Strasbourg, 24th 25th November 2005
‘The Regions’ initiatives are key ingredients of a winning Europe. However, the success of many regions – sometimes spectacular in terms of economic development depends on their capacity to reinvest their local resources in an innovative way. The General Meeting of the European Regions in Strasbourg, co-organised with the Alsace Region, will be an opportunity for them to exchange their know-how and experience in this field and to build or re-launch cooperation projects. I look forward to welcoming you together with Adrien Zeller, President of the Regional Council of Alsace and Fabienne Keller, Mayor of Strasbourg, who have both given their support to this event’ said Riccardo Illy, President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and of the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia-Italy, initiator of the project.
Innovation and the role of the regions in the European project will be the two main issues of the General Meeting of the European Regions, organised by the AER on the 24th-25th November 2005 at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where more than 600 regional representatives from the wider Europe are expected.
José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and well-known experts in the field of innovation and economic development, such as Isaac Getz, Professor at the European School of Management (ESCP-EAP), Paul Atkinson, member of the World Economy Group (Institut d’Etudes Politiques-Paris) and Edward Cameron, Director of the European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN), are among the main speakers. Several discussion tables will allow participants to debate and share their experiences, or simply to learn about what other regions do in the fields of innovation and economic development.
This event, preceded by the AER’s annual General Assembly, will also be an opportunity to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the organisation. Charlie Jeffery, Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh, will speak about the role of the regions in the European project in the past twenty years and the perspectives for the future. The AER will also give award for the most Youth Friendly European Region 2005.
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