Good afternoon everybody.

Thank you so much for coming along to the first of this year's Cells lunchtime seminars.

We have a great program and a great start to that programme.

And kind of begin by welcoming Andriana Svotasheva, who is Director of DG Employment, Social Affairs, Social Inclusion.

And Jhan has held many positions, including in Bulgarian governments, working in the

cabinet of the Consumer Affairs Commissioner and now working the front line in DG employment.

I think what will be so fantastic about our speaker today is in DG employment.

I think what will be so fantastic about our speaker today is to get that inside perspective on the institutional dynamics

of the European Union, what it's like to have to work

between the institutions, particularly in the context

of the post-Lisbon Treaty framework.

So without further ado, please welcome our speaker, Andrea.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

I would like to thank everybody for the interest today.

I'm glad I made it because I had a big problem getting to Cambridge today, but that's fine.

As Kenneth said, I'm in charge of the negotiations for the next programming period of a set of regulations

dealing with the implementation of the cohesion policy. And being in DG employment, I'm dealing with the implementation of the cohesion policy.

And being in DG employment, I'm dealing with European Social Fund regulation.

And I would like to explain how things have happened.

First, explaining the process, according to the Lisbon Treaty of Decision-Making at EU level, and then at the real according to the Lisbon Treaty of decision-making at EU level, and then at

the real implementation of the provisions of the Lisbon Treaty.

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