Funding the EU and EU Funding in Wales
19th April 2013
Novotel, Schooner Way,AtlanticWharf, Cardiff CF10 4RT
Speaker Biogs
Derek Vaughan MEP
Derek was elected as Labour Party Member of the European Parliament for Wales in June 2009.
Derek Vaughan was born in Merthyr Tydfil on 2nd May 1961. He lived in Aberfan for most of his early life, moving to Neath in 1984. He was educated at AfonTafHigh School and later at SwanseaUniversity, where he gained an Honours Degree in Politics and History. Derek became an engineering apprentice at Hoover Limited in Merthyr Tydfil after leaving school. From there he went on to work in the Valuation Office Agency. He took three years sabbatical from work to undertake his degree at SwanseaUniversity. After completing his degree he went back to the Valuation Office Agency for a short time before working full time for the PCS Trade Union. He worked in this job until being elected Leader of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.
Derek has been a member of the Labour Party for 29 years. In that time he has held a number of positions in his Ward and Constituency Party. In the mid-1980’s he was elected to Neath Town Council and became Mayor of the Town Council. In 1995 he was elected to the shadow Neath Port Talbot Council as the Member for Neath North.
As a Councillor on Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council he has held a number of positions, including Cabinet Member for Economic Development. Following the elections in June 2004 he became Leader of the Council. In 2005 he became Leader of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and since the 2008 election Deputy Leader.
Jill Evans MEP
Jill Evanswas elected as a Member of the European Parliament for Wales in June 1999.
She was born in the Rhondda in 1959 where she still lives. Jill attended University in Aberystwyth and then worked as a Research Assistant at the former Polytechnic of Wales where she gained her M.Phil. Degree.
She worked for the National Federation of Women's Institutes in Wales for six years before taking up a post as Wales Regional Organiser for CHILD - The National Infertility Support Network.
Jill Evans was a councillor for seven years - on the former Rhondda Borough and Mid Glamorgan County Councils and then Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council.
She was elected as Plaid Cymru's Alternate Member of the Committee of the Regions in 1993 and served for four years, and was also the party's representative on the European Free Alliance, working with Plaid Cymru's sister parties throughout the continent. The Green / European Free Alliance (EFA) Group is now the fourth largest group in the Parliament.
She is the President of EFA, and first Vice-President of the Greens/EFA Group in the EP. Jill also deputises on the Delegation for Relations with the Palestine Legislative Council. She is a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Delegation for relations with Iraq. She deputises on the Agriculture Committee.
She is former Chair and President of Plaid Cymru, party spokesperson for European and International issues and former chair of CND Cymru.
Guto Bebb MP
Guto Bebb was elected MP for Aberconwy in the 2010 general election.
He was born and brought up in North Wales and is a Graduate of Aberystwyth University. In 1993 he founded Partneriaeth Egin Partnership, an Economic Development Consultancy which has traded with some success for sixteen years. Guto also founded and ran a successful bookshop in Caernarfon in partnership with his wife before selling the business in 2002. He was also the Business Development Director of Innovas Wales and has worked on numerous large projects in this capacity.
He contested the Ogmore 2002 by-election and Conwy 2005 general election . As an MP since 2010, he is a member of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee and joined the Public Accounts Committee in November 2012. He was elected to the executive of the Conservative 1922 Committee in March 2012. He was also a member of the Public Bill Committee on the Welfare Reform Bill.
Guto is also the founder and Chairman of the All Party Group on Interest rate swap mis-selling, which examines the impact of mis-selling on SMEs and campaigns for redress to those businesses that were mis-sold unsuitable and complex financial products.
Amongst Guto’s political interests are Europe, taxation, reform of the welfare state, devolution, rural development and regeneration policy.He is also the ‘chapter champion’ for regional funding in the Freshstart Group project report, manifesto for change: a new vision for UK in Europe
Jane Hutt AM
Jane Hutt was elected as the first AM for the Vale of Glamorgan in 1999
Educated at University of Kent, London School of Economics and BristolUniversity, Jane spent part of her childhood in Uganda and Kenya. She has lived and worked in Wales since 1972.
Jane became the first national coordinator of Welsh Women’s Aid in 1978 and was a founder of South Glamorgan Women’s Workshop. She went on to become the first director of the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS Wales) and was subsequently director of Chwarae Teg (Fair Play).
From 1981 to 1993 Jane was a Labour Member of South Glamorgan County Council representing the Riverside Ward in Cardiff. She stood for Parliament in 2003 in Cardiff North.
Between 1999 and 2005 Jane served as Minister for Health and Social Services in the Welsh Government. Then from 2005 to 2007, Jane was Minister for Assembly Business and Chief Whip. In the first cabinet of the Third Assembly she was appointed Minister for Budget and Assembly Business. In the coalition Cabinet announced on 19 July 2007 she became Minister for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills. In December 2009 she was appointed Minister for Business and Budget, and following re-election in May 2011was appointed Minister for Finance and Leader of the House.
Guy Flament, European Commission, DG Regio
After obtaining an engineering degree, Guy graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Business in 1979 with an M.B.A. in Concentration in Finance and Accounting.
Guy worked for the private sector for thirteen years as an auditor and financial manager before joining the Commission in 1989. . His current role is Desk Officer in the UK and Irish Structural Funds unit within DG REGIO.
Guy isEuropean Commission advisor to the All-Wales Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC), which monitors thedelivery of the European Structural Funds programmes 2007–2013 in Wales.
Dr Adrian Healy, CardiffUniversity
Adrian joined the Cardiff School of Planning and Geography 2011. His expertise focuses on innovation and regional economic development, combining knowledge of innovation, education and research initiatives. In this capacity he has worked with local, regional and national authorities in the UK as well as with several of the European Commission Directorate Generals and other MemberStates.
Adrian has acknowledged expertise in Structural Funds, and recently advised Higher Education Wales on their response to the Structural Fund Reflection Exercise in Wales. On a practical level Adrian has extensive knowledge of innovation policies and their evaluation, in the UK and abroad.
Adrian is currently examining the spatial dynamics of economic growth, with a particular consideration of patterns of regional innovation, the role of social innovation in regional growth and the resilience of regional economies.
He was previously employed as a Director of the consultancy company ECORYS, where he specialized in European innovation policies and economic development. He completed his PhD in Regional Innovation at CardiffUniversity in 2009.
Rona MichieEuropean Policies Research Centre (EPRC), StrathclydeUniversity
The European Policies Research Centre (EPRC)StrathclydeUniversity has extensive competence and experience in comparative research on regional problems and policies in Europe and on the evaluation of Structural Funds programmes and projects within the EU, as well as a wide range of other regional policy and regional planning studies.
Rona has been a researcher within EPRC since 1989. She has wide-ranging experience in the evolution of the Structural Funds in Europe and the UK, UK regional policy and EU RTD policies. She has contributed to a wide range of research projects at EPRC, including research on the experience of Cohesion policy programmes with State aid regulations, the analysis of innovative types of business aid in selected European regions, and innovation initiatives in peripheral areas. One of her current main areas of interest is in the use of financial engineering instruments within Structural Funds programmes.
Hywel Ceri Jones, Former European Commission Director-General
Born Neath, educated Pontardawe and University of Aberystwyth ,Wales(1955-62), graduating with honours in French, Diploma in Education, President of Students Union (1961-62).
Assistant Registrar, Deputy Director for Educational Technology, Special Assistant to Vice Chancellor (Lord Briggs) of University of Sussex (1962-63).
Posts held at the European Commission: Head of Division for Education and Youth Policy, Director of Education and Training, Director of Task Force for Education Training and Human Resources, Acting Director General for Employment, Social Policy and Industrial Relations.
Responsible for creation of EU flagship programmes: ERASMUS, COMETT, TEMPUS, PETRA and Youth for Europe. Special Responsibility for managing the European Social Fund.
Other posts included: European Adviser to Secretary of State for Wales ,Chairman of European Policy Centre (Brussels), Director of European Network of Foundations, Co-Chairman of European Consortium Foundations on Disability Rights; Governor of European Cultural Foundation, ECORYS, Equal Rights Trust (London), and Federal Trust for Education and Research; and Chairman of Advisory Council to Wales Governance Centre at University of Cardiff.
Other awards include: CMG, Gold Medal of Italian Republic, Doctorates of Universities of Sussex, Leuven, Brussels, Ireland, and Open University; Fellowships: Winston Churchill, Eisenhower, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Glamorgan, Westminster, Scottish Institute of Education, and Trinity St Davids.
Moderator: Tomos Livingstone
Tomos Livingstone was born in 1979 and raised in Pembrokeshire and is a graduate of the London School of Economics and University College London.
He joined the Western Mail as a trainee in 2001 and worked in Cardiff as a news reporter for two years before joining the Press Association as its Welsh Affairs Correspondent in 2003.
In 2005 he moved to London after being appointed Political Editor of the Western Mail, before returning to Wales to join the BBC in January 2011 as Political Correspondent.
He covers Welsh politics for Television, Radio and online from Cardiff Bay, with visits to Westminster and Brussels.
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