Upon invitation from Jacek Protas (EPP/PL), Vice-Marshal of Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship, the Polish city of Elbląg hosted today a seminar on the Regional Dimension of EU Cooperation with Eastern Neighbour Countries, organized by the CoR's Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX). The seminar brought together representatives of local authorities from several European Union countries, as well as other policymakers and experts.
The first debate of the two-panel discussions touched upon "Relations European Union - Russia. The role of the regional and local authorities". Experts underlined the importance of cooperation between the warmińsko-mazurskie region with Kaliningrad:
"The EU's relations with Russia and other Eastern countries are vitally important for us, because our region has almost 200 kilometres of border with Russia. Similarly, our knowledge and experiences could be of vital importance to the other countries and partners, for which contacts with Russia do not play as important role as here" – Vice-Marshall of the hosting region and Jacek PROTAS (EPP/PL) explained.
Participants of the seminar were particularly interested in the practical aspects of the operation of the Small Border Traffic agreement as well its added value which can be seen every day especially in interpersonal relations.
Second part of the debate touched upon not less important theme of "The Future of the Eastern Partnership Programme. Where are we? Where are we heading?". Moldova's Ambassador to Poland Iurie Bodrug stressed that engagement of local authorities as essential for the effective implementation of the idea of the Eastern Partnership. Impact of the current conflict in Ukraine on the daily functioning and life of its citizens and situation of the Ukrainian regions was also discussed. While representatives of the Latvian Foreign Ministry closed the meeting outlining the proposals for the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in May.
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The choice of Elbląg as a place for the seminar was not accidental. The city, one the largest in the region, is located only 90 kilometres from the border of the EU-Russia. The proximity of Kaliningrad and the complex geopolitical situation in Europe mean that relations with Russia are of particular interest for the region.