A Meeting of Participating Communities on the Creation of the Carpathian Regional Economic Zone (CREZ) Took Place in Stryi

On December 19, 2025, a working meeting of representatives of municipalities of the Carpathian region was held at the Municipal Business Center in the city of Stryi. The meeting was dedicated to the creation of the Carpathian Regional Economic Zone (CREZ). The event was attended by heads and authorized representatives of the municipalities participating in the CREZ initiative.

The meeting was held under the auspices of Oleh Kanyvets, Mayor of the Stryi City Territorial Community, and was organized by the Stryi City Council. The key speaker of the event was Henry Shterenberg, Founder and CEO of Economy of Trust Ukraine, who presented the concept of CREZ and the international «Economy of Trust» platform. Yuliya Chufistova presented the Mayors’ Club as an organization that unites 672 members – heads of municipalities from all over Ukraine.

The purpose of the meeting was to present the initiative for establishing CREZ, discuss formats of participation for municipalities, define priorities for cooperation, and, where the parties were ready, sign memorandums of cooperation. CREZ will focus on five key infrastructure development areas for municipalities:

• energy;
• water supply and wastewater management;
• waste management;
• formation of an industrial base;
• development and upskilling of the workforce.

In his welcoming remarks, Stryi Mayor Oleh Kanyvets emphasized that the creation of CREZ is a strategic opportunity for municipalities in the region to join forces to achieve long-term economic growth, energy independence and improved quality of life for residents.

An important practical outcome of the meeting was the signing of the first Memorandum of Cooperation within CREZ between the Stryi City Council and Economy of Trust Ukraine. The document was concluded with the Stryi as the initiator of the Carpathian Regional Economic Zone and became the first formalized step within the framework of CREZ activities.

The signed memorandum defines the framework for cooperation between the parties in implementing SMART infrastructure projects, developing local economies and attracting investments using the tools of the Economy of Trust Ukraine.

Following the meeting, participants confirmed their interest in further cooperation within CREZ and agreed on next steps toward the institutional formalization of the association and the launch of joint infrastructure projects.