XIII Euromeeting: European Regions and Sustainable Tourism
29/09/2015 - 02:00

XIII Euromeeting: European Regions and Sustainable Tourism

EXPO Milan 2015 / 29-30 September 2015

 

For a competitive Europe in the field of tourism:

promoting land, culture, and industries

 

The international Euromeeting 2015 seminar is organised within the EXPO Milan, in collaboration with the EU Commission exhibition area.

 

 

About Euromeeting

Euromeeting is an international seminar whose thirteenth edition is going to be held in 2015. It is an annual event organized and funded by the Tuscany Region on behalf of the NECSTouR network, which it presides. It is a network of over thirty European regions with a strong interest in ensuring the sustainable and competitive development of tourism.

The Tuscany Region and NECSTouR have always shared the themes and organization of Euromeeting with the Tourism Unity of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry. The Council of Europe has also made an important contribution to the event for several years, partly as a result of a sort of collaboration agreement.

Since 2008, with the inception of the NECSTouR network, Euromeeting has also been acting as the network's thematic assembly and providing an opportunity for discussion among the European regions, universities and research centers that are part of NECSTouR's Academic Committee and business and union representatives.

Every year, the seminar deals with some specific issues pertaining to the sustainable and competitive development of European tourism and the role that can be played by European regions in this area.

Euromeeting is normally divided into three parts: the introduction, which is mainly reserved for greetings and communications of the European and international institutions; the thematic Sessions, where topics and issues are developed and analyzed, and finally the presentation of good practices and project ideas.

 

Why have Euromeeting at EXPO 2015 in collaboration with the European Commission?

During the 2014 edition it was agreed to organize the thirteenth edition of Euromeeting - normally held in Florence - at the Milan EXPO for highest visibility and international participation and to contribute to the debate on EXPO themes.

This is why we propose to the European Commission authorities that are responsible for organizing the European Union's participation at EXPO that Euromeeting's XIII edition be held at the EU Commission Pavilion.

Basically we want to offer the Commission the opportunity to work closely with the European Network NECSTouR to produce an event that will explore some very important aspects of tourism regarding the knowledge and promotion of the industries of the many areas and communities that can make our European regions ever more attractive.

The Tuscany Region and the NECSTouR network have preliminarily verified the interest and willingness to cooperate by the Tourism Unit and the Commission's Directorate-General.

 

Organization

For the reasons given and on behalf of the NECSTouR network, the Tuscany Region intends to propose a number of events and initiatives for implementation in the European Union Pavilion.

 

Euromeeting at EXPO Milan 2015

First of all we propose to share the organization of the thirteenth edition of the Seminar in the manner summarized above.

Tuscany Region therefore proposes the following thematic title:

For a competitive Europe in the field of tourism: promoting land, culture, and industries

Given the Commission's timetable and in agreement with the Tourism Unit, the Seminar will be held in the last phase of the Expo, on days 29 and 30 September 2015. The seminar will feature a Workshop open to buyers and the international press. The Tuscany Region will pay for the seminar's organization, requesting the free availability of the EU Pavilion and the EU representation's location in Milan.

 

General Euromeeting program

Based on the working meetings held with the Commission Representation Offices in Milan, we propose that the seminar be organized in two locations: the Palazzo delle Stelline in Milan (the EU representation's location) and at the EU EXPO Pavilion.

 

29th September - Palazzo delle Stelline (Milan)

Euromeeting 13th Edition: For a competitive Europe in the tourism sector: promoting land, culture and food.

3 PM registration of participants

3:30 PM Opening remarks

  • Mr. Enrico Rossi, President of the Tuscan Region 
  • Ms. Francesca Barracciu, Under-Secretaries of Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism 
  • Mr. Stefano Ciuoffo, Regional councilor of the Tuscan Region 
  • Ms. Silvia Costa, European Parliament, Chairman of the Committee on Culture and Education 
  • Mr. Fabrizio Spada, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Milan 
  • Ms. Luisella Pavan-Woolfe, Ambassador and Head of the Eu Delegation to the Council of Europe 

5 PM  Intervention of representatives of NECSTouR For a competitive Europe in the tourism sector: promoting land, culture and food.

5.30 PM Mr. Paolo Bongini, Director of the Tourism department Tuscany Region, Presentation of the Memorandum on "Sustainable tourism for the promotion of European foods and identities, the Regions' contribution".

6.00 PM Interventions and discussion

6:30 PM Closing session

7:30 PM Dinner at the Stelline Convention Center - Tuscany

REGISTER HERE TO THE EVENT OF 29/09

 

30th September - EU pavilion (EXPO Milano 2015)

 

European food-tourism week. Europe: the taste for travelling

 

11.00-11.15 AM Registration Participants

11.15-11.30 AM Euromeeting 13th Edition in cooperation with NECSTouR

Experiences of the Regions and the Institutions associated with NECSTouR.

Open speech by:  

  • Mr Carlo Corazza, Head of Unit Tourism, Emerging and Creative Industries-DG GROWTH (tbc)
  • Mr Giancarlo Caratti di Lanzacco, Deputy Commissioner 
  • General for Expo Milano 2015. European Commission Joint Research Centre
  • Mr. Stefano Ciuoffo, Regional councilor of the Tuscany Region

11.30-12.15 PM Panel conductor, Mrs.Carlotta Ferrari, President of Convention Bureau, Italia.

  • Mr. Paolo Bongini, Tuscany Region (IT) Director of the Tourism department ”Governance Model to support Tourism Excellence in Europe: Toscana project showcase”
  • Mr. Patrick Torrent-Catalonia (ES), Executive Director of the Catalan Tourism Board “Culture of Food and Tourism in Catalonia” 
  • Ms. Anya Niewierra South Limburg (NL), Director General of the Tourist Board South Limburg, “A Region with Taste”

12.15-12.45 PM Presentation of the Grand Tour project "The Route of Flavours for the Promotion of European Identities", in collaboration with

the European Council and the NECSTouR network on sustainable food and wine tourism.

1.00-2.30 PM Lunch

2.30-4.15 PM Panel Conductor: Ms. Carlotta Ferrari, President of the Convention Bureau Italia

  • Ms. Manuela Hrvatin, Istria (HR) Senior expert associate for international projects, Administrative department for tourism, ISTRA INSPIRIT – “Travel through time”. 
  • Mr. Olle Jonäng, Västra Götaland (SE) Head of Office at the Brussels delegation “Food tourism in western Sweden”.
  • Mr. Emanuele Burioni, Emilia Romagna Region (IT ) Agency for the Promotion of Tourism, APT, “Food tourism in Emilia Romagna, Via Emilia - the food valley experience”. 
  • Mr. Malcolm Bell, Cornwall (UK) – Chief Executive - Visit Cornwall “Using gastronomy to deliver economic employment benefits and innovative training”.

4.15-5.00 PM

  • Mr. Maurizio Davolio, President of EARTH (European Alliance for Responsible Tourism and Hospitality) “Local products and traditional food in responsible tourism”.
  • Mr. Massimo Tedeschi, President of AEVF (European Association of the Via Francigena ) “The Via Francigena: cultural route of the European Council, a 2500 km route through minor sustainable tourism destinations”.
  • Representative of tourism SMEs - RegioneToscana

5.00-5.30 PM Final interventions 

REGISTER HERE TO THE EVENT OF 30/09

 

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Other related initiatives

  • On 28 March 2015, on the occasion of the EXPO Presentation in Florence - Palazzo Vecchio, event announcement (press release)
  • On 9 September 2015, press conference in Milan - Palazzo delle Stelline.

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More Information here (Tuscany website) and here (European Commission website)