Partnership for Growth and Jobs and Its Regions: A Reality Check, Valencia (ES), June 2006

Transcription

1 Barcelona/Maastricht/Valencia, May 2006 Subject: 2 nd Annual International Conference on The Re-Launched Lisbon Strategy on Partnership for Growth and Jobs and Its Regions: A Reality Check, Valencia (ES), June 2006 Dear Sir/Madam, The European Institute of Public Administration - European Centre for the Regions (EIPA-ECR) and the Foundation Comunidad Valenciana Región Europa (ES) are very pleased to announce the international conference entitled The Re-Launched Lisbon Strategy on Partnership for Growth and Jobs and Its Regions: A Reality Check. The second edition of this annual conference organised with and for the regions will take place in Valencia on June 2006 under the auspices of the Generalitat Valenciana (Government of the Valencian Region). The main aim of the event is to give a comprehensive response to the call for simpler, more targeted and visible EU actions at all levels in the framework of the re-launched Lisbon Agenda on sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, and respect for the environment. In this context, it will reconfirm the important role of regional and local public actors as critical catalysts, facilitators and partners in the achievement of a well-functioning society, a competitive, regulatory and innovative environment, good quality service provision and solid public finances. The programme will be in line with the Community Integrated Guidelines and put emphasis on delivering and transferring knowledge and know-how through a dynamic mixture of both policy-based input and good practice cases from real-life contexts. Please find enclosed the programme with more detailed information on topics, sessions, visits, target groups, etc, as well as some general information and the registration form. We would be most grateful if you could circulate this information among any other persons who may be interested in this conference. Further and up-to-date information on this conference can also be found on EIPA and on the Fundation s website: and For more information on the practical organisation of the conference, please contact Ms Caroline Layous Dit Chicoy (tel.: ; fax: ; c.layous@eipa-ecr.com), and/or Ms María Muñoz de Prat (tel.: ; fax: ; institutions@uegva.info), who will provide you with any further details you may require. We look forward to welcoming you to Valencia this June. Yours faithfully, Seppo Määttä Alexander Heichlinger Juan Manuel Revuelta Seconded National Expert Senior Lecturer & Project Leader Director, FCVRE EIPA Maastricht EIPA-ECR Barcelona Region of Valencia

2 2 nd Annual International Conference The Re-Launched Lisbon Strategy on Partnership for Growth and Jobs and Its Regions: A Reality Check Valencia (ES), June 2006 Jointly organised by the: European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) European Centre for the Regions (EIPA-ECR) Fundación Comunidad Valenciana - Región Europa

3 INTRODUCTION In autumn 2005, the deadline for designing and delivering the national reform programmes aimed at achieving an innovative, competitive and knowledge-based European economy was set and agreed upon. The programmes delivered by the Member States are now under the Commission s scrutiny and are to be reviewed and perhaps re-focused at the forthcoming Spring Council under the Austrian Presidency. At the same time, the European Commission has launched several initiatives in line with the pillars of the European Integrated Guidelines, to boost growth and jobs on the EU level such as its economic forecasts (period and first interim forecast 2006) that concern macro-economic elements. Actions relating to the micro-economic guidelines include the Your Europe portal, being a first step towards an EU-wide egovernment, the initiative called i2010: European Information Society 2010 aimed at modernising and deploying all EU policy instruments to encourage the development of the digital economy, the new Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) to support and develop the capacities of enterprises and industries to innovate, and the EU integrated action plan containing19 measures for R&D and innovation. Initiatives taken in the context of the employment guidelines are, among others, the EU Directives on parental leave and the protection of pregnant workers developed in the framework of the policies on female employment, the Community Action Programme to combat discrimination and encourage equal opportunities, and the European Year of Workers Mobility So how should regional and local actors in Europe become more involved, and be encouraged to become involved, in delivering the strategy? This question is important not only for the development of good multi-level governance in the European Union but also for the effective implementation of European policies at regional and local level in line with their practices, and will therefore be thoroughly examined at this conference. The overall motto European regions need the Lisbon strategy, but the Lisbon strategy also needs regions and local actors, who are continuously facing the everyday life of the citizens and the companies also applies in this second edition of the event. In view of the above, we decided to hold this year s international conference in the region of Valencia, a dynamic area which is very active in the delivery of the Lisbon strategy. Valencia is a member of the Lisbon Regions Network and has been entrusted by the European Commission with hosting the Europe INNOVA Conference 2006 in November. It is hence an ideal place to show how regions can facilitate growth and business and create innovative environments. Target groups: This conference is open to a wide range of target groups, including representatives of and politicians responsible for regional and local authorities in the enlarged Europe, senior civil servants from sub-national public administrations dealing with policies and instruments that foster and support enterprise in their region, as well as members of the Committee of the Regions (COR), the Economic and Social Committee (ECOSOC) and the European Parliament (EP). In addition, experts from the academia (universities, think-tanks, etc.) and the private sector (chamber and trade associations) are warmly invited to attend this activity.

4 Venue: Hotel Rey Don Jaime- Av. Baleares, 2 - Valencia (ES) Working languages: English and Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation throughout the conference. Project leaders (in alphabetical order): Alexander Heichlinger (AT), Senior Lecturer & Project Leader, EIPA-ECR Barcelona, tel.: ; a.heichlinger@eipa-ecr.com Seppo Määttä (FI), Seconded National Expert, EIPA Maastricht, tel.: ; s.maatta@eipa-nl.com Juan Manuel Revuelta (ES), Director, Fundación Comunidad Valenciana Región Europa, Brussels; tel.: ; revuelta_jua@gva.es Information and registration: Caroline Layous Dit Chicoy, Programme Organisation, EIPA-ECR Barcelona, tel.: ; fax: ; c.layous@eipa-ecr.com Website: Deadline for registration: 2 June 2006

5 PROGRAMME Monday, 12 June Registration and distribution of conference documents to the participants Inauguration of the conference Rafael Ripoll (ES), Vice Minister of European Affairs, Generalitat Valenciana (Government of Valencia Region), Valencia Eduard Sánchez Monjo (ES), Director, European Institute of Public Administration - European Centre for the Regions (EIPA-ECR), Barcelona Introduction to the programme and its objectives Alexander Heichlinger (AT), Senior Lecturer and Project Leader, EIPA-ECR Barcelona I. Laying the Lisbon Foundations Keynote addresses: The Lisbon Process and the Regions Coffee break Onno Hoes (NL), Member of the Executive of the Province of Noord- Brabant; ECOS Commission, Member of the Committee of the Regions, Brussels Maria Joao Rodrigues (PT), Special Adviser to the European Commission on the Lisbon Agenda, President of the EC Advisory Group on Social Sciences, Lisbon* II. The Integrated Guidelines for Growth and Jobs and the Regions: A Reality Check Knowledge and innovation for growth First pillar Discussion Joint lunch Chairman and facilitator: Seppo Määttä (FI), Seconded National Expert, EIPA Maastricht Francisco Mora (ES), Director, Ciudad de la Innovación (Innovation City), Valencia Sascha Haselmayer (DE), Director and co-founder of Interlace events and Living Labs Europe, Barcelona

6 15.30 A more attractive place to invest and work: critical success factors for an enterprising region Second pillar Chairman and facilitator: Juan Manuel Revuelta (ES), Director-General, Fundación Comunidad Valenciana Región Europa, Brussels David Vilella (ES), Deputy-Director of the Valencian Community Investment, Valencia Michael Johnson (IE), Chief Executive Officer, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board, Dublin Creating more and better works: combining security on the labour market with the dynamics on the business environment Third pillar Chairman and facilitator: Alexander Heichlinger Ana Encabo (ES), Secretary of the autonomous region of the S.E.R.V.E.F. (Valencian Service for Employment and Education), Valencia Sigurd Naess-Schmidt (DK), Senior Advisor on Structural Policies, Ministry of Finance, Danish Government, Copenhagen End of the first day Joint dinner for the participants

7 Tuesday, 13 June Assessment frameworks for regional Lisbon performance benchmarking Coffee break Seppo Määttä and Alexander Heichlinger, Members of the Scientific Committee of the INTERACT Achievements of the Lisbon and Gothenburg Objectives by INTERREG (ALSO) Project, EIPA Maastricht and Barcelona N.N., Unit for Policy Analysis, Committee of the Regions, Brussels (confirmed) Kincso Isaac (HU), Manager of International Affairs, North Great Plain region; coordinator of the Perspective project, Debrecen III. Prospects until 2010 and beyond Earmarking programmes available under the next funding period to support the Lisbon priorities Conclusion Chairman and facilitator: Javier Quesada (ES), Professor, University of Valencia Mats Rune Bergström (SE), Project Manager of the Stimulating New Ways of Entrepreneurship Project STIMENT, Övre Norrland Region, Umae Veijo Kavonius (FI), Director, Department of Regional Development, Ministry of Interior, Representative of the forthcoming Finnish EU-presidency, Helsinki Seppo Määttä Closing speech Gema Amor (ES), Regional Minister of Cooperation and Participation, Generalitat Valenciana (Government of Valencia Region), Valencia Transfer for visit to two innovative examples in line with the Lisbon pillars Lunch at the sites Visit to the Ciudad de Innovación (Innovation City) of Valencia and to the Valencia Biotechnological Cluster End of the visit and the conference ***** * to be confirmed

8 GENERAL INFORMATION Seminar venue Hotel Melià Rey Don Jaime Av. Baleares, Valencia Working languages English and Spanish with simultaneous interpretation throughout the conference. Fee The participation fee is 150 and includes documentation, 2 lunches, one dinner, coffee breaks and certificate of attendance. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration. Payment before 12 June is a condition for participation. Hotel reservations If you need to book a room in a hotel in Valencia you can make a direct reservation in one of this 2 hotels, where we have made a pre-booking: TRYP OCEANIC 90 Double room for single use with breakfast (+ 7% VAT), 95 Double room with breakfast (+ 7% VAT) Contact person: SILVIA MARCO silvia.marco@solmelia.com; reservas.tryp.oceanic@solmelia.com Tel.: + 34 / Name of the pre-reservation: Fundación Comunidad Valenciana Región Europea MELIA REY DON JAIME 99 Double room for single use with breakfast (+ 7% VAT), 105 Double room with breakfast (+ 7% VAT) Contact person: ISABEL QUIROGA or/and ANTONIA isabel.quiroga@solmelia.com; reservas.melia.rey.don.jaime@solmelia.com Tel.: + 34 / Name of the pre-reservation: Fundación Comunidad Valenciana Región Europea Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. Dinner on Monday 12 June 2006 Restaurant La Ferradura (Patacona beach, Alborada) Registration Kindly complete the registration form and return it before 2 June 2006 to: Caroline Layous Dit Chicoy, Programme Organiser European Institute of Public Administration European Centre for the Regions C/ Girona, 20 / Barcelona Tel.: (+ 34) ; Fax: (+34) ; c.layous@eipa-ecr.com You can also submit the online registration form which can be found on EIPA s website: Confirmation Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed registration form and after the 2 June Should you wish to inform us of any changes in your work or address details, or should you no longer be interested in receiving any information from EIPA, please fill in our online update form at

9 REGISTRATION FORM The Re-Launched Lisbon Strategy on Partnership for Growth and Jobs and Its Regions: A Reality Check Valencia (ES), June 2006 To ensure the optimal organisation of the seminar, please return the completed registration by fax or before 2 June 2006 to: Caroline Layous Dit Chicoy Programme Organisation Tel ; Fax: (+ 34) ; c.layous@eipa-ecr.com PARTICIPANT S DATA Surname: First name(s): Position held: Department: Organisation: Address: Country - Postcode and town: Office tel. no.: Fax: Language : English Spanish REGISTRATION FEE The registration fee includes participation, documentation, coffee breaks, 2 lunches and a dinner, a certificate of attendance. 150 Once you have received our confirmation, please make a bank transfer, clearly stating your name and the reference Lisbon Strategy. The registration fee was transferred on to Fundación Comunidad Valenciana Región Europea s account nr / nr. IBAN:, ES BIC: CAAMES2A at the Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo (Of. de Empresas de Valencia, C/ Martínez Cubells, 11- Valencia) N.B: Payment before 12 June 2006 is a condition for participation. We will have to charge an administration fee of 50 euro for cancellations made after 2 June unless an alternative participant is nominated. Place and date: Signature: The European Institute of Public Administration - European Centre for the Regions hereby informs you that your personal data will be included in the automated files belonging to this company. If you wish, you can exercise your rights of access, modification, erasure and opposition by writing to: EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR THE REGIONS, Ref. DATA, c/ Girona, 20, BARCELONA. If you do not want to be included in these files, please inform us by sending a letter to the abovementioned address. If we do not receive a reply from you within one month, we understand that we have your consent, which in any case can be withdrawn at any moment. 9 May 06