European Development Days, Stockholm - Main contents
| date | October 22, 2009 09:00 - October 24, 2009 |
|---|---|
| city | Stockholm, Sweden |
| location | Stockholm, Sweden  |
| attending | J.M. (José) Barroso i, J.F. (Fredrik) Reinfeldt i, K.L.G.E. (Karel) De Gucht i, D. (Dominique) Strauss-Kahn i et al. |
| organisation | European Commission (EC) i |
The news:
The 4th edition of European Development Days (EDDs), Europe’s foremost platform for policy discussion and exchange on global challenges in all key areas, will be held this year in Stockholm.
Between Davos and Porto Alegre, it brings together about 5°000 participants from 125 countries and 200 speakers: heads of government, international organizations officials and private sector and civil society representatives. Amongst them this year: Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, Fredrik Reinfeldt, Prime Minister of Sweden, Morgan Tsvangirai, Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, IMF Managing Director, Karel de Gucht, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, George Soros, business man and chairman Open Society Institut, Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Prize winner, economist and founder of Grameen Bank and Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International and Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International.
The debates are organized during 5 plenary sessions and 25 events. 150 exhibition stands are gathered in the "Development Village". Award ceremonies also take place (including the Lorenzo Natali Prize for journalism and the Development Youth Prize) and outreach activities are organized in Stockholm city centre.
The background:
This year’s EDDs falls one month after the G-20 Leaders meeting in Pittsburgh, two weeks after the IMF-World Bank meeting in Istanbul and six weeks before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Moreover, it comes just after the 7 th World Forum on Sustainable Development in Ouagadougou, which aims to define African leaders' position for Copenhagen. It may also be useful to revisit this theme, which was the centrepiece of Development Days 2007 in Lisbon.
Against this backdrop, the 2009 edition will focus on the global response to the economic downturn and climate change, as well as on the challenges of democracy and development. The opening/closing ceremonies as well as the side events and outreach programme are a chance to engage EU citizens on development issues.
The events:
Thursday 22 October
13.15: Press conference
19.00: Natali Prize Ceremony
Friday 23 October
13.15: Press conference
Saturday 24 October
9 am: Plenary session: Climate change, The road to Copenhagen
13.15: Press conference
Available on EbS
Contents
The European Commission is the executive body of the EU and runs its day-to-day business. It is made up of the College of Commissioners, 27 European Commissioners, one for each member state, who are each responsible for one or several policy areas. In addition, the 'Commission' also refers to the entire administrative body that supports the Commissioners, consisting of the Directorates-General and the Services.
The European Commission is the sole EU body capable of proposing new legislation. The Commission also performs an oversight function, monitoring whether European legislation is properly implemented in the member states. In the event of non-compliance, the Commission can coerce a member state to comply by starting a legal procedure at the European Court of Justice.