Target group
Regional, national and EU officials, as well as interested stakeholders. This one-week course on decision-making was developed with the needs of civil servants in mind.
However, it is equally suitable for other professional groups dealing with EU public affairs.
Description
Participants are given a comprehensive overview of European decision-making, following the legislative policy cycle, from initiation through decision-making, to implementation. The first stage examines how the Commission elaborates a proposal, with particular attention on impact assessment. This is followed by a review of internal procedures in the Council and Parliament, as well as interinstitutional negotiations.
Participants will learn to manage negotiations in a complex environment and will see the impact of bargaining and compromise-building on the policy process. To round off, the seminar will look at the policy implementation stage at the EU level. It will examine how the Commission may be empowered by the EU legislator to adopt measures at EU level, whether of a ‘quasi- legislative’ nature (delegated acts) or of a more technical nature where uniformity is required (implementing acts). The final session looks back at the entire policy
cycle, providing a comprehensive overview with regard to information and documentation management at the EU level, and from among myriad sources of information and registers of primary documents on EU policy- and decision-making.
Learning methodology
The course is based on presentations, case studies, exercises, simulation exercises and guided discussions.
It covers the entire policy cycle in one comprehensive course, not only encompassing the different stages (policy initiation, legislative decision-making, delegated and implementing acts), but also offering participants more in-depth knowledge about EU procedures with an insight into the kinds of skills and challenges involved in European negotiations.
Objectives
This comprehensive course will give participants a thorough and well-rounded view of the EU machinery, its institutions and decision-making procedures. By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to manage a European dossier through all the relevant stages of the EU policy process, from inception to implementation, as well as developing the personal skills to enable them to perform better when dealing with European affairs.
Seminar
Managing the EU Policy Cycle:
A Comprehensive One-Week Course on EU Decision-Making in Practice
Maastricht (NL), 29 June - 3 July 2015
European Institute of Public Administration Institut européen d’administration publique
Introduction
Programme
The objective of this course is to provide participants with a thorough understanding of how decisions are taken in the European Union (EU). It offers an insight into the challenges posed in the different phases of the EU policy cycle – initiation, decision-making, implementation and evaluation – through a combination of presentations, practical exercises, simulations and guided discussions.
MONDAY 29 JUNE 2015 The EU Policy Cycle
The first session introduces the different stages of the EU policy cycle against the background of the evolution of the European Union, from the Treaty of Rome to the Treaty of Lisbon. The remaining sessions examine in detail the first stage of the cycle – the initiation of policies. They cover programming and preparatory work in the Commission, as well as internal and external consultation procedures.
The final session is dedicated to impact assessment, combining a review of the principles of impact assessment with a practical case study.
08.50 Registration of participants
09.00 Welcome and introduction to the course Sabina Lange, Lecturer, Project Leader, EIPA 09.30 EU policy cycle: institutional and legislative framework
Theo Jans, Associate Professor, EIPA
10.30 Coffee break
11.00 Policy preparation in the European Commission 12.30 Lunch
14.00 The analytical steps of an impact assessment 15.15 Coffee break
15.45 Impact assessment: defining problems, objectives and policy options
17.15 End of the first day 17.30 Reception
TUESDAY 30 JUNE 2015
Decision-Making and Negotiations in the Council and in the European Parliament
The second and third day deal with the heart of EU decision-making: how the general rules applicable in the Union – now termed ‘legislative acts’ – are adopted on the
basis of the objectives laid down in the treaties, and how the legislators negotiate to adopt the acts. Day two first makes a link to the policy formulation stage treated on day one by examining the decision-making procedures and practices in the European Commission. It then proceeds by looking into the procedures and working methods in the European Parliament and in the Council. The last session of the day brings the three institutions together in the EU policy cycle, first with an overview of legislative procedures and then a detailed presentation of the ordinary legislative procedure, including examples of recent codecision cases to illustrate the ways in which the European Parliament and the Council can reach agreement at different stages.
09.00 Decision-making procedures in the European Commission
Theo Jans
10.30 Coffee break
11.00 Decision-making procedures in the European Parliament and in the Council
Edward Best, Head of Unit, EIPA Sabina Lange
12.30 Lunch
14.00 Decision-making procedures in the European Parliament and in the Council (cont.)
15.15 Coffee break
15.45 Legislative procedures: ordinary legislative procedure
Edward Best
17.15 End of the second day
17.30 Guided walking tour of the city of Maastricht
WEDNESDAY 1 JULY 2015
Legislative Decision-Making and Inter-Institutional Negotiations
Day three begins with the introduction to the simulation exercise of the ordinary legislative procedure. The participants then start working on a simulation exercise.
They will first, working in parallel groups, simulate decision-making in the Council (at Coreper level) and in the Committee in the European Parliament. After reaching an agreement on their respective mandates the delegations will negotiate between the Council and the European Parliament in an informal trilogue. The debriefing focuses on issues, process and actors in negotiations in codecision.
It concludes with a discussion on challenges posed for individual negotiators.
Programme
09.00 Decision-making in practice: introduction to the simulation game and preparation for the simulation game
Frank Lavadoux, Senior Lecturer, EIPA Sabina Lange
10.30 Coffee break
11.00 Decision-making in practice: simulation exercise (part 1)
12.15 Initial feedback and debriefing of the simulation exercise
12.45 Lunch
14.00 Decision-making in practice: simulation exercise (part. 2)
15.15 Coffee break
15.30 Debriefing of the simulation exercise and general discussion on co-decision in practice and next steps
17.15 End of the third day
20.00 Dinner at a restaurant in town
THURSDAY 2 JULY 2015 Implementation at EU Level
The fourth day is devoted to the last stage of the EU policy cycle: how the European Commission adopts binding acts to implement, or to adapt, EU legislative acts. It recalls the arrangements by which the Commission has consulted
“comitology” committees composed of representatives of the Member States, and explains the post-Lisbon system which has split these arrangements into two distinct categories of Delegated and Implementing Acts (Art. 290-291 TFEU). The legal differences between the two categories are presented, as well as the different institutional procedures by which they are adopted.
Participants are invited to look at particular cases in order to identify these differences. The seminar will update participants on how delegated and implementing acts work in practice and will provide a forum for discussion of the latest developments.
09.00 Introduction: from “comitology” to delegated and implementing Acts
Sabina Lange
10.30 Coffee break
11.00 Provisions for delegated and implementing acts in the legislative acts: workshop and debriefing
12.30 Lunch
14.00 The new world of delegated acts 15.00 Coffee break
15.15 Implementing acts: procedures and practice 16.45 Discussion: cases and issues
17.15 End of the fourth day
FRIDAY 3 JULY 2015 Information Sources
The final day looks at EU documentation sources, in order to assist the participants in their management of relevant EU information in the future. By pointing to information sources for each of the stages, it reflects back on the entire policy-making cycle and opens up questions for a concluding panel discussion on developments in EU policy processes.
09.00 EU information sources
Cosimo Monda, Senior Lecturer; Head of Information, Documentation, Publications and Marketing Services, EIPA
10.30 Coffee break
10.45 EU information sources (cont.)
12:00 Conclusions and summing up of the course Sabina Lange
12.30 Evaluation and end of the seminar
General Information
Programme
The programme will commence on Monday 29 June at 09.00 and will finish on Friday 3 July at 12.30. Registration of participants starts on Monday 29 June at 08.50.
Course venue
The course will take place at the European Institute of Public Administration, O.L. Vrouweplein 22, NL-6211 HE Maastricht, tel.: +31 43 32 96 222, fax: +31 43 32 96 296.
Working language
The seminar will be conducted in English.
Fee
The participation fee is €1600 and includes documentation, refreshments, four lunches, one reception, one dinner and a guided walking tour. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration.
EIPA offers its members a reduction of 10% off the registration fee. This reduction is available to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s member countries (i.e.
AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DK, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, ES, SE, UK) and civil servants working for an EU institution, body or agency. Officials of the EU institutions, bodies or agencies should enquire about applicable arrangements on the following website: http://lot6.eipa.
eu. If you are eligible for a discount, please tick the box in the registration form. Please note that reductions cannot be accumulated. For more information, please visit EIPA’s website: http://seminars.eipa.eu (FAQ - special discounts).
Hotel reservations
The European Institute of Public Administration has special price arrangements with a number of hotels. All hotels are within 10 minutes walking distance from EIPA.
Should you wish to make use of this possibility, please book directly via the links below. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. At the time of booking, please mention in the requested field the EIPA project number 1512402
• Bastion Hotel
www.bastionhotels.nl/en/eipa.html
• Townhouse Hotel
www.townhousehotels.nl/eipa
• Hotel Derlon
https://www.derlon.com/eipa
• Designhotel Maastricht – Hampshire Eden www.hampshire-hotels.com/eipa
Meals
Lunches, reception and dinner will be served 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 10 June 2015 to Ms Nicolette Brouwers, Programme Organiser, European Institute of Public Administration, P.O. Box 1229, NL-6201 BE Maastricht, tel.: +31 43 32 96 245, fax: +31 43 32 96 296, e-mail: [email protected] You can also submit the online registration form which can be found on EIPA’s website http://seminars.eipa.eu
Your name and address will be part of EIPA’s database for our mailing purpose only. If you do not want to be included in our mailing database, please tick the box on the registration form.
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 within 15 days before the activity begins, we will have to charge an administration fee of €150 unless a replacement participant is found.
Cancellation policy
EIPA reserves the right to cancel the seminar up to two weeks before the starting date. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, hotel, etc.).
For EIPA’s cancellation policy, please visit our website http://seminars.eipa.eu (FAQ - cancellation policy).
Registration Form
Your name and address will be part of EIPA’s database for our mailing purpose only.
Please tick if you do not want to be included in our mailing database.
As the number of seats is limited, please return the completed registration form before 10 June 2015 to:
Ms Nicolette Brouwers, European Institute of Public Administration, P.O. Box 1229, NL-6201 BE Maastricht, tel.: +31 43 32 96 245, fax: +31 43 32 96 296, e-mail: [email protected]
Managing the EU Policy Cycle: A Comprehensive One-Week Course on EU Decision-Making in Practice Maastricht (NL), 29 June - 3 July 2015
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Payment – 1512402
The fee includes participation in the seminar, documentation, four lunches, one reception, one dinner and
beverages and a guided walking tour
€1600
Discount of 10% (Please check first the conditions at http://seminars.eipa.eu (FAQ - special discounts))
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