The main purpose of the seminar is to facilitate an open discussion about the future of macro-regional strategies in the European Union by gathering the experiences and recommendations from all existing Strategies. The discussions should focus on how the functioning of macro-regional strategies can be improved in the near future, what the best practices are in terms of their implementation, what are the key challenges and obstacles they are currently facing and what role should/could they play post 2020.

Please confirm you participation at the event with Nikoletta Oláh (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) until 12 May (Friday).

Draft Agenda

10.00 – 10.10 Opening remarks by Tibor Stelbaczky, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU

10.10 – 10.50 Statements from:

•  Gábor Jenei – EU Strategy for the Danube Region Presidency
•  Erik Kiesow – EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Presidency
•  Vassilis Tselios – EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region Presidency (TBC)
•  Katharina Hellmann – EU Strategy for the Alpine Region Presidency

10.50 – 11.10 Q&A

11.10 – 11.30 Presentation of the European Commission on the current state of macro-regional strategies and their possible future perspectives

11:30 – 11:45 Presentation of Katharina Hellmann on ‘Embedding macro-regional strategies into EU policy post 2020’

11.45 – 12.00 Q&A

12.00 – 12.15 New grass root initiatives – Carpathian Macro-Regional Strategy

12.15 – 12.30 Q&A

12:30 – 13:15 Light lunch

13:15 – 14:15 Presentation of the future prospects of macro-regional strategies from a programming perspective:

•  Imre Csalagovits, Danube Transnational Program
•  Niclas Forsling, EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region Presidency

14.15 – 14.45 Q&A

14:45 – 15:15 Jörg Mirtl: "Results and conclusions from the studies conducted by Interact"

15:15 – 15:25 Concluding remarks from the Hungarian Presidency