Programme

Tirana International Hotel - conference room BALSHA

First day          

8.30 a.m.                      Registration of participants

9 a.m. – 9.30 a.m.        Welcome address

  • Erion Veliaj, Mayor of Tirana

Inaugural session

Chair: Dilyana Slavova, President of the EESC's External Relations Section

  • Luca Jahier, EESC President
  • Sokol Dedja, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania
  • Angelina Eichhorst, Director for Western Europe, Western Balkans and Turkey at the European External Action Service (EEAS)
  • Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council

9.30 a.m. – 10.30 a.m.   First session: Assessment and perspectives of the relations between the EU and the Western Balkans

Chair: Dragica Martinović Džamonja, President of the EESC's Western Balkans Follow-up Committee

  • Colin Wolfe, Head of Unit for Western Balkans Regional Co-operation and Programmes, DG NEAR, European Commission
  • Anja Bosilkova-Antovska, Policy and Advocacy Officer, Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN)
  • Wieslaw Tarka, Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS    

10.30 a.m. - 11 a.m.      Coffee break and press conference

Second session: Regional cooperation – enhancing civil society participation

11 a.m. - 1 p.m.            Panel I: Trade and investment

Chair: Jacek Krawczyk, President of the EESC's Employers' Group

  • Emir Djikic, Director, Central European Free Trade Agreement Secretariat
  • Arbëresha Loxha, Senior Research Fellow, Group for Legal and Political Studies
  • Safet Gërxhaliu, Secretary General, Chamber Investment Forum
  • Danela Arsovska, President of the Macedonian Chambers of Commerce
  • Vedad Vajzović, CEO Social Business “Greens”, Foundation MOZAIK

DISCUSSION         

1 p.m. - 2.30 p.m.         Lunch at the invitation of the EESC         

2.30 p.m. - 4.30 p.m.    Panel II: Connectivity

Chair: Pierre-Jean Coulon, President of the EESC's Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN) Section

  • Barbora Poyner, Communication Officer, Energy Community Secretariat
  • Gentiola Madhi, Policy Researcher, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso – Transeuropa
  • Maja Handjuska Trendafilova, Senior Expert on Connectivity, Regional Cooperation Council
  • Blerta Thaçi, Executive Director, Open Data Kosovo

DISCUSSION         

4.30 p.m. - 4.45 p.m.     Coffee break

4.45 p.m. - 6.30 p.m.     Panel III: People to people relations – building bridges

Chair: Arno Metzler, President of EESC's Diversity Europe Group

  • Babis Papaioannou, UNESCO Youth Club of Thessaloniki
  • Bojana Bulatović, Programme Officer, Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)
  • Dafina Beqiri, Program Manager, Western Balkans Fund
  • Ugo Poli, Program Manager, Central European Initiative (CEI)

DISCUSSION           

6.30 p.m.          Cocktail offered by the Regional Cooperation Council Tirana International Hotel "La Pergola restaurant”

Second day        

Third session: The situation of civil society in the Western Balkans

Parallel panels

9.00 a.m. - 11 a.m.        Panel I: The state of social dialogue in the Western Balkans

Chair: tbc

  • Zhulieta Harasani, ILO National Coordinator for Albania
  • Duško Vuković, Vice President of the Council of the Confederation of Autonomous Trade Unions of Serbia (CATUS)
  • Suzana Radulović, Secretary General, Montenegrin Employers Federation
  • Edison Hoxha, Executive Director, Centre for Labour Relations, Albania

DISCUSSION          

9.00 a.m. - 11 a.m.        Panel II: Achieving an enabling civic space (meeting room ABRETI)

Chair: Dilyana Slavova, President of the EESC's External Relations Section

  • Bojana Selaković, Program Director, Civic Initiatives
  • Zorana Marković, Programme Assistant, Center for Development of NGOs
  • Juliana Hoxha, Director, Partners Albania / National Resource Centre for Civil Society
  • Marijan Denkovski, Representative of liberal profession from North Macedonia
  • Peter Engel, Representative of liberal profession from the EU

DISCUSSION          

11 a.m. – 11.15 a.m.     Coffee break         

11.15 a.m. – 12 p.m.     Adoption of the final declaration

Chair: Dragica Martinović Džamonja, President of the EESC's Western Balkans Follow-up Committee

  • Presentation of the Forum conclusions           

 

 

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Draft programme