Regional Policy - Inforegio

Workshop 1A
Room: Sicco Mansholt

Workshop 1B
Room: Alcide de Gasperi

Workshop 1C
Room: Lord Jenkins

Regions and the water challenge:
Learning from good practices

Making information society a reality in the regions

Migrants and the City: Towards Successful Integration

Managing water is key for European regions and their development. Faced with diverse challenges from scarce water supply to severe risks of flooding, how can regions develop solutions for sustainable water management?

The aim of the workshop is the presentation of good practices and examples of successful networking among European regions for sound water management.

Public infrastructure and broadband access must be combined with the services and demand side.

This workshop will present good practices of broadband access in rural regions and experiences from the Interreg IVC Fast Track Networks B3Regions and PIKE for the transfer of eGovernment and wireless services for citizens and businesses.

Integration is the key to successful immigration, and cities have a central role to play in this context. The high sensitivity and multi-faceted nature of mobility and migration calls for an in-depth and open exchange of ideas.

The aim of the workshop is to show how sharing knowledge and experience between cities can lead to meeting objectives and achieving concrete results in a faster, more reliable and more focussed way.

Chair: Peter Gammeltoft, Acting Director, European Commission, Environment DG

Introduction: Merete Ulstein, Chair, European Network of Freshwater Research Organisations (EURAQUA), NO

Speakers:

• Maggie Kossida, Project Manager, MEDDMAN, National Technical University Athens, EL
• Manuel Gomez, DROPAWATER project, Aguas de Ceuta Empresa Municipal, ES
• Annelieke Laninga-Busch, Former Project Coordinator of FLAPP, DE & Alfred Evers, Euregio Rhin-Meuse, NL

Rapporteur: Mathieu Fichter, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Chair: Gareth Hughes, CEO, European Regional Information Society Association (eris@)

Introduction: Ken Ducatel, Head of Unit, European Commission, Information Society and Media DG

Speakers:

• Rocio Rubio Centeno, Project Manager, ERNACT, IE
• Marcin Nowacki, Director, Entrepreneurship Department of Lodz Region, PL
• Sergio Pujol, Telecom Castilla la Mancha, ES

Rapporteur: Juan Gonzalez Mellizo, European Commission, Information Society and Media DG

Chair: Ronald Hall, Director, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Introduction: Tiziana Caponio, FIERI – International and European Forum of Migration Research, IT

Speakers:

• Martin Schieffer, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission, Justice, Liberty and Security DG
• Anna Ludwinek, Research Officer, Living Conditions and Quality of Life, Eurofound, IE
• Norbert Bichl, Beratungszentrum für Migranten und Migrantinnen, AT
  Luisa Avedano, EU projects and networking manager, Building Healthy Communities, IT

Rapporteur: Aldo Torre, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Workshop 2A
Room: Alcide de Gasperi

Workshop 2B
Room: Sicco Mansholt

Workshop 2C
Room: Lord Jenkins

Creativity and innovation as drivers for urban and regional development

Reshaping cities –
Industry reorganising urban economies

Adapting to climate change:
A focus on the regions

Some European cities and regions are building their development strategies on cultural and creative industries. They promote growth-generating and job-creating projects by supporting clusters of creative businesses and participating in related networks.

Industrial reorganisation has consequences for cities and citizens. Joint efforts must be taken to fully exploit the potential of industry for innovation and reshaping urban economies, and of cities for providing attractive and competitive business locations.

The workshop will explore how networks can contribute to these processes. Cities and regions with different industrial background will provide examples and share their experience.

The impacts of climate change are felt locally. However, the management of these impacts requires a fully integrated approach where all administrative and societal levels are involved.

Chair: Jean-Noël Durvy, Director, European Commission, Enterprise and Industry DG (tbc)

Introduction: Pascal Cools, General Manager, Flanders District of Creativity, BE

Speakers:

• Michael Thomson, President of the Bureau of European Design Associations, UK
• Klaus Grepmeier, European Officer, HerO Network, DE
• Neil Peterson, Coordinator, Liverpool European Capital of Culture, City of Liverpool, UK
• Claire Newman, Coordinator, ECCE Project, Economic Clusters of Cultural Enterprises, FR
• Pia Areblad, Chief Executive, CEO Tillt, Region of Västra Götaland, SE

Chair: Natalija Kazlauskienė, Director, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Introduction: Manfred Bergmann, Head of Unit, European Commission, Enterprise and Industry DG

Speakers:

• Yann Thoreau La-Salle, City of Limoges, Lead Partner of the UNIC (Urban Innovation in Ceramics) Fast Track Network, FR
• Karl Jasper, Regional Government of North Rhine Westphalia, DE
• Krzysztof Kuśmierczuk, Director, Development Department, City of Starogard Gdański, PL

Rapporteur: Alexander Ferstl, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Chair: Jean-Marie Seyler, Director, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Introduction: Agnes Kelemen, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Speakers:

• Michael Theben, Head of unit, Ministry of the environment North Rhine-Westfalia, DE
• Tom Leahy, Executive Manager, Dublin City Council, IE
• Philippe Petit, Direction du Développement Durable, de la Prospective, et de l'Evaluation (D2DPE), Région Nord-Pas de Calais, FR

Rapporteur: Enrique Buatas Costa, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Workshop 3A
Room: Alcide de Gasperi

Workshop 3B
Room: Sicco Mansholt

Workshop 3C
Room: Lord Jenkins

Fast Track Networks bringing innovation into the market:
ERIK ACTION and RAPIDE

European regions reaching for the sky – Satellite information services for risk management

When exchanging is good for innovation:
Experiences from the Lisbon Monitoring Platform

Bringing innovation to the market is the last and most difficult step of the 'innovation ladder'. To address this challenge two INTERREG IVC Fast Track Networks, ERIK ACTION and RAPIDE, are developing action plans for 24 regions in old and new Member States.

The purpose of this workshop is to illustrate how these networks operate, their methodology, and partnership with managing authorities and the Commission.

Some European regions are tapping into the potential of satellite and environmental information services to develop their economy, anticipate climate change, prevent natural disasters and protect the environment. The Commission is pursuing this with the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative.

This workshop will demonstrate how regions can use such instruments and will show the added-value of networking and exchange for their deployment.

In the context of the 2008 monitoring exercise, several local and regional authorities declared that exchanging experiences with, and learning from, other regions/cities proved very useful.

In this workshop, some of the members of the Lisbon Monitoring Platform will explain why, and in which context, sharing and learning brought success.

Chair and introduction: Reinhard Buescher, Head of Unit, European Commission, Enterprise and Industry DG

Speakers:

• Juliet Williams, Chair, South West of England Regional Development Agency, UK
• Albino Caporale, General Director, Economic Development, Tuscany, IT
• Irma Priedl, Lower Austrian Government & Yiannis Bakouros, Associate Professor, University of Western Macedonia, EL
• Eila Linna , Lapland, SF & Christos Tzomakas , Head of Scientific-Technical Support & Programmes Implementation Department, Western Greece, EL

Rapporteur: Luisa Sanches, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Chair: Valère Moutarlier, Head of Unit, European Commission, Enterprise and Industry DG

Introduction: Colin Hicks, President Eurisy, FR

Speakers:

• Hubert Siegel, Head of Forestry Subdivision, Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Environment, AT
• Claire Marriott, Senior Costal Scientist, Isle of Wight Centre for the Coastal Environment, UK
• Juergen Kropp, Climate Impacts & Vulnerabilities, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Head North-South Group, DE

Rapporteur: Beth Masterson, European Commission, Regional Policy DG

Chair: Lucio Gussetti, Director, Directorate for Consultative Works, Committee of the Regions

Introduction: Krzysztof Nowaczek, Committee of the Regions

Speakers:

• Luc Hulsman, Programme Manager, Structural Funds, The North Netherlands Provinces, NL
• Rafael Muguerza, Director, Innovation and Information Society Department, of Innovation, Business and Employment, Navarra Region, ES
• Reiner Kneifel-Haverkamp, Head of Unit, State Chancellery Brandenburg, DE
• Francesco Saverio Liguori, Quality Assurance and Knowledge Manager, Interact Secretariat, SK

Rapporteur: Johann Sollgruber, European Commission, Regional Policy DG