Vienna, 23-24 June 2016 - The South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (SEECEL) attended a conference "Public Governance as the Foundation of European Integration", hosted by EU-Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations, Mr Johannes Hahn. The conference was organised by Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and City of Vienna, within the Berlin Process.Gathering the relevant stakeholders from the Western Balkans and the European Union (EU), the conference aimed at contributing to the current efforts of public administration reform in the Danube Region/Western Balkans and linking the efforts towards good governance within the “Berlin Process” and the EU accession, integrating the EUSDR and RCC's SEE 2020 Strategy.
The Western Balkans and the Danube Region gather both EU and non-EU countries and the respective EU policies and strategies provide a unique platform for starting the dialogue and knowledge exchange on public administration and good governance between the manifold actors in the Region, from the national governments, local and regional authorities, to international and civil sector organisations.
The conference was based on the new approach of the European Commission "Fundamentals first", which ensures a stronger focus on fundamental reforms early in the enlargement process, including public administration reform and to initiate knowledge exchange and achieving synergies between relevant stakeholders dealing with Good Governance topics in the Danube Region/Western Balkans.
SEECEL's representative was Director, Ms Efka Heder.