UEF Interregional Conference in Turku
The Union of European Federalists and UEF Finland are organizing, in collaboration with JEF Europe and JEF Finland, the Interregional Conference in Turku (Finland), between 27 - 29 August with three events:
UEF Organisational development workshop for Nordic and Baltic countries (27th August)
Additionally, UEF invites you to join for the internal UEF capacity-building workshops on the 27th of August: the topics are “Increasing organisational capacity of the shared federalist family” and “Advocating for federalism in diverse national contexts”.
Session 1: Increasing organisational capacity of the shared federalist family
During this session, we would like to achieve closer cooperation between the UEF and JEF sections across the countries represented. The indicative schedule of the session is the following:
15:00 – Introduction & Welcome
- Welcome by UEF Finland
- Welcome by UEF Europe
15:10 – Boosting former JEF members’ engagement in UEF sections
- Presentation by UEF Finland (5 - 10 minutes): UEF sections as the alumni organisations of former JEFers: the Finnish model
- Open discussion & sharing experiences (20 minutes)
15:40 – Boosting cooperation between UEF and European Movement sections & Boosting cooperation between UEF sections
- Presentation by a participating section
- Open discussion & sharing experiences
16:00 – Short break
16:05 – Preparing country-specific action plans for the creation and strengthening of UEF sections
16:50 – Wrap-up & Conclusions
Session 2: Advocating for federalism in diverse national contexts
During this session, we would like to develop ways to bring European federalism to the public debate in our home countries. The goal of the session is to give the floor for sharing of experiences from individual countries, followed by discussion. The presentation topics are open for discussion together with the invitees. The indicative schedule of the session is the following:
17:00 – Presentation by UEF Europe: “Between pro-Europeanism and federalism – How to introduce federalism to the public debate”
- Open discussion
17:20 – Short presentations by participating sections: Arguing for federalism in my country’s public debate
- Short presentation
- Short presentation
17:40 – Short presentation by a participating section: Sharing good practices in ‘normalising’ federalism in the public debate
- Short presentation
18:00 – Short break
18:05 – Developing argumentation and communication strategies for promoting federalism
- Short presentation
- Short presentation
- Open discussion & Case studies
18:45 – Exploring key moments and opportunities for federalist activism during the 2024/29 legislative term
18:55 – Closing words
19:00 – Conclusion
Public Debate event (28th August, 11:00-11:45)
What: "European security: Common defence and a federal state as answers to the challenges of the 2020s?”
Where: The Little stage, Itäinen Rantakatu 14, 20800 Turku
When: Thursday 28 August, 11.00-11.45, UTC+3
Speakers:
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- Mika Aaltola, Member of the European Parliament (EPP, NCP)
- Lukas Mandl, Member of the European Parliament (EPP, Austria)
Moderator:
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- Iiris Asunmaa, Development Manager, City of Jyväskylä
Register for PRESENCE and ONLINE participations HERE
Join the livestreaming here: LINK
NOTE! The programme will be held in English.
Everyone will have the opportunity to attend various panel sessions taking place at the Turku Europe Forum, arranged by different organisations from Finland and beyond.
OTHERS SESSIONS OF THE EUROPEAN FORUM TO ATTEND
| Thursday 28 August | ||
| 08:30 – 11:00 | Attending Turku Europe Forum events, for example:
● 8:30 - 9:15: “Finland 30 Years in the European Union”, featuring Prime Minister Petteri Orpo ● 10:00 - 10:45: “Europe in the New World Order” |
Turku City Theatre (Itäinen Rantakatu 14) |
| 11:00 – 11:45 | UEF Finland’s stage session: “European security: a common defence and a federal response to the challenges of the 2020s?” | Turku City Theatre (Itäinen Rantakatu 14) – Little Stage |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch | Viides Näyttämö (Itäinen Rantakatu 14) |
| 13:00 – 14:15 | Attending other sessions of the Turku Europe Forum, for example:
● 13:00 - 14:15: “Does security bring investments?” (Co-organised by Finnish Energy, UEF Finland’s partner for the river boat gathering) |
Turku City Theatre (Itäinen Rantakatu 14) |
| 14:30 – 15:15 | JEF Finland’s stage session: “Education as a solution for EU competitiveness” | Turku City Theatre (Itäinen Rantakatu 14) – The Nook (Sopukka) |
| 15:15 – 17:00 | Attending other sessions of the Turku Europe Forum, for example:
● 15:30 - 16:15: “Mind the Gap - How Can We Close the Innovation Gap by New Tech Policy?” ● 16:30 - 17:15: “Future EU and challenges for the next decades” |
Turku City Theatre (Itäinen Rantakatu 14) |
| 17:00 – 21:00 | Federalist gathering at the river boat & dinner | River Boat: Cindy (Itäinen Rantakatu 19)
Dinner: TBC |
| Friday 29 August | ||
| 09:00 – 12:30 | Attending the Turku Europe Forum, for example:
● 9:00 - 10:00: Panel debate with Finnish MEPs ● 10:15 - 11:00: Commission Vice-President Virkkunen: Towards a new era for the EU ● 11:30 - 12:15: The EU’s partnerships in an era of predatory superpowers (featuring Jutta Urpilainen, former EU Commissioner) |
Turku City Theatre (Itäinen Rantakatu 14) |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch & departures | TBC |
| 13:30 | Optional: Sightseeing in Turku | Departure together from the lunch venue |
Federalist Evening gathering at a river boat (28th August, 17:00-21:00)
After the panel debate, welcome to our traditional Federalist terrace on 29 August at 17:00
We will meet at the Riverboat Cindy for relaxed discussions, light cocktails and networking.
The event is open to all, and a chance to learn more about the European Federalist movement.
The event is co-hosted with Energiateollisuus and you can join directly from the Europe Forum.
Information Kit for International Participants
REPORT
Turku Forum Event organized by UEF and UEF Finland (Start 1:17:51 - 2:01:55)