Agenda

The European Institute of Romania (EIR) organises a new debate within the online series entitled European News in the Spotlight which has the objective of informing the general public about the importance that the Council of the European Union has in coordinating the policies of the Member States in specific areas, bringing into debate topics that are priorities on the agenda of the current Presidency.

The event is organised in partnership with the Embassy of Romania to Sweden and will take place on Thursday, 23 March 2023, online format (Zoom platform), between 14:00 – 16:00 (UTC/GMT+1 hour), with the topic “Restoring the EU Competitiveness: Challenges and opportunities in the context of the twin green & digital transition”.

Representatives of European and national institutions, research organisations and academia from Romania and other EU’s Member States, civil society, mass media etc. will take part in the event. The debate will be conducted in English. Please find the agenda here.

Participation to the event is possible by filling in the registration form until 21^st of March at the latest. Please note that our Zoom account supports a limited amount of participants and the login details will be sent only to the registered participants.

CONTEXT

Since its creation in 1993, the single market has helped to make everyday life easier for people and businesses, fuelling jobs and growth across the EU. In the aftermath of the pandemic crisis and the war against Ukraine, the Council of the EU, through its three Presidencies – France, the Czech Republic and Sweden, aimed at enabling the Union to overcome the economic and social shocks. The actions supporting this objective were: fully implementing the recovery and resilience plans, strengthening the EU’s resilience, competitiveness and convergence, and ensuring an optimum economic policy coordination.

The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU seeks to promote a common approach regarding European competitiveness given that the economic future of the Union is going to be decided by the European competitiveness and resilience. Starting from this, it is important the EU continues to provide the best possible conditions for a sound and open economy based on free competition, private investments and successful digitalisation.

MAIN DISCUSSION TOPICS

• Incentives and strategic directions for favouring the growth of the European economy and job creation.
• The impact of the single market on the EU’s industrial policy, in terms of competitiveness and productivity.
• The importance of value chains for the short- and medium-term improvement of productivity and for stimulating competitiveness.
• A stronger focus on innovation and digitalisation, by investing in infrastructure and improving the citizens’ skills (2023 – European Year of Skills).
• Recommendations on increasing Europe’s international competitiveness in goods and services, in key areas such as energy and digital transformation.

Representatives of the European and national institutions, research organisations and academia, civil society, mass media, etc. will take part in the event.

Learn more here.

The course Data Protection: Refresher and Advanced Course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts and Hands-on Module will allow you to immerse yourself in one week solely dedicated to data protection issues. These two modules will provide you with substantial knowledge in the field of data protection as well as practical knowledge on how to apply it, in the form of interactive workshops.

You can choose to book only:

• Data Protection: Refresher and Advanced course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts – if you want to renew your DPO certification
• Data Protection: Hands-on module – if you do not want to renew your DPO certification but only want to complement your knowledge with practical ‘on the job’ workshops

Module 1 – Refresher and Advanced Course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts (27-29 March)

We believe in constantly updating professional knowledge, particularly in the field of data protection. In a time of unprecedented challenges posed by ever-evolving technologies and different ways to use personal data, continuous learning and updating your expertise is crucial.

The data protection officer (DPO) is a key element of accountability in every organisation as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) And Regulation 2018/1725 (EUDPR). However, the expectations and knowledge required for the DPO are multifaceted. That requires not only mastering the GDPR or the EUDPR, but also being familiar with practical aspects of ensuring secure personal data processing and responding to data breaches.

This is why a multifaceted approach in delivering this Refresher and Advanced Course for DPOs and Data Protection Experts course is paramount. Experts and practitioners at the forefront of data protection will guide you along the legal framework of the European data protection legislation, while elaborating on some of the most pressing privacy-related issues that have emerged in the context of the pandemic.

This course is designed to help you to refresh and update your data protection knowledge. Concrete examples regarding the data protection legislative framework, analysis of the new CJEU case law, guidelines from the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) as well as relevant and realistic case studies will help you to refine your expertise and deepen your understanding of your duties and responsibilities. You will be able to benefit from the knowledge of the trainers to support the performance of your daily tasks, make it easier to deal with challenging and complex issues in a structured way, and take decisions that are pragmatic, but still compliant.

Module 2 – Hands-on Module (30-31 March)

User-generated data and the exponential industrial value of data is increasing every day. Therefore, putting together a formal set of data protection policies and procedures is essential, regardless of the size of your company or the sector it operates within. This significant step in data protection compliance is crucial to ensuring your business is built to protect the information you process on employees, customers, partners and all other parties whose data may come into your possession. Lastly, it is crucial to put in place safeguards after experiencing a data breach.

Do you need practical knowledge on how to deal with data protection related issues? Are you in doubt about how to implement requirements set out in the GDPR or EUDPR in your organisation? Do you have the knowledge but lack practical experience in the data protection field?

This course is designed to provide practical, hands-on experience to complement your existing knowledge in the field of data protection. The hands-on module is primarily focused on enhancing the day-to-day work of DPOs and anyone working in the field of data protection. You will benefit from the trainers’ knowledge and practical experience by participating in the interactive workshops.

The hands-on module is an extraordinary opportunity to put your data protection knowledge into practice. This course employs a methodology focused on practical workshops that will be moderated by practitioners in the field. The workshops will use various simulations that will allow you to learn by doing.

Should you be interested in participation in this course remotely, please contact us.

What will you learn:

• How to deal with controllers’ expectations and manage diverging objectives in the business environment (stakeholder management);
• How to ensure data protection by design and by default in a fast-changing digital and legal environment;
• How to assess data protection compliance and how it is interlinked with IT security;
• Risk analysis and management;
• How to assess issues related to personal data transfers;
• What actions to take in case of personal data breaches;
• How to implement controls;
• The tasks and responsibilities of the DPO;
• How to audit an ICT provider;
• The difference between anonymisation, pseudo-anonymisation and encryption;
• How to conduct a data protection impact assessment;
• What is a data processing agreement and its practical implications;
• How to counter opposition from the rest of the organisation – a view from the DPO perspective;
• How to ensure data protection compliant migration to a cloud computing service provider;
• How to draft a data breach protocol and effectively raise awareness;
• How to act after a significant data breach, including audit and lessons learnt.

Course methodology/highlights:

We believe that practical know-how is the key to effective learning. This course therefore includes:

• Individual preparation for the course – you are invited to bring along any information about the mission, vision, values and data protection (GDPR and EUDPR) framework and governance within your organisation for case study;
• Group and individual assignments;
• Practical exercises on DPO roles and responsibilities;
• An interactive approach: the module’s structure will give you the opportunity to ask questions and share and discuss experiences, knowledge, needs and challenges with the trainers and other participants;
• There will be time for note-taking on what you learn, so you can apply it to your own situation.

NB: The successful completion of Module 1 of the course will renew your DPO certification.

Learn more here.

The European Legal Studies Department is holding its annual conference on the topic  “The Impact of War (in Ukraine) on the EU” in Bruges on 27 and 28 March 2023.

The war in Ukraine is having a profound and wide-ranging political and legal impact on the European Union, both in external and internal terms. This conference will analyze - from a legal perspective, while taking due account of the political dimension - the effects that the war has already had in shaping and changing EU law and policy, and will reflect on what developments can be expected in the near, medium-term and longer-term future for the process of European integration in general (institutional, constitutional) terms, and for specific policy areas (such as energy, trade and ENP policy).

This is an in person event only; prior registration (click link) is required by 21 March 2023 8:00 a.m.

The registration fee is 50,00€ for all external participants (includes sandwich lunch), except for students and PhD researchers (attendance free upon prior registration).

For more information, contact valerie.hauspie@coleurope.eu.

Learn more here.

Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine has ended the post-Cold War European security order, creating a new reality in the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood. In a historical decision in June 2022, the EU granted candidate status to Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia – subject to addressing key reforms. This decision highlights the need for an upgraded Eastern Partnership (EaP), which includes a new security component and supports domestic reforms, resilience, and connectivity in the entire region. Russia’s role as the key security actor in the region, providing stability to authoritarian regimes, is diminishing. The security balance in regional conflict zones like Nagorno Karabakh and Transnistria is being reshuffled, thus making a new EU approach necessary.

The event will bring together key policymakers and think tankers from both the EU member states and Eastern partners to discuss the future of the EU enlargement and EaP policies in light of the ongoing developments. We will begin with high-level inputs from the European Commission, the European Eastern Action Service (EEAS), and the Swedish EU Presidency, followed by two panel discussions. The first panel will focus on the future of the EU enlargement and Eastern Partnership policies, while the second will address the issue of security and the EU’s role as a peace actor.

The event is organized within the framework of DGAP’s Think Tank Network on the Eastern Partnership and will be held in English. Please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the workshop. You will also find the agenda attached to this email.

Learn more here.

Knowledge sharing in organisations can take place in multiple directions such as horizontally (among colleagues at the same level of the hierarchy) and vertically (among the different levels of hierarchy such as knowledge flow from top to bottom or bottom to top).

Often, the immediate leaders can influence knowledge sharing within all these directions by developing a conducive or obstructive environment. How leaders interact and transmit trust within the organisation will help to deploy an efficient knowledge management culture, of openness and transparency.

What will the round-table cover?

• Knowledge sharing in organisations;
• Various factors that can affect knowledge sharing, including interpersonal trust, organisational culture, organisational support, and rewards;
• The role of leaders in promoting knowledge sharing;
• How employees who follow their leaders can contribute to and enhance the knowledge-sharing culture within an organisation.

Learn more here.

This course will cover the following crucial topics, as the notion of State aid; State aid procedures: notified aid, unlawful aid (recovery), misuse of aid and existing aid; the compatibility of State aid; the Block Exemption Regulations and the horizontal and sectoral aid rules.

Accordingly, it will focus on the concept of State aid; the crucial judgments of the CJUE on State aid; the European Commission’s enforcement priorities; the revision of State aid instruments; the enforcement of State aid rules by national courts.

What will you learn:

Participants will learn about the basic principles of EU State aid policy; latest developments on State aid rules; recent case law of the CJUE and enforcement of State aid rules by a national court.

Course methodology/highlights:

The course sessions will be delivered by experts with a presentation on key topics. These will be followed by periods of Q & A allowing for the exchange of ideas, and discussions where participants will have the opportunity to share professional experiences.

Participants will have the opportunity to test their knowledge on enforcement of EU State aid rules through workshops and interactive presentations.

Learn more here.

The course will provide an up-to-date overview of the current rules and developments in European public procurement based on the public procurement directive (Directive 2014/24/EU) and the directive on the award of concession contracts (Directive 2014/23/EU). The public procurement directive will be examined in detail, covering the scope, procedures, rules on public contracts, contract performance and specific procurement regimes, and its practical development in the last years. The course will also address key issues in the use of competitive dialogue and the competitive procedure with negotiation. It will cover PPP/private finance, indicating where PPP are being used and when they work best for financing infrastructure projects.

This seminar is part of the programme for obtaining the EIPA’s European Certification for public procurement professionals. See more information here.

Course methodology/highlights:

The course includes case analysis, debates, and exercises, with plenty of interactive sessions. Participants would benefit from reading the Directives covered in the programme prior to the course.

Learn more here.

This course aims to provide an overview of how personal data protection affects the healthcare sector, from legal frameworks to current challenges. Module I will provide you with the basic principles of personal data protection under the GDPR about the healthcare environment.

Module II will provide an insight into the current European legal framework surrounding healthcare and data protection, like the proposed Regulation on the European Health Data Space and the Clinical Trials Regulation, which just came into force in 2022. A closer look at the challenges and opportunities facing the healthcare sector with regards to data protection, in particular the recent challenges faced, the complexities of data protection in clinical trials and research, the role of cybersecurity in protecting patients’ privacy.

What will you learn:

Module I:

• A refresher of the basic principles of data protection in relation to the healthcare sector
• GDPR principles and legal bases – different purposes in clinical trials, what health data is and how to tackle data retention
• GDPR obligations – transparency, records of processing activities and documentation system, international data flows in EU and global multi-centre trials
• Risk assessments and the DPIA – methodology and operational phases, data protection by design and default in the health research process, interactions with individuals e.g. data protection notice and consent, data subjects’ rights
• Interactions with third parties – roles of actors in the GDPR and healthcare sector: data controllers, data processors, data subjects, DPOs, sponsors, CROs, CRAs, investigators, monitors, laboratory, ethical committee
• GDPR compliance in relations with third parties
• The role of data security in the healthcare sector – the principle of adequacy, focus on anonymisation, pseudonymisation and cryptography, the data breach management process.

Module II:

• Data localisation
• Recent challenges to data sharing and data protection in the healthcare sector – COVID19, increased digitalisation
• Clinical Trials Regulation and the GDPR – the relations and prevalence between the two disciplines, with a focus on consent to treatment and to data processing
• Regulation on the European Health Data Space – explanation of the proposal, how it revolutionises the potential of health data, how it will benefit citizens, how it will benefit researchers on the one side and the critique by the EDPB/EDPS on the other side
• Technical tools applied to the management health data – app, telemedicine, e-signature, CCTV, medical device
• Artificial Intelligence in the Healthcare Sector – AI proposal and state of the art artificial intelligence

Course methodology/highlights:

We believe that practical know-how is the key to effective learning. This course therefore includes:

• Individual preparation for the course – you are invited to bring along any information about the mission, vision, values and data protection framework and governance within your organisation for case study;
• Group and individual assignments;
• An interactive approach: the module’s structure will give you the opportunity to ask questions and share and discuss experiences, knowledge, needs and challenges with the trainers and other participants;
• There will be time for note-taking on what you learn, so you can apply it to in your daily work and to your organisation

Learn more here.

New Structural and Cohesion Funds programmes for the period 2021-2027 have now been agreed and are being implemented. Many Member States are still setting up monitoring systems and writing Evaluation Plans for the new period. Are Member States clear about what the New Regulations say about the new monitoring and evaluation requirements?

Many Programme Authorities continue to conduct evaluations of their 2014-2020 programmes and projects, as well as planning evaluations for the 2021-2027 period. Are Managing Authorities collecting the best possible monitoring and evaluation data? Are they clear about how to measure the impact of interventions and what evaluation methods to use – theory-based or counterfactual?

Member State Recovery and Resilience Fund plans are being implemented rapidly. How do their monitoring procedures and data needs differ from Cohesion Policy?

What you will learn?

This is a webinar over 3 days (mornings and afternoons). We will examine:

• monitoring requirements, choice of programme indicators, data challenges and the Performance Framework. A Czech Ministry official will assess the lessons learnt from 2014-2020 and the implications of the new requirements for programmes in 2021-2027.
• Programme and Reporting templates for the new Structural Funds programmes, highlighting the special link between finance and performance, and how will you report programme progress.
• How the RRF plans in Member states will be monitored and evaluated
• how to prepare an Evaluation Plan for the new period. Managing authorities must submit these Plans to Monitoring Committees within a year of programme approval. A leading evaluation consultant-economist will help us plan realistic evaluations – ones that are useful for evaluation stakeholders. We will focus on the timing of evaluation studies, the choices for project or programme evaluations on the ground, and consider the implications for data gathering.
• how to manage evaluation studies, including preparation of the Terms of Reference, aspects of fieldwork, and typical live issues for your current / planned evaluations.

How we work

Break-out groups, mini-workshops, exercises and videos will be used to develop simulations of essential elements of monitoring systems and evaluation plans, in order to provide a clear view of good practice in the key disciplines involved.

Learn more here.

Knowledge management (KM) is becoming increasingly important in the public service.

Civil servants in charge of effective service delivery, and ensuring knowledge sharing and talent management within and across teams, know how crucial it is to have quick access to relevant information, knowledge and expertise. Those with pressure to meet delivery objectives know how essential it is to retain the knowledge of colleagues who are leaving, and to onboard new colleagues effectively with systematic learning from their peers.

Covid-19 has forced institutions at all levels to switch to remote working, and this ‘new normal’ is here to stay. This poses new challenges for collaboration and sharing knowledge virtually. The fast initial adoption of quick and provisional tools has turned into the loss of efficiency and frustration among employees and stakeholders. We all have realised that tools are important, but a successful migration also requires leadership, clear guidelines and real commitment. Knowledge managers become the new strategists, where they need to develop and implement knowledge management strategies and action plans adapted to this new era of digitalisation.

The course will provide a sound understanding of the knowledge management and talent management concept; you will learn to apply proven tools and how to implement KM in your teams and in your organisation. Many best practice examples of KM in public institutions will inspire you.

The course will be based on the Knowledge Management Toolkit elaborated by our external expert Dr Klaus North for the European Commission. Furthermore, the experience of the UK Civil Service in linking KM and TM will be presented by our expert John Murphy. Other members of the team will explain different experiences and practices in different public organisations.

What will you learn:

• You will be able to discuss the stages for development of a conceptual KM framework, building up strategies and plans for implementing it.
• You will learn best practices from real examples and design training and intervention programmes for efficient knowledge transfer between generations. Each session will have a theoretical component, followed by interactive activities. Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on real-life examples and supported group work.

Course methodology/highlights:

After the introduction to KM and TM, participants perform a self-assessment and discuss typical challenges. Based on this  they learn what are effective tools and practices, both with exercises and in an interactive workshop setting.

EIPA presents the Practitioners Toolkit of the European Commission with the contribution of the authors of the guide.

EIPA explains and assists, in a very practical and interactive manner, in the use of the toolkit. We divide the package into different sets, which reflect the key steps in implementing KM in a cycle of continuous improvement and learning.

The second day is then devoted to learning from good practices and  implementing those practices in the respective organisations.

Combining the different modules in the programme, your organisation will develop its organisational capabilities to apply the most effective KM and TM tools.

Learn more here.

A one-week interactive journey through the life of EU-funded projects, from programming to project design, proposal writing, budgeting, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Through detailed case studies and exercises on key project design and management tools, this training course provides a thorough understanding of essential techniques for successful, results-oriented and cost-effective management of EU projects

Learn more here.

This specialised and practical training programme introduces the purpose of Monitoring and Evaluation and useful practices; providing participants with an in-depth understanding of the main principles and techniques of monitoring and evaluation of EU-funded projects. The programme includes an overview of the main procedures for effective M&E and its main actors.

Learn more here.

The aim of the seminar is to offer railway related organizations an annual seminar of two weeks on the latest developments within the railway sector on European level. Participants get the unique opportunity to work for two weeks in an international environment, to set up a network among colleagues from all European countries and think about the changes within their sector, as well on national as on international level.

Learn more here.

The Intensive Seminar on the European Union is a three-, two- or one-week training programme providing professionals with in-depth knowledge and practical skills on EU decision-making and policies. Participants can choose between three different programmes, depending on their prior level and experience in EU affairs: Full-immersion, Advanced, and Booster!

Learn more here.

This course provides participants with the key tools to understand and learn about the fundamental pillars of the EU Energy policy, from its governance and internal elements, to its global and multi-sectoral dimension. It identifies the key Energy components in the European Green Deal, the latest applicable legislation derived from the Fit for 55 package, the obligations for public administrations and private actors, as well as the funding instruments to achieve a transition based in Research & Innovation

Learn more here.

This executive training programme provides its participants a deep understanding of the latest developments on EU competition law and the essential tools necessary to master legal complexities and overcome challenges at work. Through detailed case studies and in-depth economic and legal analysis, The College’s EU Competition Law training course is focusing on practical aspects as well as substantive law.

Learn more here.

The Competition Policy and High-Tech Markets course serves for participants to understand how competition policy can be an effective tool to further the objective of a Digital Single Market in the European Union, promoting competitive markets, fostering innovation, and generally enhancing market efficiency to the benefits of European consumers. Participants will discuss the role of algorithms in cartels and in abuse of dominance cases, as well as the treatment of online markets in merger control.

Learn more here.