The first event was the presentation of the latest edition of the European Quality of Government Index at the European Commission (DG REGIO). Professor Polverari, together with Ella Ahmas, an official from the REFORM Secretariat General, served as discussants. The index, developed by the team of Quality of Government Institute dell’Università di Gothenburg (Monika Bauhr, Nicholas Charron, Victor Lapuente) – now its fifth edition – it is a valuable source for understanding how the positioning of European regions is changing with regard to citizens’ perceptions of impartiality, corruption, and the quality of public services.

The second event was the “Forum on the Future of Cohesion Policy in the Advent of the Next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF),” a closed-door seminar organized by the Bertelsmann Foundation at the Permanent Representation of the German State of Bavaria on the future of the EU budget and cohesion policy (scientific director: Dr. Thomas Schwab). All participants—academics, policymakers, think-tank representatives, and civil society—were invited to share their thoughts on a series of structured questions in a confidential debate that highlighted the centrality of EU cohesion policy, even in a context in which, due to the changing international political landscape, the political priorities of the Union of Member States have shifted.

In the photo: Laura Polverari (University of Padua), Thomas Schwab (Bertelsmann Foundation), and Lucas Guttenberg (Bertelsmann Foundation).

© Philippe Veldeman Photographer/Bertelsmann Stiftung