CzechReg Days

Date: 11.2.2009 — 21.4.2009
Venue: Brussels, Committee of the Regions
Category: Conferences and Seminars

The offices of the Czech regions in Brussels have come up with a concept of expert seminars and accompanying cultural events called ‘Days of the Czech Regions in Brussels’. Between the February and April plenary meeting of the Committee of the Regions a series of seminars, several exhibitions and a concert with an orchestra composed of musicians from three countries will be held.

During the Czech Presidency, Europe will commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain and the fifth anniversary of the enlargement of the European Union to include countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The events of 1989 gave the Czech Republic and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe significant opportunities, facilitating the restoration of a system of decentralised governance and the economic development of regions and cities. At the same time, the process of broad European integration began. It was symbolised by the accession of ten post-Communist countries to the European Communities in 2004. After long decades of waiting, for a large part of the European continent these events signified the realisation of the dream of democracy, stability and cooperation.

The agenda of the Czech Presidency, which has the motto a ‘Europe without barriers’, will address several political topics important for the future of the European Union and its regions. In particular, there will be a discussion on the future of the cohesion policy, including subjects such as convergence, competitiveness, the Lisbon Strategy, cross-border cooperation and support of the development of businesses and services. Another significant programme is the review of the TEN-T guidelines, which is particularly important for the integration of the regions of the new Member States into a broader spatial context and for greater territorial cohesion within the Union. Accordingly, upcoming seminars will focus on those topics.

‘Days of Czech Regions’, with the support of the Committee of the Regions, should create a platform for inter-regional and inter-institutional debate of these important issues. The organisers aim to emphasise the role of regional and local authorities in the process of shaping the EU policy. Since the strongest real impact of European policies is felt by the cities and regions, their experiences, opinions and proposals are often rooted in a more practical and realistic basis.

In addition to their colleagues from other European regions, the representatives of the Czech regions in Brussels are keen to welcome members of the European Parliament, members of the Committee of the Regions, representatives of the European Commission and experts from outside the sphere of public administration among the hundreds who will be participating in the upcoming events.

Cohesion Policy 2014+, 11 February 2009

The purpose of the seminar is to highlight the role of the regions in the proposal, approval and implementation of the cohesion policy. We want to collect and present the latest output from the broad debate on the future of the cohesion policy. A special emphasis will be placed on the territorial cohesion agenda because, at the time the seminar takes place, the debate on this subject will be culminating in the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions.

Building the bridge: the regional dimension of the TEN-T, 24 February 2009

This seminar will focus on issues of transport infrastructure, the TEN-T system and its links to regional transport networks. Absent or inadequate capacities not only create gaps in the effective operation of the network as a whole but are also one of the continuing barriers to a unified market. Delegates will attempt to assess the current situation and predict the near future of the three strategic levels of the TEN-T project: political, financial and environmental. The results will be used in the follow-up consultations on the Green Paper on the revision of the TEN-T guidelines.

Tourism and health resorts: creating a stronger industry, 25 March 2009

The service sector remains a great business development opportunity in the Czech Republic. The tourism and wellbeing sectors offer particularly favourable conditions. This seminar will serve as a platform for an exchange of experience regarding the adoption, implementation and financing of policies that encourage business in this field. Opportunities for business cooperation with service providers in the Czech Republic and investment opportunities will also be showcased.

Prospects for cross-border cooperation in Europe, 31 March 2009

The promotion of cross-border cooperation plays an important role in the development of European border regions. Handicaps and obstacles caused by the peripheral nature of these regions within the Member States have not yet been overcome. Therefore, the future of the cohesion policy should place more emphasis on cross-border cooperation. Another area of the conference will focus in detail on the specific possibilities offered in cross-border cooperation by the EGTC Regulation (in terms of projects, programmes and permanent cooperation structures). A side event accompanying the conference will be a concert by the trilateral Europera orchestra as a concrete example of the cooperation of young musicians in the Nisa Euroregion.

Regions of Knowledge and the Lisbon Strategy, 1 April 2009

This seminar aims to contribute to the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. The idea is to draw attention to the fact that one of the strengths of the Czech Republic is its innovative potential. Thanks, in part, to the support of the European Communities, Czech regions are active players in the R&D sector; this will be illustrated by a number of regional projects and technology parks co-financed by EU funds. Not least, important technologies that have emerged from the support of innovation in the Czech Republic will be profiled.

Exhibition ‘Twenty-year-olds: the New Europe Generation’, 16 March – 21 April 2009

By organising this exhibition, the regions of the Czech Republic wish to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain. The landmark year of 1989 gave Central and Eastern Europe a long-awaited opportunity to restore the natural order and the free development of relations and territories. Citizens aged 20 or under have received a gift denied to many previous generations – they were born, raised and educated in a free country. With this in mind, the youngest generation of artists has been asked to prepare works expressing their ideas about Europe, the path it has followed from 1989 to the present, and how it will develop in the next twenty years. The best work, as selected by an international jury, will be donated to the Committee of the Regions for permanent display on its premises as a reminder of the EU Council Presidency from the Czech regions.