10 a.m.  Registration and coffee

10.30 a.m.   Introductory remarks

  • Gonçalo Lobo Xavier, President, European Semester Group (ESG), EESC

The EU institutional perspective

  • Gabriel Friptu, Deputy director general in the Ministry of European Funds, EU Romanian presidency
  • Mariana Hristcheva, HoU of the “Evaluation and European Semester” Unit, DG REGIO, European Commission
  • Olga Zrihen, Chair of ECON Commission, European Committee of the Regions

General debate

11.30 a.m.  Academics and stakeholders perspective

  • Alison Hunter, Senior Adviser on Cohesion Policy, European Policy Centre (EPC)
  • James Watson, Director, BusinessEurope
  • Kristian Bongelli, Advisor, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
  • Conny Reuter, Co-Chair of the EESC Liaison Group, Secretary General, Solidar

General debate

Summary and conclusions

  • Etele Baráth, Rapporteur, Petr Zahradník, Co-rapporteur and Anne Demelenne, President of the Study Group on the "The European Semester and Cohesion policy – Towards a new European strategy post-2020", EESC

1 p.m.  End of the hearing


Interpreting from ES/DE/EL/EN/FR/IT/HU into EN/FR