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Intra EU Mobility at Local Level Conference for mayors

Brussels, 11 February 2014

Note for special guests (Version 28 January 2014)

Introduction 2 11:00 – 12:45 14:15 – 15:45 16:00 – 17:45

3 Panels on experiences of cities: Implementing local policies on free movement and inclusion 4

Practical Instructions 6

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Introduction

The Conference, jointly organised by the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions, is the first such EU event organised on the impact of EU mobility at local level. It constitutes a unique opportunity to reflect on free movement in the European Union and its implication in cities and local communities, in the context of the Communication from the Commission of 25 November 2013 on free movement of EU citizens and their families: Five actions to make a difference: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/citizen/document/files/com_2013_837_free-movement_en.pdf

This note provides the special guests a detailed agenda with key objectives and messages for the conference. You will also find attached a general background note (also distributed to the audience) on the main issues to be discussed. This should help frame the discussion. Further documentation can be found on the event website.

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/events/intra-eu-mobility-2014/index_en.htm

The role of special guests in the conference

The conference aims at allowing exchanges between local authorities, and, apart from the information session from the Commission, speakers are all representatives of local authorities,

However, other stakeholders may have a high interest in the topic. Therefore, the floor has been opened to another kind of participants: special guests.

Special guests are members of the European Parliament or members of associations. They will intervene in one of the three panels reuniting local representatives, before the opening of general discussions with the public.

The time allocated for intervention is very short to allow a maximum participation from the audience. Each special guest will have three minutes to state their personal experience and to react and to add to the presentations made by the speakers.

The front row of the conference room will be booked and the seats reserved for special guests, just in front of the panel.

The audience of the event is expected to be of 150 participants, mainly representatives of local, regional and national authorities, but also experts in the field of EU mobility, representatives of civil society organisations and representatives of European institutions.

In order to allow space for the debate by the pubic we invite all special guests to follow the allocated speaking time for their contribution. Please refrain from written speeches and speak from your experience.

Should you have further questions on the logistics and technicalities please contact the event secretariat (joint-mayors-conference@teamwork.fr). For any question on the content and on your intervention please do not hesitate to contact Caroline Loup, DG Justice, European Commission (caroline.loup@ec.europa.eu )

9:00 – 9:30 Arrival and accreditation of participants

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Venue: Committee of the Regions, Rue Belliard/Belliardstraat, 99-101, 1040 Brussels, Room JDE 52 The language regime (subject to change):

Participants can speak in and listen to the following languages: English, French, German and Italian.

In addition to those above, participants can speak in the following languages: Bulgarian and Spanish

9:45 – 10:15 Opening words

• László ANDOR, Member of the European Commission responsible for employment, social

affairs and inclusion (7 mn)

Dimitrios Kafantaris, mayor of Pylos for the Greek Presidency (7 min)

• Gerhard Stahl, Secretary-General of the Committee of the Regions (7 min)

• Françoise Le Bail, Director-General for Justice, European Commission (7 min)

9:45 – 10:00 Information session: EU policies on free movement and inclusion for

the local level

Session:

Claudia Gallo, Ernst & Young (10 min)

Paul Nemitz, Director Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, DG Justice, European

Commission (10 min)

Armindo Silva, Director,DG Employement, European Commission (10 min)

Charlina Vitcheva, Director, DG REGIO (10 tmin)

Total 40 min. Followed by a 20 min questions time

11:00 – 12:45 14:15 – 15:45 16:00 – 17:45

Three panels on experiences of cities: Implementing local policies on free movement and inclusion

A light lunch will be served outside the room at 12:45 after the first panel,

and coffee will be served outside the room at 16:00, before the third panel

These three panels will describe cities’ experiences in dealing with EU mobile citizens.

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Speakers will detail the experiences of their own city, the challenges met, the solutions

tested to address them.

Speakers intervention:

Speakers will mention local policies at the intention of newcomers, which may be taken in

many fields: information offices at arrival, help in entering the local economy and entering

entrepreneurship, facilitation of the life of foreign pupils in the educative system, promotion

of multiculturalism and of an open society, promotion of active civic participation, responses

to inclusion challenges like poverty, unemployment, poor housing, etc. In short, any policy

aiming at including foreigners in the local community. You may look at the list of best

practices identified in the study as examples.

Speakers will also explain the administrative structures chosen to implement local policies

and give an estimation of the costs involved, or at least an idea if financing may be a

problem for less well-off communes. They will also speak about projects supported by EU

fundings.

Special guests intervention:

Special guests should bring additional information to the debate and another perspective to

EU mobility at local level, as most of them do not represent local authorities. These

additional perspectives should allow to deepen and to complement the debate through

additional pertinent information.

The intervention should be short and to the point, and the guests should try not to repeat

comments made by former interventions, or only to approve or eventually to contradict

them.

Ultimately, the aim of the three panels should be to define or to give elements of

definition of an “ideal” Welcome Policy at the intention of EU mobile citizens, manageable

for local authorities and to the benefit of all, newcomers and their host society.

All three panels will be followed by discussions with the public.

Panel I 11:00 – 12:45

Chair: Agnieszka KUDLINSKA, Director for Consultative Work at the CoR

(presentation 3 min)

Anna KÖNIG JERLMYR, Vice Mayor of Stockholm for Social Affairs (14 min)

Antonio Luis DOS SANTOS DA COSTA, Mayor of Lisbon and chair of the CoR CIVEX

commission (14 min)

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Jan PÖRKSEN, Hamburg State secretary for work, social affairs, family and

integration (14 min)

Total 45 min. Followed by a 60 min debate

Panel II 14:15 – 16:00

Chair: Paul Nemitz, Director Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, DG Justice,

European Commission (presentation 2 minutes)

Richard Blakeway, Deputy Mayor of London for Housing (14 min)

Ovidiu Portariuc, Mayor of Botosani Municipality, Romania (14 min)

Gilles Pargneaux, Vice President of Eurométropole (14 min) tbc

Total 45 min. Followed by a 60 min debate

Panel III 16:15 – 17:45

Chair: Lieve FRANSEN, Dir EMPL/D Europe2020: Social policies (presentation 3 min)

Marnix Norder, deputy Mayor of The Hague for urban development, public

housing and integration (14 min)

Vladimir KISSIOV, Municipal Councilor of Sofia, Vice-Chair of CoR CIVEX

commission (14 min)

Total 45 min. Followed by a 60 min debate

17:45 Concluding speeches by Ramón Valcarcel Siso, President of the Committee of the Regions and by Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission, Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship

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Practical instructions

1. Please focus your speeches and presentations on the following aspects:

3 Panels on experiences of cities: Local projects and policies experimented at local level to welcome and include foreigners in the economic and social fabric, challenges met at local level, possibly experiences of networking between cities.

2. Please follow the timing of the programme to allow for a lively discussion. Many local authorities and persons active in the field will want to take the floor. 3. If possible, send us by email (joint-mayors-conference@teamwork.fr ) a mobile phone number on which we can contact you on the day of the conference (only for urgent matters). 4. If you want to distribute documentation or other relevant material to the participants of the conference, please provide us the copies (in English and/or French) by 4th February, on the following address:

Renate Sikora

Committee of the Regions

B-1047 Brussels, Belgium

Office:

5. Feel free to make further promotion for the conference. We welcome all interested

stakeholders. For the promotion you can use the information on the conference website.

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/events/intra-eu-mobility-2014/index_en.htm

7. If you have further questions or remarks, do not hesitate to contact us.

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