Opening Session

Global crisis, regional responses?

The 2009 OPEN DAYS Opening Session will coincide with the Committee of the Regions Plenary Session and the European Parliament's Regional Development Committee meeting. It will be attended by approximately 1 000 participants.

Following the the welcome addresses, the session will begin with two keynote speeches by the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and Maud Olofsson, Deputy Prime Minister representing the Swedish Presidency.

During the second part, a panel debate of about one hour will be held on the theme "Global crisis, regional responses?" with the participation of the President of the Basque Government, Patxi López Álvarez,  Ms Helma Orosz, Mayor of Dresden, the President of the Committee of the Regions, Luc Van den Brande, and Regional Policy Commissioner Paweł Samecki, and Danuta Hübner, Chairwoman of the EP Committee on Regional Development. The debate will be moderated by Jacki Davis, European Policy Centre.

The session will be closed by Ms Hübner.

The session can be followed live on the internet in 23 languages via this link.

Indicative schedule

Chair: Danuta Hübner, Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development

15:00 - 15:15 Welcome addresses

• Paweł Samecki, Commissioner for Regional Policy - Speech
• Luc Van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions - Speech

15:20 - 15:40 Keynote speeches

• José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission - Speech
• Maud Olofsson, Minister for Enterprise and Energy, Deputy Prime Minister, representing the Swedish Presidency - Speech

15:40 -16:30 Panel debate "Global crisis, regional responses?"

• Patxi López Álvarez, President of the Basque Government
• Helma Orosz, Mayor of Dresden
• Luc Van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions
• Paweł Samecki, Commissioner for Regional Policy
• Danuta Hübner, Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development

Moderator: Jacki Davis, European Policy Centre

16:30 - 16:55 Debate with the floor

16:55 - 17:00 Closing remarks

• Danuta Hübner, Chairwoman of the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development