At the session, participants will discuss the role of the Forum of Adriatic and Ionian Cities in the Adriatic macro-region, moreover, considerations will be given to the future of the European Union through the project "Europe 2020", while in three roundtables, the participants will address the three key challenges to local self-government : "The quality of public services: ICT and e-Government at local level", "Competitiveness in local economies: how cities by implementing benefits can assist entrepreneurs" and "Conservation and valorisation of cultural heritage : new employment possibilities".
On behalf of the City of Rijeka, the following participants will take part in the roundtables: the Rijeka vice-mayor Miroslav Matešić, the head of the City Department of Development, Urban Planning, Ecology and Land Administration Srđan Škunca and Ivica Nikolac on behalf of the City of Rijeka IT Institute.
At the Forum, the City of Rijeka presents all the international projects it has taken part to date, like for instance, E Munis or GeRiT and a number of e-services provided by the City of Rijeka, such as the software solution owing to which traffic wardens in less than a minute after spotting a car parked in a prohibited area, can issue a notice or a penal order and projects such as the School Info Centre and SMS services for entrepreneurs. A particular emphasis has been put on the project EGOV4U, whereby the city seeks to enable socially disadvantaged citizens access to e-services which the City of Rijeka will implement in co-operation with a number of European cities. Participants of the Forum were very interested in our experiences and they would like to exchange experiences and establish co-operation, it was therefore proposed that some projects implemented in Rijeka be on the agenda of the next Forum session.
On Friday 22 October 2010, elections for a new president, vice-president, Management Board and General Secretary will be held in the course of the session, since the two-year term of office of the Forum leaders expires this year.
The representatives of more than 20 cities situated on the Adriatic cost and the Ionian cost participate in the work of the Forum, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, the National Central Office for e-Croatia, the representatives of European associations of cities etc. The Forum of Adriatic and Ionian cities was set up in Ancona in 1999. The Forum gathers about 50 cities from the following seven countries bordering the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea : Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Italy and Slovenia.
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