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Ref. CG-PR022 (2017)

Challenges of subnational reform at the center of Congress Conference in Eupen

Strasbourg, 28 April 2017 – The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is organising a Conference “Successful territorial reform” on Friday 5 May 2017 in Eupen, Belgium. The event will bring together some 60 participants – politicians, practitioners and academic experts – including the Finnish State Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government and Public Reforms, Jari Partanen, the Armenian First Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, Vache Terteryan, and Congress member Luc Martens, Vice-President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, and President of the Association of Flemish Towns and Municipalities.

The Conference will follow up on the report on “Autonomy and borders in an evolving Europe”, adopted by the Congress in March 2016. The participants will discuss the causes, methods and good practice of subnational reform in Council of Europe member States, in four round tables, moderated by Alexander Homann, Head of the representation of the German Community of Belgium in Brussels. The working sessions include the following issues:

-          Reforms driven by economic crisis

-          Reform for better governance

-          Accommodating strong regional identities

-          Reforming to consolidate power?

At the opening session, in addition to Oliver Paasch, Minister-President of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, First Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions, and Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and Luís Leite Ramos, General Rapporteur on Local and Regional Authorities for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will take the floor.

On the eve of the Conference, on Thursday 4 May 2017, the Congress Governance Committee will also meet in Eupen, under the presidency of Jean-Louis Testud (France, EPP-CCE). Members of the Committee will examine in particular the reports “Making public procurement transparent at local and regional level” and “A better future for Europe’s rural regions”, to be adopted during the 33rd Congress Session (18-20 October 2017).

·         Agenda

·         Web file

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· Interpretation: During the conference, interpretation will be provided in English, French, German and Russian.
· Press: The Conference is open to the press. Contact: [email protected]
· Venue : Kloster Heidberg, Bahnhofstraße 4, 4700 Eupen - Belgium

Contacts:
Tim Lisney, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Secretary of the Governance Committee, Phone: +33 3 88 41 35 73, email: [email protected]

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Planning, Coordination and institutional Communication Unit

Tel: +33 (0)3 90 21 48 95

Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 27 51

[email protected]

www.coe.int/congress

The Congress has two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. It brings together 324 full and 324 substitute members representing more than 200 000 European territorial communities.

President of the Congress: Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, SOC), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Anders Knape (Sweden, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Gunn Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP-CCE)

Political Groups: Socialist Group (SOC), Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CCE), Independent and Liberal Democrat Group (ILDG), European Conservatives & Reformists Group  (ECR)