6th Conference of Presidents of Regions with Legislative Powers
Munich, 21-22 November 2005
Programme and Agenda
Venue: European Patent Office (EPO)
Erhardtstr. 27, 80469 Munich
Phone: +49-89/2399-7458
+49-89/2399-4801
Fax: +49-89/2399- 6699
Monday 21 November
From 13:00 Registration at the conference reception area
13:30 Buffet lunch at EPO
15:00 Opening of Sixth Conference of Presidents of Regions with Legislative Powers;
Edmund Stoiber, Minister-President of Bavaria
Greetings by Curt Edjfäll, Vice-President EPO
15:15 Session I: The future role of the Regions with Legislative Powers in the construction of the European Union
Chairperson: Edmund Stoiber/Eberhard Sinner
Open debate, with contributions (3-5 min) from:
- Ingo Friedrich, Vice-President of the European Parliament
- Peter Straub, President, Committee of the Regions
- Göttrik Wewer, State Secretary, Federal Ministry of the Interior, Germany
- Jack McConnell, First Minister of Scotland
- Mercedes Bresso, President of Piemonte
- Elio di Rupo, Minister-President of Wallonia
- Ignacio Sánchez Amor, Deputy President of Extremadura
- Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales
- Francisco Camps Ortiz, President of the Comunidad Valenciana
- Enrico La Loggia, Minister for Regional Affairs, Italy
16:30 Coffee Break
16:45 Session I (continued)
- Marcelino Iglesias Ricou, President of Aragon
- Hermann Winkler, Minister for European Affairs, Saxony, President of the
Conference of Ministers for European Affairs (EMK)
- Geert Bourgeois, Flemish Minister for Administrative Affairs, Foreign Policy,
Media and Tourism
- Riccardo Illy, President of Friuli Venezia Giulia and President of AER
- Manuel Chaves, President of Andalucia
- Francisco Javier García Valledor, Minister of Justice, Public Security
and External Relations, Asturias
- Franz Schausberger, Chairman of the Commission for constitutional
affairs and European governance of the Committee of the regions
- Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe, President of the Working group “Regions with
legislative powers” of CLRAE
- Christos Sirros, Representative of the Government of Québec
Questions for discussion:
· How can the regions with legislative powers contribute to bridging the gap between the citizens and the EU?
· What changes are needed at European level to strengthen respect for the principle of subsidiarity, and what can the regions with legislative powers do to promote those changes?
· What consequences should the regions with legislative powers draw from the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty in the referenda in France and the Netherlands?
17:45 Presentation of the Munich Declaration
18:00 Close of Day 1 of Conference, return to hotels
19:15 Transport by bus from appointed hotels to the Munich Residence
19:30 Dinner in the “Kaisersaal” of the Munich Residence, hosted by Edmund Stoiber, Minister-President of Bavaria
c. 22:00 Return of buses to appointed hotels
Tuesday 22 November
09:00 Short debate on the Munich Declaration
09:45 Session II: Working together in the field of subsidiarity monitoring: REGLEG and the Committee of the Regions
Chairperson: Gabi Burgstaller
Open debate, with contributions (3-5 min) from:
- Herwig van Staa, Landeshauptmann, Tirol
- Karl-Heinz Lambertz, Minister-President, Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens
- Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma, President of Madrid
- Dr. Karl-Heinz Klär, State Secretary, Rhineland-Palatinate
- Angela Orthner, President of the Landtag, Upper Austria
- Riccardo Nencini, President of the Parliament of Tuscany and President of CALRE
Questions for discussion:
· How can an interregional group of members of the Committee of the Regions from regions with legislative powers be organized to make a contribution in the field of subsidiarity monitoring.
· How should the cooperation between the Regions with Legislative Powers and the Committee of the Regions be further developed?
· How can cooperation among the Regions with Legislative Powers be further intensified?
10:45 Coffee Break
11:00 Session III: Better regulation
Chairperson: Jack Mc Connell
Open debate, with contributions (3-5 min) from:
- Heinz Zourek, European Commission, Director-General for Enterprise and Industry
- Gabi Burgstaller, Landeshauptfrau, Salzburg
- Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu, Lehendakari, Euskadi
- Michael Breuer, Minister for Federal and European Affairs, Northrhine-Westphalia
- Agostino Fragai, Regional Minister, Tuscany
Questions for discussion:
· How can consultation of the regions with legislative powers by the European Commission and the other EU Institutions be improved?
· How can regions with legislative powers contribute to the impact assessments to be prepared by the Commission on new initiatives and to deregulation at the EU level?
12:20 Adoption of the Munich Declaration
12:30 From Munich to Cardiff
Statement by a representative of Wales
12:50 Closing remarks: Eberhard Sinner, Minister for European Affairs and External Relations of Bavaria
13:00 Conference close
Followed by Buffet Lunch
Press Conference