School for young progressive local and regional leaders

00.00

School for young local leaders

Brussels

Young local leaders , Local democracy , Green Deal , Cohesion policy

We hear all too often that young people are the future, but it is high time they were empowered to change the present in order to build the future.

Progressive cities and regions are laboratories of innovation and, increasingly, they have also become places of resistance against populist and nationalist forces. Inside small towns and big cities alike, it is often young local leaders who are in charge of making change happen, by creating more sustainable communities, fighting the climate crisis and growing social inequality, and changing the way local democracy works.

This is why the Party of European Socialists Group (PES) was proud to host more than fourty young progressive local and regional politicians from all over Europe for a two-day event on 29-30 November 2019, partly organised in cooperation with the Young European Socialists (YES) and the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament (S&D Group).

Since March 2019, the European Committee of the Regions has launched an initiative to involve Young Elected Politicians elected at local and regional level in its works. As PES Group, we have made this commitment a priority and want therefore to strengthen this network in order to build a more progressive and sustainable Europe from the ground up.

Draft programme

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Friday 29 November 2019

10.00 - 12.00

Opening session

@ European Parliament, Room A3G-3

9.00

Arrival at the European Parliament and registration

10.00

Welcome and presentations by PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions, S&D Group in the European Parliament and Young European Socialists

Moderator: Maj Jensen, Secretary general of the Young European Socialists

Iratxe García Pérez, President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament (video message)
Alícia Homs Ginel, Member of the European Parliament and President of the Young European Socialists
Yoomi Renström, First Vice-President of the PES Group in the European Committee of the Regions
Frazer Clarke, S&D Deputy Secretary General

10.50

Keynote speeches

Delphine Houba, Alderwoman of Culture and Tourism of the City of Brussels, Belgium
Frans Timmermans, Vice-President of the European Commission, Executive Vice-President Designate for the European Green Deal

11.30

Panel debate “Youth up political decisions for the future

Hannelore Goeman, Flanders Regional Parliament, Belgium
Harun Muharemovic, city councillor Brøndby, Denmark, and Coordinator of YES Young City and Regional Councillors Network
Tsvetelina Penkova, MEP, Bulgaria

12.30 – 14.00

Lunch and speed-dating with the European Committee of the Regions

14.00 – 18.00

Panel debates

@ European Committee of the Regions, Room JDE 53

14.00

From local democracy to European democracy

Moderator: Martin Maréchal, Journalist at “BXFM 104.3” and member of the Belgian Socialist Party
Welcome speech: Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Committee of the Regions
Yves Dejaeghere, Professor University of Antwerp and G1000 member, Belgium
Elisa Lironi, Senior Manager European Democracy, European Citizens Action Service

16.00

From #FridaysForFuture to local action

Moderator: Martin Maréchal, Journalist at “BXFM 104.3” and member of the Belgian Socialist Party
Umberto Costantini, Mayor of Spilamberto, Italy
Claire Roumet, Director, Energy Cities
Antoni Vicens i Vicens, Director of External Relations of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Member of the European Committee of the Regions

18.00 – 19.30

Networking reception

@ European Committee of the Regions, atrium 5

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Saturday 30 November 2019

9.00 – 10.00

Presentation on studies about millennial generation and generation Z in regards to political participation

@ Party of European Socialists Headquarter, Rue Guimard 10-12, Brussels.

Maria Freitas, Senior Policy Advisor, Foundation for European Progressive Studies

9.30 – 12.30

Parallel workshops

10.00

How to run the SDGs agenda at local level?

Moderators: Elisha Winckel and Samuel Guron, YES Vice-Presidents
Laura Sparavigna, Local councillor of Florence, Italy

How to use EU funds for building a progressive city/region?

Nicola De Michelis, Director for Smart and Sustainable Development and Programme Implementation in Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, European Commission

How to influence policy at European level as young councillor?

Moderator: Maria Freitas, Senior Policy Advisor, Foundation for European Progressive Studies
Harun Muharemovic, councillor Brøndby, Denmark, and Coordinator of YES Young City and Regional Councillors Network

12.30 – 13.30

Lunch break

13.30 – 15.00

Conclusions

15.00 – 19.00

Study visit in Brussels

Photo gallery

School for progressive local and regional leaders