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Monday, 03 June 2013

The Conclusions of the International Humboldt-Kolleg Conference

The concepts of transparency and solidarity must transpire from every reform of the public administration, according to the conclusions of the International Humboldt-Kolleg Conference on the topic "State Reform for a Better Europe". The Conference took place on 30 and 31 May at the premises of the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) in Athens and Sounion respectively, with the participation of scholars from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Greece. 

On the first day, the need for solidarity between the State-members of the European Union was expressed. Specifically, Professor Werner Meng (Universität des Saarlandes) argued that in Germany the opinion exists that solidarity must be set as the basis for the programmes of financial assistance, since without solidarity, no solution can be found for the State-members, under the premise of developing a single economic policy.

In answer to the question "What form of State does the European Union require?", Professor Matthias Ruffert (Universität Jena) stated that the European Union is a democracy at a supranational level, while he further argued that based on the model of the European Union, it is not the State which governs everything, but the power of States.

On the second day of the Conference, the conversation focused on renewable sources of energy and the reforms in this specific sector, as well as the need for transparency in the public administration, in order to ensure trust and creation of possibilities for development.

The prospects for Greece are foreseen as positive, according to Professor Ekkehard Hofmann (Universität Würzburg), in the areas of tourism and agricultural development, as well as in the field of energy. In addition, the Professor proposed that Greece utilize the assistance and the experience of Germany, as concerns the possibility of changing the sources of energy to renewable ones.

Regarding the law and the legislative procedures, the opinion for the Europeanization of national legal systems and the formation of a supranational European law aiming at a better Europe was discussed.

The conference was co-organized by the EPLO, the Institute for Studies in Competition Law and Policy (IMEDIPA), the Research Institute of Procedural Studies, the Griechischer Humboldt-Club Athens and the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural Law, and was sponsored by theAlexander von Humboldt foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The Conference was dedicated to the memory of the Professor of Public Law of the University of Athens, Ioannis Anastopoulos (1942-1997).

The minutes of the Conference will be released shortly from the Editions Department of the European Public Law Organization.