17 institut der regionen europas may 2010 institute of the regions of europe 5news Years IRE region Enthusiastic pro Europe: 5th Anniversary of IRE Successful Balance over Fifth Anniversary of the Institute of the Regions Five Aktive Years of Europe (IRE) Around 160 guests could IRE-chairman Franz Schaus- berger welcome at the five-year anniversary gala of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) at the new The IRE has in the past five years endea- vored to work Europe widely into a mo- House of the EU in Vienna on 12 April 2010. In their dern, well-understanding principle of speeches, the Head of the European Union, Richard subsidiarity correlating regionalisation Kühnel, the President of the region of Istria, Ivan and decentralisation. With the convic- Jakovčić, the State Secretary for European Affairs of tion that the functions, which from the Hesse, Nicola Beer, the Lord Mayor of Bratislava, An- concerned, lower levels, can be made drej Ďurkovský, as well as the former Federal Chan- sufficiently real, must also be left there. As held on in the Treaty of Lisbon. cellor of Austria, Wolfgang Schüssel and the Foreign Minister, Michael Spindelegger emphasized the inm- On that note, we have since the foun- portance of an institution as the IRE for the Europe- ding of the IRE had an integration and most of all for the strengthening of the regions and cities in Europe. The main speech • 5 large Conferences of European was held by the President of the Central Committee Regions and Cities (CERS) • 18 expert conferences, symposia of the German Catholics and the previous President and seminars of the Bavarian Landtag, Alois Glück under the topic • 5 general assemblies and 13 of „The principle of subsidiarity as a formal principle advisory board meetings and a principle of ordering“. • 35 Café d’Europes • carried out 99 visits in European regions and cities • 3 occassional papers and 8 short studies • Brought out 76 studies, 104 Hot issues, and 16 “newsregions”’, • as well having realized for 85 young people from 12 countries one- month internships at the IRE office in Salzburg. We thank all that have supported us with these activities. Franz Schausberger Chairman of the Institute of the Regions of Europe, Austria The celebratory event took place in the premises of the House of the IMPRESSUM Media owner and publisher: Institute European Union, which was opened in October 2009 and which ac- of the Regions of Europe, A-5020 Salzburg, Franz-Josef-Kai 1, Tel.: +43/662/843288-5017, Fax: +43/662/843288-5050, www. commodates the information office of the European Parliament and institut-ire.eu, [email protected] • Editor and layout: the representation of the European Commission in Vienna. The new printmedia, 5020 Salzburg • Photos: ire, Neumayr, Wiki- pedia, Schausberger, Fritz • Print: Druck & Digitale Medien, location offers furthermore information for interested citizens and Salzburg-Hallwang Insofar as this publication features only personal designa- should be made into a place of meeting where people with interest tions in their gender-specific forms, they relate – insofar as in European questions can meet, and which is a place for activities this can be considered with regard to the content – to men and women on equal terms. that connects Europe. 2 newsregion 17 / may10 Fifth Anniversary of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) The evening was essentially carried to success by their high-quality speeches: the host Franz Schausberger, the President of Istria, Ivan Jakovčić, the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Michael Spindelegger, Andrej Ďurkovský, Lord Mayor of the City of Bratislava, President of the Organisation of Communities and Cities of Slovakia, Alois Glück, President of the Central Committee of the German Catholics, the former President of the Bavarian Landtag, Wolfgang Schüssel, former Federal Chancel- lor, Member of Austrian Parliament, founder of the IRE, and the host, Richard Kühnel, the Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Austria. www Attending at the gala was a number of representatives from IRE-member regi- ons, like the Vice President Mitja Posavec, Medjimurje County, Croatia, President Predrag Stromar of Varaždin County, Croatia, numerous ambassadors in Aus- tria from countries as Albania, Ukraine, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Li- thuania, Montenegro and the Austrian ambassadors in Europe, representatives from ministries and authorities and from internationally active enterprises and banks. Likewise present were re- presentatives from EU-Institutions and representatives of various regions like Ambassador Martin Eichtinger and Ka- Franz Schausberger was able to also greet Flanders and representatives of the Eco- tharina Cortolezis-Schlager, Member of the leader of the parliamentary group of nomic Chamber of Serbia. the Austrian Parliament the Austrian People’s Party in the Austrian Parliament, Karl-Heinz Kopf. newsregion 17 / may10 3 www constitutional procedure under the Austrian presidency in 2006 and wit the Berlin Declaration in 2007 the mandate for amend- ment and ultimately the development of the Treaty of Lisbon, which was again stopped at its tracks by a „No“ from the Irish. Richard Kühnel: Only the start of the financial crisis in 2008/09 brought the Irish Five eventful years for the EU to rethink and to give a positive result at the second attempt to pass the Treaty of Lisbon. Also the Karlsruhe verdict with the The Head of the Representation of European Commission in order for reinforcement of the integrations responsibilities and Austria, Richard Kühnel, as the host in the house of the Europe- the verdict of the Czech constitutional court to ratification so an Union recapped in his message of greetings of how much that the independence would not be an end in itself but a me- has happened on the European level in the last five years: the ans to fulfilling the joint values, have all contributed into the development of the constitutional treaty in Rome in October realignment of the European policy. 2004, the following race for ratification in the single member states, then the bitter setbacks with the negative results at This new political agenda in the EU is an emergence into a the referenda in France and in the Netherlands in 2005, sub- new era, in which the regions will be attached with more va- sequently the phase of reflection and the comeback to a new lue. They belong to the winners of Treaty of Lisbon as they are in many ways much closer to the citizens, easier approachable and therewith more believable as the superior political and ad- ministrative levels. Kühnel in conclusion emphasized that the European Commis- sion will continue to support and work together with the IRE as one of their important partners. Wolfgang Schüssel: New context of justification for the EU The former Austrian Federal Chancellor, Wolfgang Schüssel, gave his affirmed belief that today it is necessary to rebuild and rewrite the Project of the European Union. The young ge- neration has no use for the justified pathos of the post-war era. The EU was built from the ruins of the Second World War, for the following generations the EU established itself as project for peace and economy virtually on its own. Today the EU is ta- ken for granted with all its liberties, the emotional connection is anymore present for the young generation and needs to be For attunement the children’s choir of the primary school Mater re-created. This is not reachable merely with rational methods. Salvatoris from Vienna, under the conduction of Frau Ruth Hiltz Schüssel sees this as a challenge for the regions to anchor the (www.eu-kinderhymne.at) ) sang with enthusiasm with English EU emotionally to the people. lyrics to the melody of the European anthem. In this context the question of independence has to be re- Mag. Richard Kühnel Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel Ivan Jakovčić Head of the Representation of European Former Federal Chancellor, Member of President of the region of Istria (Croatia), Commission in Austria the Austrian Parliament, Member of the Co-Founder of the IRE Board of Patrons and Co-Founder of IRE 4 newsregion 17 / may10 defined. How independent is a regional state today – not to mention from a region? But how independent is the EU real- ly, Schüssel asks, confronting for example the conference in Copenhagen where the EU was not speaking with one voice and other powers had affirmed the dossiers. Wolfgang Schüssel stressed that the IRE has thought ahead many questions from the Subsidiarity Conference in St. Pölten till the numerous of Café d’Europe’s. To involve the citizens in the discussion, and also to sustain cri- tical questions, is not always easy but it is the right course. To conclude, Schüssel claimed to have the justification of the EU also reformulated on the regional and local levels as also here is a lot accepted for granted. Ivan Jakovčić: Bringing regionalism to the Balkans For the President of the region of Istria, Ivan Jakovčić, as one of the founders of the IRE, has proven its membership to the IRE to be an important new step. He has recognised that in scien- tific, cultural, diplomatic, economic regards, Austria has a lot to offer for the Croatian regions that one did not know: regiona- lism, subsidiarity, decentralism. Croatia needed this push from the EU as it is still much too centralised. The boarders are now admittedly open but there still are boarders in the mentality, which they do not want just yet to decentralise. Therefore it is utterly important to bring the regionalism to the Balkans, as regionalism has one only name at the Balkans: Peace. “More decentralisation is more peace and more tolerance”, Jakovcic makes his earnest appeal.