Fashion or Necessity? EU Agencies in between EU Institutions and Member States

Project Leader

Target group
The seminar is aimed at officials and experts from Member
States and from EU institutions working with or at EU
agencies. Experts from NGOs and law firms are also welcome
to participate. Throughout the seminar there will be ample
room for discussion.
Description
This seminar will provide an overview of issues related
to (the establishment of) EU agencies. In many areas
discussions are going on about creating or (re-)forming EU
agencies. Where EU agencies – or agency-type structures
– already exist, there are often debates on whether more
or less “centralisation” is needed and whether their tasks
should be enlarged. Those involved in (re-) negotiations
about an EU agency face a range of thorny questions related
to political supervision, limits of independence, the role of
national authorities, network organisation, the extent of the
centralisation of tasks, etc. The seminar will address some of
the most pressing issues related to agencies and will cover,
among other things, the reasons for creating EU agencies,
the advantages of agencies, design issues (regarding
efficiency and control), differences between agencies, and
the difference between an EU agency and more networktype
arrangements. Moreover, we will review practical
experience that may be relevant for other policy fields.
Method
The seminar will be organised around presentations by
leading experts, workshops to gather experiences of
participants, and panel discussions. This approach will offer
the possibility to discuss the latest trends and will enable
experts and officials involved in different kinds of agency
structures to exchange views.
Objective
The objective of our activities on EU agencies is to provide a
forum for national officials, EU officials and representatives
of EU agencies to discuss the operations of EU agencies
and agency-type structures. We will discuss the added
value of EU agencies, explore trends in their design and
discuss experiences gained with this new EU policy-making
instrument.
Organisation
The seminar is part of a series of activities that EIPA
organises on EU agencies together with the Law Faculty of
the University of Maastricht.
Language
The conference will be conducted in English. Conference
Venue
The conference will take place in the Bordeaux conference
room (1.16) at the European Institute of Public Administration,
O.L. Vrouweplein 22, NL–6211 HE Maastricht, tel.: +31 43
3296 222, fax: +31 43 3296 296.
Fee
The participation fee is € 900 and includes documentation,
2 lunches, 1 dinner and refreshments. Accommodation and
travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their
administration.
Hotel
The European Institute of Public Administration will be
pleased to make reservations (at a special rate) for you at a
hotel in Maastricht. We have made a block booking at hotel
Beaumont**** (www.beaumont.nl), at a rate of ca. € 99,77
p.p.p.n., incl. breakfast and tourist tax. Should you wish to
make use of this possibility, please indicate the dates of
arrival and departure on the registration form. Payment is
to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking
out. Please note that if you register after the closing date,
hotel reservations cannot be guaranteed.
Meals
Lunches will take place at the Institute’s restaurant. Dinner
on Thursday evening will take place at a restaurant in
town. Should you require a special menu (e.g. vegetarian,
diabetic), please inform the Programme Organiser so that
this can be arranged.
Registration
Kindly complete the registration form and return it before
the closing date of 20 November 2009 to Ms Esther
Haenen, European Institute of Public Administration, O.L.
Vrouweplein 22, P.O. Box 1229, NL-6201 BE Maastricht, Tel.:
+31 43 3296246; Fax: +31 43 3296 296; E-mail: e.haenen@
eipa.eu You can also submit the online registration form: go
to www.eipa.eu and scroll down to Forthcoming Seminars
and Training Courses.
Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants
on receipt of the completed registration form.
Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation. Please indicate
the method of payment on the registration form. For
cancellations received after the closing date indicated on the
registration form we will have to charge an administration
fee of € 150 unless a replacement participant is found.