The first day of the seminar focused on regional resilience and policy perspectives. According to Polish State Secretary Monika Sikora, Europe is under geopolitical, climate, and socio-economic pressure, and true resilience means that regions must be able to repurpose existing resources in innovative ways. Mieczysław Struk, the head of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, cited the region’s energy strategy and economic diversification as examples. Themis Christophidou (DG REGIO) addressed the future of EU cohesion policy in a video message, outlining a simpler, more flexible, and results-oriented system. In the keynote presentations, Bengt-Åke Lundvall emphasized the role of social learning and a knowledge-based economy, while Dominique Foray underlined the importance of smart specialization strategies and decentralized development policies to enhance the resilience of border regions. The rest of the day featured theoretical presentations and policy debates on the concept of exaptive resilience – the reuse of existing assets in new ways during crises. According to Vassilen Iotzov (ESPON), EU support and social cohesion play a key role in this process. Panel discussions addressed topics such as development traps in European regions (Ron Boschma), strengthening cross-border cooperation (Delia Bonsignore), the link between security and development (Katrina Zarina), the challenges of maritime and mountainous areas (Jacek Zaucha, Maciej Smętkowski), and the need for a new comprehensive territorial vision for the EU (Piotr Zuber).

The second day began with an “Intellectual Adventure”, presenting two sharply contrasting visions for Europe’s future. Professor Grzegorz Gorzelak called for radical changes: he argued that the EU’s agricultural and cohesion policies should be abolished and replaced with top-down programs focused on competitiveness, innovation, and technology. In contrast, Professor Andrés Rodríguez-Pose firmly rejected this “revolutionary” approach. While acknowledging the continent’s challenges, he stressed that Europe is not in crisis and called for thoughtful reform of existing policies rather than a complete reset. Professor Ron Boschma supported this moderate stance, highlighting the need to shape future policies based on the example of Europe’s “champion” regions. He also drew attention to the potential of peripheral areas, especially regarding the green transition, as well as the challenges posed by China’s rapid development and demographic changes.