement in integration efforts, including local partnerships and mechanisms for co-financing services that support new residents. It will also examine solutions already implemented in other European countries and consider how they could be adapted to the Polish context.
The perspective of local communities will be equally important: how can schools, healthcare facilities, and public institutions working with migrant families be effectively supported, while at the same time preventing social tensions and building public acceptance of migration through cooperation at the local level?
The panel will also provide an opportunity to discuss the concept of “social responsibility for migration” – an approach in which an employer’s responsibility does not end with providing employment but also includes contributing to conditions that support the successful integration of workers and their families.
From Discussion to Concrete Solutions
The aim of the panel is not only to identify current challenges but, above all, to develop recommendations for local integration partnerships and practical solutions that could be implemented in Poland.
The proposed model is based on cooperation between four key actors: the state, which provides the legal and financial framework; local governments, which coordinate activities at the local level; employers, which contribute to integration efforts and their costs; and civil society organisations, which use their direct experience of working with communities to support integration and strengthen social cohesion.
We hope that the discussion in Karpacz will contribute to a broader conversation about migration as a shared responsibility and a long-term investment in social and economic stability. Successful integration is not only about access to employment – it is also about creating the conditions for people to live, develop, and participate fully in their local communities.
8–10 September 2026 | Karpacz
See you at the 35th Economic Forum!
More information: Economic Forum
