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Europe

The Forum of Federations runs governance programs in Austria, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. It has also built relations with the EU, especially with the Committee of the Regions, and will soon be active in Italy.

Austria
Austria is a partner government of the Forum of Federations.
The Forum has worked with the Austrian Departments of Foreign Affairs and Aid, to seek potential partnerships for programs in developing federations.
Past events in the Austria program include:

• Forum co-launches book on Austria's constitutional revision
• European young professionals prepare papers for 4th International Conference on Federalism
• National conference: Managing Consitutional Reforms
• The role of Austria's federal states explained
• Global Dialogue Roundtable: Austrians rethink local government

Austria has also been a case study in various other Global Dialogue Themes.  

Germany 
The Forum has been working with Germany since 2000. In 2008, Germany became partner country of the Forum.
In 2006, The Forum co-sponsored a conference on federalism in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS).
A German diplomat, Reinold Herber has been seconded to the Forum as of August 2008. He will assist in fostering the Forum's relations with the German government and its aid agencies. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) which supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives now supports the Forum’s Nepal project.
Recent events in the Germany program include:

• Global Dialogue Country Roundtable - Germany
• Berlin workshop examines benchmarking in federal systems
• Germany joins Forum of Federations
• German regional parliamentarians visit Forum and Canadian government
• Germany plans a second major federalism reform
• German diplomat to serve for year at Forum (July 2007)
• Forum president meets with German government during mission to Europe (June 2007)
• Germany - Global Dialogue Roundtable

Spain
The Forum of Federations has worked with Spain since 2005. In coordination with the Forum's partners (Institute for Autonomous Studies in Barcelona and the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies in Madrid), the Forum has focused on intergovernmental relations work.

Past events in the Spain program include:

• Spanish conference seeks best practices to manage water in federal countries
• Global Dialogue Country Roundtable - Spain
• Madrid roundtable discusses local governance
• Forum Presentation in Spain on Federalism in the 21st Century
• Global Dialogue on Democracy and Diversity - Barcelona, Spain 2004

In June 2008, the Forum organized a major international conference on “Water Management in Federal and Federal-Type Systems” at the margins of Expo 2008.

Switzerland
Switzerland is a partner government of the Forum of Federations. The Forum works with the Swiss government in many ways.
Switzerland hosted the 3rd International Conference on Federalism 2002 in Saint Gallen. Raoul Blindenbacher, Vice-President of the Forum of Federations, is on secondment by the Swiss government. The Forum of Federations also closely works together with the Institute of Federalism in Fribourg.
Switzerland hosted a country roundtable for Global Dialogue Theme VI on 'Local Government and Metropolitan Regions'.  Switzerland has also been a case study in all other Global Dialogue Themes.
Past events in the Switzerland program include:

• Role of the Cantons in Switzerland's relation with the EU
• European young professionals prepare papers for 4th International Conference on Federalism
• Iraqis visit Canada and Switzerland to learn how federal countries are governed

The Forum of Federations recently hosted a presentation on the role of Austria's Länder (federal states) in Austria's foreign and European policy.

Switzerland hosted a country roundtable for Global Dialogue Theme VI on 'Local Government and Metropolitan Regions'.