Programme

The role of civil society in the challenge of enlargement. How civil society can contribute to the swift and effective design and implementation of the cohesion funds?

9:30 | Welcome

  • Speech by Ioannis Vardakastanis, President of the Section for Economic and Monetary Union and Economic and Social Cohesion (ECO), European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
  • Maria del Carmen Barrera Chamorro, EESC Rapporteur, presentation of the draft opinion on The role of cohesion policy in upcoming rounds of EU enlargement

Panel

  • Zsolt Darvas, Senior Fellow, Bruegel, Senior Research Fellow at the Corvinus University of Budapest
  • Ivanka Lakova, Policy Officer, DG REGIO, presentation of the views of the European Commission

Statement and remarks by representatives of organised civil society:

  • Albania

Krisela Hackaj, Executive Director, Cooperation Development Institute

Ana Abdi, Program Manager for developing the EU-AL Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, Western Balkans Consulting Group, Albanian Parliament

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina

Binasa Goralija, Regional Coordinator, Europe of MyRight

  • Georgia

Natia Kuprashvili, PhD, Tbilisi State University, Chairperson of Journalism Resource Center

David Tsiskaridze, Chairman of International Business and Economic Development Center (IBEDC)

Giorgi Mamulashvili, representative of the Greens Movement of Georgia / Friends of the Earth

Nino Elizbarashvili, Chairwoman of the Board, Georgian Association "Women in Business" (GAWB), Coordinator of WG2 (Economic integration and convergence with EU policies)

Konstantin Zhgenti, Association of Business Consulting Organizations of Georgia

Giorgi Pertaia, President of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Elene Makharashvili, Acting CEO, Georgian Employers’ Association

  • North Macedonia

Biljana Spasovska, Executive Director, Balkan Civil Society Development Network, North Macedonia

Valentina Disoska, President of the Association of business women, President of the National Platform for Women Entrepreneurship NPWE, Chairman of the Committee on Decent Work of Women Workers, Marketing, Business development mentor and Access to finance consultant

Daniela Janevska, Head of administrative – legal sector, Confederation of free trade unions of Macedonia

Sanela Donevska Andonovska, Confederation of free trade unions of Macedonia

  • Moldova

Liliana Busuioc, Executive Director, Alliance of Small and Medium Enterprises from Moldova

Igor Zubcu, President of the National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM)

Angela Chicu, President of the Association of Professional and Business Women of Moldova (BPW)

Patricia Varzari, Unit Manager for Cooperation, Programmes, and Grants within the National Rural Development and LEADER Network of the Republic of Moldova

Leo Zbancă, GENDERDOC-M Information Center

  • Montenegro

Igor Milosevic, Program Developer, ADP-Zid (Association for Democratic Prosperity)

  • Serbia

Aleksandar Stevanovic, Serbian Association of Small and medium Sized Enterprises (SASME)

Cedanka Andric, President of the Trade Union Confederation "Nezavisnost"

Marko Radovic, Business Support Network (BSN), Railway Cluster for Southeast Europe (RCSEE)

Bojana Selaković, Coordinator of the National Convention on the European Union - Civil society platform representing the interests of Serbian citizens in all stages of the European integration process.

Dragana Djurica, Secretary General, European Movement in Serbia

  • Ukraine

Nadija Afanasieva, Ukrainian Institute for International Politics, co-chair of the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform

Rodion Kolyshko, Director of the NGO "Institute of professional qualifications"

Ivan Kulchytskyy, President of NGO Agency of European Innovations

Marta Kindrys, Expert of Center for International Cooperation, Union of Ukrainian entrepreneurs

Yuriy Stepanets, Chairman of Association of Ukrainian Civic Initiatives

Ivanna Khrapko, Chairwoman of youth council of Federation of trade unions of Ukraine

Bykovets Vyacheslav, General director of the Union of the Entrepreneurs of Small, Medium-Sized and Privatized Enterprises of Ukraine, President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Employers, member of the Council of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine

Larysa Starikova, Ukrainian Side of the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform, Head of the board PO Analysis Centre of Agrarian Union of Ukraine

Dmytro Posunko, NGO "National Association of Spinal Lifters" of Ukraine

12:30 | Discussion with the members of the study group and the audience

12:50 | Closing

  • Speech by Krzysztof Balon, President of the Study Group on The role of cohesion policy in upcoming rounds of EU enlargement

13:00 | End of the debate