V Annual International Conference "CROSS-BORDER COOPERATION: THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NORWAY"

V Annual International Conference: "Cross-border cooperation:

the Russian Federation, the European Union and Norway" 

28-29 September, 2009

Russia, Saint-Petersburg, Hotel Corihthia Nevsky Palace (Nevsky pr. 57)

download the agenda>>> 

28 September, Monday

08.30-09.00 Registration

09.00-09.40 Opening. Welcoming speeches:
Moderator - Yury Berestnev, Director of the Department on International Relations and Cross-Border Cooperation Development, Ministry for Regional Development of the Russian Federation

Speakers:
- Viktor Basargin, Minister for Regional Development of the Russian Federation
- Evgeny Lukyanov, Deputy Plenipotentiary Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation to the North-West Federal District
- Paul Vandoren, Acting Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Russia
- Benedikt Ásgeirsson, Ambassador of Iceland to the Russian Federation
- Alexander Kuznetsov, Deputy Governor of the Leningrad oblast, Russia
- Andrey Demidov, Head of Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
- Reinhard Krumm, Dr., Head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Branch in Russia

9.40-10.30 Session 1.1 "Сross-border cooperation: current situation, estimations, prospects"

Speakers:
- Martin Guillermo, Secretary General, Association of European Border Regions (AEBR)
- Hans-Günther Clev, Dr., Director General of the Mission Opérationnelle Transfrontalière (MOT), France
- Alberto Gasparini, Director of the Institute of International Sociology of Gorizia, Italy
- Igor Pavlovsky, Deputy Editor in Chief, Informational Agency REGNUM

10. 30-11.40 Session 1.2 "Cooperation without borders"
Moderator - Slava Khodko, Chairman of the Board & Director General, North-West Development and Investment Promotion Agency, Russia

Key topics:
1. Experience and results of cross-border cooperation. Obstacles and prospects for cooperation. How to create the favorable conditions for effective interaction in solving cross-border cooperation issues. Whether existing mechanisms of interstate cooperation for solving cross-border cooperation issues are enough? The role of Intergovernmental Commissions on cross-border cooperation. The role of Neighborhood and Partnership Programmes.
2. Whether it is possible to organize joint planning of border territories development? Significance of cross-border cooperation in socio-economic development of territories.
3. Cross-border infrastructure: uniting or separating factor in cross-border cooperation

Speakers:
- Viktor Basargin, Minister for Regional Development of the Russian Federation
- Siim Valmar Kiisler, Minister for Regional Affairs of the Republic of Estonia
- Edgars Zalāns, Minister of Regional Development and Local Government of the Republic of Latvia
- Heikki Aurasmaa, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Employment and the Economy of Finland
- Sigitas Šiupšinskas, Vice-Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania

11.40-12.00 Coffee-break

12.00-13.15 Session 1.3 "Legislative and institutional regulation of cross-border cooperation"
Moderator - Svetlana Bastanzhieva, Director General of the Centre on Federalism and Regional Policy, Russia

Key topics:
1. Legislative base in the Russian Federation. Federal law on cross-border cooperation of the Russian Federation: current situation, prospects of approval, importance, key provisions
2. International experience in legislative and institutional regulation of cross-border cooperation: instruments, mechanisms, institutes
3. «Horizontal» and «vertical» coordination of cross-border cooperation activities between different levels of authorities: national, regional and local

Speakers:
- Vadim Gustov, Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, the Council of Federation, Russia
- Maxim Travnikov, Deputy Minister for Regional Development of the Russian Federation
- Alexander Kolesov, Deputy Prime-Minister of the Government of the Republic of Karelia - Minister of Finance of the Republic of Karelia, Russia
- Nikolay Mezhevich, Head of Laboratory of cross-border and transboundary cooperation of the Institute for Regional Economy Problems, Russian Academy of Science
- Dmitry Chemakin, Deputy Minister of Development of Territories and Interaction with Municipal Authorities, Government of the Kaliningrad oblast, Russia

13.15-14.15 Lunch

14.15-15.45 Session 1.4 "Cross-border cooperation of the Leningrad oblast"
Moderator - Zhanna Alexandrova, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on External Economic and Interregional Relations, Government of the Leningrad oblast, Russia

Key topics:
1. Cross-border cooperation in the system of international relations of the Leningrad oblast. Main trends
2. Cross-border cooperation within the EU-Russia Cooperation Programme "Estonia/Latvia/Russia: Leningrad oblast, Pskov oblast, St. Petersburg"
3. Cross-border cooperation within the EU-Russia Cooperation Programme "South-East Finland /Russia: Leningrad oblast, St. Petersburg"
4. Trade and economic cooperation between the Leningrad oblast and Finland
5. Practice of cross-border cooperation on the municipal level

Speakers:
- Alexander Kuznetsov, Deputy Governor of the Leningrad oblast, Russia
- Arina Andreičika, Acting Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Regional Development and Local Government of the Republic of Latvia
- Krista Kampus, Head of the European Territorial Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Estonia
- Markus Hulkkonen, Head of the Joint Technical Secretariat of the EU-Russia Cooperation Programme "South-East Finland-Russia: Leningrad oblast, St. Petersburg". Secretary General of the Regional Council of South Karelia, Finland.
- Jyrki Terva, Consul for Trade, Economy and Cooperation with Neighboring Areas, Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg
- Vladimir Vasilyev, Deputy Head of Administration of Municipal Formation «Svetogorsk Urban Settlement», Leningrad oblast, Russia.
- Pekka Ruotsalainen, Senior adviser of the Imatra Region Development Company Ltd., Finland
- Irina Seliverstova, Deputy Head of Administration of the Municipal Formation «Ivangorod», Leningrad oblast, Kingisepp Municipal District, Leningrad oblast, Russia
- Vello Juhkov, Deputy Mayor of the Johvi Municipality, Ida-Virumaa County, Estonia

15.50 -17.20 Session 1.5 "Forms of cross-border cooperation"
Moderator - Reinhard Krumm, Dr., Head of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Branch in Russia

Key topics:
1. Different types of cross-border cooperation and its role in the socio-economic development of the regions
2. Existent and perspective forms of cross-border cooperation: cross-border trade centres, clusters, free/special trade zones, European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC)
3. Euroregions: international and Russian practice. Legislative and financial base for Euroregions in Russia.

Speakers:
- István Sértő-Radics, Chairman of the Commission for External Relations and Decentralised Cooperation, Committee of the Regions of the European Union
- Bayrongali Kakabaev, Vice-president, «Khorgos» International Center of Boundery Cooperation» JSC, Kazakhstan
- Barbara Skólska, Head of the Unit for Cross-border Cooperation of the Ministry of Interior and Administration of the Republic of Poland
- Šarūnas Radvilavičius, Deputy Director, Office of the Nordic Council of Ministers in the Republic of Lithuania
- Olga Tsin, Deputy Head of Unit on Cross-Border Cooperation of the Department on International Relations and Cross-Border Cooperation the Ministry for Regional Development of the Russian Federation
- Vitaly Sergejev, Chief Executive, Narva BAS Foundation, Estonia

17.20 -17.40 Coffee-break

17.40-19.00 Session 1.6 "Development of Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) in border regions"
Moderator - Frank Schauff, Dr., Chief Executive Officer of the Association of European Businesses in the Russian Federation

Key topics:
1. Role of SMEs in the socio-economic development of the border territories
2. Overview of SME development in Border Regions
3. Factors influencing the level of entrepreneurial activity in the conditions of cross-border region
4. Creation of favorable climate for SME activity in Border Regions
5. Promotion of business support services for SME
6. Legislative regulation of the SME's activities, including international cooperation
7. Perspective areas of interregional and international cooperation
8. Cooperation of SME across borders: challenges, perspective forms, best solutions, case-studies
9. Problems in access to financing resources; financial support instruments on regional, national and international levels
10. Organizational and institutional instruments of SME support
11. Human recourses and SME
12. Innovations - one of the most perspective fields for SME actions

Speakers:
- Sergey Balanev, General director of the St.Petersburg foundation for SME development, Russia
- Marina Shatokhina, Head of resource support sector, Committee for SME and consumer's market development, Government of the Leningrad oblast
- Vladimir Zubov, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Pskov oblast, Russia
- Igor Kuprienko, General Director, Finnish-Russian Innovation Centre, St.-Petersburg, Russia
- Jaroslava Borozdina, Deputy Minister of Culture and Public Affairs of the Republic of Karelia

19.30 Evening Reception (Marble Palace Millionnaya str. 5/1)

29 September, Tuesday

09.00-11.00 Session 2.1 "Financing of cross-border cooperation projects"
Moderator - Pekka Järviö, Ministerial Counselor, Ministry of Employment and the Economy of Finland

Key topics:
1. International organizations programmes of financing of the cross-border projects
2. Border regions and municipalities experience and efficient decisions of cross-border projects financing
3. Public-Private Partnership experience of border regions in cross-border projects implementation
4. Financing projects within EU-Russia cooperation programmes
5. Criteria of projects selection in the Russian Federation to be financed within EU-Russia cooperation programmes; other practical issues of projects preparation

Speakers:
- Yury Berestnev, Director of the Department on International Relations and Cross-Border Cooperation Development, Ministry for Regional Development of the Russian Federation
- Dmitry Bukin, Head of the Unit, Department on European Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
- Richard Weber, Deputy Director General, EuropeAid Co-operation Office, European Commission;
- Jorge de la Caballeria, Head of the Unit EuropeAid A6, European Commission
- Mika Boedeker, Director of the Information office of the Nordic Council of Ministers in St.Petersburg
- Evgeny Alexeev, Head of the Unit on External Economic Relations, Ministry of economic development of the Murmansk oblast, Russia
- Igor Kovtun, General Representative, Nordic Investment Bank (NIB)
- Ksenia Koloshtivina, Team Leader NEFCO Russia, Senior Investment Advisor

11.00-11.30 Coffee-break

11.30-13.30 Session 2.2 "Promotion of cooperation between border regions in education"
Moderator - Alexander Khodachek, Director of St.Petersburg branch, Higher School of Economics

Key topics:
1. Peculiarities of higher educational programmes for preparation specialists for cross-border cooperation. Is there a necessity in new programmes and specialities?
2. Innovative and efficient forms of cooperation of higher educational institutions of the border regions
3. Quality assurance of joint programmes of higher educational institutions of the border regions
4. Academic mobility in border regions: barriers and ways of enhancement
5. Academia-Business cooperation as a resource for development of border territories
6. Mutual diplomas and qualification recognition in Russia, EU and Norway
7. The role of information and communication technologies in cooperation of higher educational institutions across border
8. Creation of a system of adult and lifelong education in border regions
9. Financing of projects in higher education: support instruments on regional, national and international level

Speakers:
- Elena Spasskaya, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on General and Vocational Education, Government of the Leningrad oblast, Russia
- Natalia Klimenko, Head of Scientific Programmes and Projecting Department, I.Kant State University of Russia
- Eugene Lopatin, Dr. Coordinator, Finnish-Russian Cross-Border University (CBU), University of Joensuu
- Gunter Pleuger, Dr., President of the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
- Christoph Ehmann, Prof., Dr., Secretary General of the European University Foundation - Campus Europae
- Elena Oleneva, Leading Specialist-expert of the Directorate on International Education, Federal Agency for Education of the Russian Federation
- Veli Matti Virolainen, Prof., Dr., Vice Rector, Lappeenranta University of Technology

14.00 Sightseeing excursion around St.Petersburg for the participants of the conference

Within the Conference the session of the Council on cross-border and interregional cooperation under the Plenipotentiary Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation to the North-West Federal District will be held.