MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG MR MAIER VISITED PA10 COORDINATOR IN SLOVENIA

 

Mr Alexander Maier, member of the the State Parliament of Baden-Württemberg, with colleagues visited Centre for European Perspective on Monday, 30 July 2018. This was his first stop on four weeks long journey through Danube region. Baden-Württemberg is one of the two German federal states (the other is Bavaria) that have recognized the need and benefit of addressing challenges regionally and joined the EU Strategy for Danube region (EUSDR). It is bringing together 14 states (5 of them are non-EU members) that are together facing contemporary issues on connectivity, protection of environment, employment and innovation as well as security and institutional cooperation.

Delegation was first welcomed by CEP Executive Director, Dr Gorazd Justinek, who explained how CEP was established, presented its mission and main projects.

CEP is coordinator of the priority area 10 of the EUSDR – Institutional Capacity and Cooperation. Ms Nina Čepon presented the activities and projects implemented last year and in 2018, emphasizing the endeavors for inclusion of youth in policy processes. They have proven through various activities that they would like to shape the policies that are affecting their daily life and have impact on wider society. She highlighted as well Danube Cities against Human Trafficking seminars that were organized in Ljubljana in Vienna, as well touched upon the institution challenges that the macro-region is facing. In this respect it was interesting to discuss the Danube Strategy Point that was previously hosted by the Baden-Württemberg representation in Brussels and will now be coordinated by City of Vienna and Romanian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration.

After fruitful meeting, delegation visited Ljubljana Regional Waste Management Centre (RCERO Ljubljana), which is the biggest environmental project in Slovenia supported by the EU Cohesion Fund and the most modern facility for waste treatment in Europe, processing waste from a third of Slovenia. The EU’s Cohesion Fund contributed 77.5 million euros, which was 61% of the investment and helped to process the waste very efficiently – 95% of the waste gathered are re-used and re-cycled.

Mr Maier and his colleagues continued their journey towards Sofia, Bulgaria.