Yesterday, the President of NALAS, Mr. Anton Persak, attended a dinner with the Vice-President and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), organized by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) in the European Parliament in Brussels.

As part of the CEMR's Presidency, Mr. Persak took part in the presentation and discussion of the Manifesto adopted by local and regional governments on 2 December 2013 in Prague. The dinner was also used to raise awareness of MEPs on certain issues and opportunities presented in the Manifesto and outlined in its key messages.

Mr. Oldřich Vlasák, the Vice President of the European Parliament and Ms. Annmarie Jorritsma, CEMR President had their welcoming addresses, while the CEMR Secretary General, Mr. Frederic Vallier presented the Manifesto.

During his visit to Brussels, Mr. Persak also had an official meeting with Mr. Gerhard Schumann-Hitzler, Director, IPA Strategy, European Commission. At the meeting, discussed were the newly adopted SEE 2020 Strategy and NALAS' role as a coordinator of the Governance for Growth pillar, as well as the role of local governments in the next EU programming period 2014-2020.