COP8 - Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention
1-3 December 2026 | Vienna, Austria
The Eighth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention (COP8) will convene high-level representatives from the seven Parties to the Carpathian Convention together with many stakeholders from the region, as well as from the European and international levels.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision-making body of the Carpathian Convention, where all Parties to the Convention are represented. The COP sets the political direction, decides on the Programme of Work, the budget of the Convention, and reviews and supports the implementation of the Convention and its Protocols.
The Presidency of the Carpathian Convention will also transfer from Serbia to Ukraine at the COP8. The Presidency, a 3-year term that rotates among the Parties, helps guide the implementation of the Programme of Work by setting and implementing priorities to focus upon over the course of the 3 years.
Ukraine will take over the Presidency of the Carpathian Convention for the years 2026 – 2029. For its Presidency, Ukraine will prioritize:
- Strengthening the position of the Carpathians and the Carpathian Convention at the European level;
- Balancing economic development with environmental protection;
- Advancing biodiversity conservation and ecosystem integrity, through the implementation of the Carpathian Biodiversity Framework;
- Strengthening climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through sustainable water and land management.
