Listening and speaking possible in: DE/EN/HR/HU/IT/PL/RO + MK/SQ/SR/TR/UK
09:00–09:30
Opening Session
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Mr Vasco ALVES CORDEIRO (PT/PES), President of the European Committee of the Regions, Member of the Azores Regional Parliament
(online)
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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
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Ms Željana ZOVKO (HR/EPP), Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)
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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
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
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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
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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)
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Ms Jasna GABRIČ (SL/RenewEurope), Member of the Municipal Council of Trbovlje, Co-Chair of the Joint Consultative Committee CoR - North Macedonia
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Mr Marko BARAĆ, Member of City Council of Kragujevac (Serbia), Member of the CoR Young Elected Politician (YEP) network
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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
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Ms Antje GROTHEER (DE/PES), President of Bremen City Parliament, CoR rapporteur on the 2023 Enlargement Package (Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia)
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Mr Roberto CIAMBETTI (IT/ECR), President and Member of the Veneto Regional Council Co-Chair of the Joint Consultative Committee CoR-Montenegro
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Mr Karl VANLOUWE (BE/EA), Member of the Flemish Parliament, Second Vice-President of the Belgian Senate
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Ms Sara ARSLANAGIĆ, Deputy Chair of the Municipality Council of Centar Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Member of the CoR Young Elected Politician (YEP) network
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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