OPEN DAYS 2010 Final Programme - European Commission - Europa

Workshops
Wednesday 6 October 2010
Streamlining micro-credit initiatives
Micro-credit is a sector of growing importance which has a proven capacity to
enhance business creation and employment while helping to alleviate social
exclusion. The Commission launched below mentioned initiatives together with
the EIB-group to promote the development of sustainable micro-credit in the
European Union.
The future of European Cohesion Policy post-2013
In the framework of this seminar, representatives of the European Commission,
Member States and regions will present the challenges and issues for the reform
of EU cohesion policy post-2013.
Special plenary: Promoting Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth: a
challenge for all Europes regions
Since its inception, European cohesion policy has helped address the challenges
of all Europe's regions while remaining differentiated according to their individual
needs. In its modern version, European cohesion policy seeks to promote growth
and jobs, while concentrating resources on the least prosperous regions. In this
respect, the aim of the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective
has been to anticipate and promote economic change by improving the
competitiveness and attractiveness of EU regions.
In the light of the recent economic crisis and in view of the growing competition
from outside the EU however, Europe needs to mobilize the power and
imagination of its regions more than ever. This session examines whether or
not the moment is right to contemplate the reduction of financial support
outside the least prosperous regions. The history of cohesion policy since the
landmark reforms introduced in 1989 has demonstrated the added value of a
comprehensive approach, by including all regions, to European cohesion policy.
This session will include keynote speeches by political leaders from regions
under the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective on the added
value of European cohesion policy and the role their regions can play in meeting
the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy.
06C16
14:30 - 17:00
Venue: Centre Borschette, room 1 B
Organiser: European Commission, DG
Regional Policy
Speakers: Karl Dayson, Executive Director
Community Finance Solutions University of Salford,
Community Finance Solutions, Salford, United
Kingdom; Corrado Ferretti, President, PerMicro SpA,
Italy; Roger Havenith, DG Regional Policy, European
Commission, Brussels; Dimo Lliev, European
Commission,DG Regional Policy, Brussels
06C17
14:30 - 17:00
Venue: Centre Borschette, room 0A
Organisers: European Commission, DGs
Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities,
and Regional Policy
Speaker: Thomas Bender, European Commission,
Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs
and Equal Opportunities
06E03
16:00 - 18:30
Venue: European Commission, Charlemagne
building, room GASP
Organisers: European Commission, DG Regional
Policy
Chair: Jacki Davis, European Policy Centre,
Belgium
Speakers: Johannes Hahn, Commissioner
for Regional Policy, Belgium; Mercedes Bresso,
President of the Committee of the Regions,
Councillor of the Piemonte Region, Italy; Carwyn
Jones, First Minister of Wales, United Kingdom;
Radko Martinek, Member of the Committee of
the Regions, President of the Pardubice Region;
Eleni Mavrou, Mayor of Nicosia, Cyprus; Alain
Rousset, Member of the Committee of the
Regions, President of Aquitaine Regional Council,
France; Andrej Ďurkovský, Member of the
Committee of the Regions, Mayor of Bratislava,
Slovaquia (TBC); Ahmed Aboutaleb, Member
of the Committee of the Regions, Mayor of
Rotterdam, Netherlands
54 OPEN DAYS 2010 – European Week of Regions and Cities