The recent crises (euro, refugee, Brexit, Covid) and their policy responses have imposed tight fiscal measures upon member states that have cascaded upon regional economies, further aggravating regional disparities. On 9 May, the EU launched the Conference on the Future of Europe, a forum for discussion meant to give citizens, sub-national authorities and civil society a chance to shape the future of the European Union. Yet, the Conference is still construed as a top-down exercise, and whether it will actually lead to reform remains to be seen.
Based on these observations, this event will address questions about the regional voice in the Conference on the Future of Europe, the regional concerns of the EU's cohesion policy and the contribution of regions and subnational entities to multilevel democracy.
Programme
14:00-14:10 Opening session
John Erik Fossum, Professor and EU3D Scientific Coordinator, ARENA Centre for European Studies
Simona Piattoni, Professor, University of Trento and ARENA Centre for European Studies
14:10-15:05 The Conference on the Future of Europe: The regional voice
Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community of Belgium
Sarah Meyer, Research Associate, Danube University Krems
Assya Kavrakova, Executive Director of the European Citizen Action Service (ECAS)
Chair: Wolfgang Petzold, European Committee of the Regions
15:05-15:35 The new meaning of 'structural policy': Regional concerns
Ugo Fratesi, Professor of Regional Economics and Policy, Polytechnic University of Milan
Francesco Molica, Regional Policy Director, Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR)
Tony Venables, Founder and Board Member of European Citizens’ Involvement, Rights and Trust (ECIT)
Chair: Simona Piattoni, University of Trento and ARENA Centre for European Studies
15:35-16:30 Multilevel democracy: The regional input
Gabriele Abels, Professor, University of Tübingen and Director of the the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence PRRIDE
Anna Terrón I Cusi, Director, International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP) and Member of the CoR Expert Group on European Democracy
François Decoster, Mayor of Saint Omer, France and Member of CoR
Dominik Hierlemann, Senior Expert, Bertelsmann-Stiftung
Chair: Justus Schönlau, European Committee of the Regions
For more information, see the full programme (pdf)
If you have any questions, contact Simona Piattoni