2006

A workshop of the USLRRE on the subject of "Immigration and Integration Policies"; took place on 2 December 2006 in Lleida in Spain. Speakers included:

Elviro ARANDA ÁLVAREZ, Member of the Spanish National Parliament, Coordinator of the Federal Group on Immigration of the PSOE
Mohammed CHAIB AKHDIM, Member of the Catalan Parliament
Hans SPIGT, Alderman of the city of Dordrecht
Nurten YILMAZ, Member of the Regional Parliament and Councillor of Vienna, Spokesperson for Integration policies of the Vienna SPÖ

On 11. June 2006 a meeting of the Bureau and a workshop on « Cross-Border Co-Operation » took place in Szczecin in Poland. Speakers included Grzegorz NAPIERALSKI, Secretary General of the SLD, and Boguslaw LIBERADZKI, MEP.

2005

A meeting of the Bureau and a workshop on « Rural Development » took place in the Jean Jaurès Foundation in Paris on 15 October 2005. Speakers included Fréderic SCANVIC, Director general of the French Socialist Party (PS), Maurice BRAUD, Director of the International Secretariat of the PS and Michel Thauvin, Vice President of the Jean Jaurès Foundation. The Bureau adopted a resolution on the subject of the workshop.

In June 2005 a workshop on the subject of the « EU Services Directive » took place in the European Parliament in Brussels at the invitation of Marc TARABELLA, MEP and Deputy Secretary General of the USLRRE. Speakers included several Members of the European Parliament and the Secretary General of CEMR Jeremy SMITH. In a resolution the USLRRE underlined its rejection of the proposal of the EU-Commission for a EU Services Directive.

2003

In Luxembourg in December 2003 the Bureau adopted the manifesto of the USLRRE for the European elections in 2004. This manifesto with the title «United in their diversity: the local authorities are Europe’s strength» includes the common positions in key areas of local government and the political priorities upon which socialist local and regional representatives in Europe will especially focus in the coming years. Socialist local and regional representatives from a total of 16 European countries have participated in the preparatory conferences of the USLRRE leading to these common positions, in a process underway since 2001. A conference on the topic of «Combining career and family» was also held in Luxembourg; the Bureau adopted a resolution on this subject. Speakers included Jean ASSELBORN, Chairman of the Socialist Party of Luxembourg (LSAP) and Lucien LUX, Secretary General of the LSAP.

2002

On 7 December 2002, a conference of the USLRRE was held in Budapest, at the invitation of Left Local Government Community in Hungary (BÖK) and the Socialist Party of Hungary (MSZP), on the topic «The Enlargement of the European Union and Local Government and the Convention on the Future of Europe». The speakers included the host, Mónika LAMPERTH, Vice President of the MSZP and the USLRRE and Hungarian Minister of the Interior as well as the President of the MSZP and Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs László KOVÁCS. Along with some 120 Hungarian local representatives, delegations from 11 European countries – including representatives from Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania – took part. In a resolution adopted on the previous day, the Bureau of the USLRRE underscored its demand that the EU Convention take greater account of the interests of local and regional authorities.

«Immigration and Integration Politics» was the focus subject for the conference and the meeting of the Bureau held on June 2002 in Mataró (Spain). The Bureau passed a resolution on this subject.

2001

In October 2001 the Bureau was re-elected in London. Furthermore a conference on languages took place in London Newham. Speakers included Stephen TIMMS M.P. Minister for School Standards (UK) and Robert EVANS MEP (UK).

Sustainable development was the main subject of the the Bureau meeting in Cascais (Portugal) in June 2001. A resolution on this subject was adopted in the meeting of the Executive Bureau in February 2002 in Brussels.

2000

In Rome in October 2000 the Bureau prepared a draft resolution on the European Commission's communication on «Services of general interest in Europe» of 20 September 2000. The Executive Bureau adopted a resolution on this subject in it's meeting on 20 April 2001 in Brussels.

In July 2000 the Bureau met in Vienna to express solidarity with Austrian colleagues and passed a resolution on the political situation in Austria.

The Executive Bureau met in Paris on 10 March 2000 and adopted a resolution on the subject of the extraordinary European summit in Lisbon on 23 and 24 March 2000 «Economic reforms and social cohesion: for a Europe of innovation and knowledge».

1999-1998

In the meeting of the Bureau in Berlin in November 1999 the Bureau of the USLRRE was elected.

A manifesto of the Union of Socialist Local and Regional Representatives in Europe which was presented in the setting of the campaign of Socialists for the elections to the European Parliament in 1999, at a conference in Paris on 25 April 1999. Speakers included Francois HOLLANDE and Sir Albert BORE.

In 1999 and 1998 the USLRRE organised a series of conferences whose themes were as follows:

• «Cooperation between Social Democrats in Europe» - February 1999 - London (United Kingdom).

• «Local democracy and the possibilities of participation in Europe» - February 1999 Lausanne (Switzerland).

• «The future of the public service at the local level in Europe and the municipalities' contribution in the struggle against unemployment » - December 1998 - Seville (Spain).

• «The future of local finances in Europe» - November 1998 - Vienna (Austria).

• «A social democratic approach to the renewal of the local politics. New approaches to Europe» - February 1998 - Frankfurt (Germany).