Programme 

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The revitalisation of EU enlargement policy in 2022, in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is changing the shape of our continent. Ukraine, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina are now candidates for EU accession.

In the event of EU membership, local and regional authorities will have a key role in implementing EU legislation. The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) – the EU's expert body on multi-level governance and subsidiarity - is helping to prepare countries for EU accession. The annual Enlargement Day offers a forum for political dialogue and capacity-building,

The Enlargement Day consists of seven events: on 4 May, six meetings take place of the Joint Consultative Committees and Working Groups that deal with the CoR's relations with individual countries; followed by a high-level plenary session on 5 May. For the very first time, the CoR's Working Group on Ukraine will meet as part of the event.

This year's event also celebrates 2023 as the European Year of Skills. We will explore what skills are needed by local and regional decision-makers who face increasing demands to operate in line with EU rules and procedures, and by citizens faced with issues such as brain-drain to the EU.

All the sessions ​can be watched online – click on the green button next to each agenda. No registration is needed. (For in-person attendance in Brussels, the registration has closed).

 
09:30 - 13:00
Joint Consultative Committees (JCC) and Working Groups (WG) - Morning sessions

In EU enlargement policy, the CoR has a role directly under the Stabilisation and Association Agreements, which mandate its Joint Consultative Committees (JCCs). The CoR thus has a statutory duty to the represent the EU on a long-term mission to help the partner countries prepare for membership.

The JCCs consist of members from the EU – drawn from among the members of the CoR – and from the partner country. For the countries that do not yet have a JCC of their own, the CoR has set up Working Groups. These consist of CoR members only, but invite speakers and participants from the partner countries.

All the JCCs and WGs meet twice a year, once in Brussels during the annual Enlargement Day, and once in a partner country. All their meetings are public events.

 
 
 
14:30 - 18:00
Joint Consultative Committees (JCC) and Working Groups (WG) - Afternoon sessions 
 
 
09:30 - 15:30
Enlargement Day Plenary Session  

Listening and speaking possible in: DE/EN/HR/HU/IT/PL/RO + MK/SQ/SR/TR/UK

09:00–09:30

Opening Session

- Mr Vasco ALVES CORDEIRO (PT/PES), President of the European Committee of the Regions, Member of the Azores Regional Parliament (online)

- Ms Theodora GENTZIS, President of the Steering Committee, Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU

- Ms Željana ZOVKO (HR/EPP), Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)

- Mr Olivér VÁRHELYI, European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement (video message)


09:30–10:50

Session 1: Local and regional authorities in the enlargement process

Discussion moderated by Ms Berta López Domènech, Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre (EPC)

The full-scale attack on Ukraine by Russia has given new impetus and urgency to the EU's enlargement policy. Candidate countries – old and new – share aspirations but face different challenges, sometimes linked with the impatience of public opinion due to the slow pace of the process. More than ever, we need to ensure that any reforms reach also the levels of governance closest to the citizen. Key reforms necessitated by the accession process – e.g. on the rule of law, anti-corruption, or public procurement – should they only be implemented at central level - would have a very limited impact in improving the lives of citizens. After all, much of the public spending and decision-making that is most relevant to them takes place at local or regional level.

Initial contributions (max 3 mins each) by

 - Mr Nikola DOBROSLAVIĆ (HR/EPP), President of Dubrovnik-Neretva Region, CoR Rapporteur on the 2023 Enlargement Package (Western Balkans and Türkiye), Chair of the CoR Working Group on the Western Balkans

- Mr Dušan RAIČEVIĆ, Mayor of Bar, Co-Chair of the Joint Consultative Committee CoR-Montenegro, President of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South East Europe (NALAS)

- Ms Jasna GABRIČ (SL/RenewEurope), Member of the Municipal Council of Trbovlje, Co-Chair of the Joint Consultative Committee CoR - North Macedonia

- Mr Marko BARAĆ, Member of City Council of Kragujevac (Serbia), Member of the CoR Young Elected Politician (YEP) network

- Ms Nino LATSABIDZE, Mayor of Rustavi (Georgia), Member of the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP)

Local government spending, public procurement, and anti-corruption - peer-to-peer cooperation and best practice

  • Expert contribution by Dr Louis MEULEMAN, Visiting Professor, Public Governance Institute, KU Leuven University; Vice-Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency​
Panel discussion by the participants including questions from the audience
​​

10:50–11:20

Coffee Break


11:20–12:40

Session 2: Public administration reform and fiscal decentralisation

Discussion moderated by Ms Jana Belcheva Andreevska, Member of Centar Skopje Municipal Council, North Macedonia; Expert, Building Administrative Capacities in the Western Balkan and Moldova (BACID III) Programme

Public administration reform is a constant theme of the annual enlargement reports and it is both a consequence and a pre-requisite of enlargement.  Only a modern administration can efficiently implement the EU legislation (the 'acquis') that every candidate for membership must adopt. As up to 70 percent of the acquis will be implemented by the local and regional authorities, reforming their administrations is the real key to successful enlargement. In order to succeed, the LRAs must also receive the financial means needed for a successful completion of their challenging task.

Initial contributions (max 3 mins each) by

- Ms Antje GROTHEER (DE/PES), President of Bremen City Parliament, CoR rapporteur on the 2023 Enlargement Package (Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia)

- Mr Roberto CIAMBETTI (IT/ECR), President and Member of the Veneto Regional Council Co-Chair of the Joint Consultative Committee CoR-Montenegro

- Mr Karl VANLOUWE (BE/EA), Member of the Flemish Parliament, Second Vice-President of the Belgian Senate

- Ms Sara ARSLANAGIĆ, Deputy Chair of the Municipality Council of Centar Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Member of the CoR Young Elected Politician (YEP) network

- Ms Kateryna MUSIIENKO, Member of Kremenchuk City Council (Ukraine), Member of the CoR Young Elected Politician (YEP) network (tbc)

Fiscal decentralisation - peer-to-peer cooperation and best practice

  • Expert contribution by Mr Elton STAFA, Director, Albania Office of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South East Europe (NALAS); Senior Governance Expert

Panel discussion by the participants including questions from the audience​​

12:40–13:00

Closing session

- Key findings from the sessions (by the two session moderators)

- Closing words by Mr Patrick MOLINOZ (FR/PES), Vice-President of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region; Chair of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX), European Committee of the Regions

 
Live!