Austrian Federal Chancellor SCHÜSSEL welcomed former Prime Minister of Saxony BIEDENKOPF and other high-profile regional politicians.

Opening ceremony of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) in the Austrian Federal Chancellor’s Office

In the evening of 4 May 2005, the Austrian Federal Chancellor Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel opened a ceremony to celebrate the establishment of the Institute of the Regions of Europe (IRE) in the Congress Hall of the Austrian Federal Chancellery and welcomed many politicians from various regions of Europe. Presidents, heads of governments and ministers from 22 European regions and a number of ambassadors from different European states came together to celebrate the establishment of this new organisation which will play a significant role for the European regions.

In his opening address, Federal Chancellor Dr. Wolfgang Schüssel emphasised the importance of strengthening the European regions: “The European Union must be carried by the regions, by the basis and must not be dictated from above. Accordingly, the IRE will play an important role in this context.”

Then Town Councillor DI Rudolf SCHICKER (who represented Dr. Michael HÄUPL, Mayor of the City of Vienna and President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)) and Peter STRAUB, President of the Regional Parliament of Baden-Württemberg and President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) of the European Union offered a few words of greeting to the more than 250 guests who assembled in the Federal Chancellor’s Office.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Kurt BIEDENKOPF, Former Prime Minister of the State of Saxonia delivered a keynote address on the „Significance of the regions in the European Union.“ in which he emphasised:

„The regions’ contribution to Europe is tremendous. The regions lend identity to the European community and are the most important source for social interaction. The problem of unemployment and social security must be tackled at regional level, national action plans cannot offer a solution to this problem and solving it at European level is impossible!“.

In the afternoon of 4 May the Institute of the Regions of Europe organised a seminar on “The political and economic significance of the Regions of Europe” at Raiffeisenzentralbank in Vienna, which attracted a large number of interested participants from Austria and the regions of Europe. A number of top-notch speakers could be secured for this seminar, including among others:

Univ. Doz. Dr. Franz SCHAUSBERGER, Former Governor of the State of Salzburg, Chairman of the Institute of the Regions of Europe, Chairman of the Commission for Constitutional Matters and Governance in Europe opened the seminar and offered some introductory remarks on “The significance of the regions in the European integration process”.

Ing. Evzen TOSENOVSKY, President of the Moravian-Silesian Region (Czech Republic), Chairman of the Conference of Governors of the Czech Republic gave a presentation on „The starched role of the regions of the Czech Republic".

Giovanni DI STASI, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE) devoted his address to the issue of „The Regions in the new European Democracies“.

The President of the Institute of the Regions of Europe, Univ. Doz. Dr. Franz SCHAUSBERGER, and Dr. Stefan EDER, Regional Managing Partner of the international law firm DLA WEISS-TESSBACH, the main sponsor of the Institute of the Regions of Europe, were very pleased with the enthusiastic reception of the opening ceremonies. More than 250 guests from across Europe were crowded in the Congress Hall and the adjoining rooms in the Federal Chancellor’s Office.

The Institute of the Regions of Europe will be a strong partner of the European regions in the future and will play an important role in coordinating and supporting the joint efforts of the regions.