Workshop

The Interlocking of Regional, Subregional and National Initiatives. Continuity and Change in Euro-Mediterranean Relations

10 June 2008

Portoroz

This joint meeting gathering the EuroMed Senior Officials was organised by EuroMeSCo under the auspices of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU.

The purpose was to link debates on ongoing initiatives in Southeast Europe with those on current Euro-Med initiatives, be they Euro-Mediterranean, national or regional. This meeting also aimed at furthering the dialogue between policy analysts and policy makers, hopefully bolstering the mutually-reinforcing relationship between the official and the civil society levels of the Barcelona Process.

The inauguration of the new Euro-Mediterranean University was held in association with this event.

Agenda

Opening Session - Introductions

Gonçalo Santa Clara Gomes Senior Project Manager, EuroMeSCo secretariat, Lisbon

Veronika Stabej Ambassador, Chairperson of the Senior Officials, MFA, Ljubljana

SESSION ONE

Bringing Southeast Europe and ‘Barcelona’ Together –Sharing Experiences and Evaluating Region-Building Prospects

chair Lars Bjarme Ambassador, Euro-Med Coordinator, MFA, Stockholm

Ferit Hoxha Secretary General of the MFA & Euromed Coordinator, Tirana

Atef Kassem Managing Editor, Al-Ahram's Quarterly Democracy Review, Cairo

Sultan Barakat Director, Postwar Reconstruction and Development unit, University of York

Ana Bojinović Researcher, University of Ljubljana

SESSION TWO

Competition and Complementarity: The Impact of National Foreign Policy Interests and Regional and Subregional Initiatives on Euro-Mediterranean Relations

chair Risto Veltheim Ambassador and Euro-Med Coordinator, MFA, Helsinki

Tobias Schumacher Chairholder of the European Neighbourhood Policy Chair European Neighbourhood Policy Chair, College of Europe – Natolin campus

Ahmed Driss Director, CEMI, Tunis

Fulvio Attinà Director, Jean Monnet Centre Euro-Med, University of Catania

Fatma Alzahraa Ibrahim Osman Etman Ambassador, Assistant Foreign Minister for European Affairs, MFA, Cairo

Mahjoob Zweiri Senior Researcher, CSS, Amman

Closing Session & Farewell