Eurocommissaris Hübner spreekt in Rotterdam over stedelijk beleid en territoriale cohesie (en)

Danuta Hübner, the new Commissioner responsible for Regional Policy, meets on 29 and 30 November in Rotterdam the ministers of the EU Member States in charge of territorial cohesion and urban policy. The Dutch Presidency has prepared these two informal ministerial meetings. On the first day and concerning territorial cohesion, the meeting will discuss an agenda for specific actions to be taken during the next 2-3 years on how to exploit Europe's diversity for sustainable economic growth. Concerning urban policy, which will be on the agenda on the second day, Member States and Commission will discuss how cities empower Europe and how they contribute to the objectives of the Lisbon strategy aiming "to make the EU the world's most dynamic and competitive economy.

Addressing the ministers, Commissioner Hübner said: "In policy terms, we cannot ignore territorial disparities, in particular in the larger EU. They affect seriously the overall competitiveness of our economy. In the context of the Lisbon strategy, we need not only to reduce these imbalances but also to take advantage of the existing territorial diversities (i.e. island, mountain, border region...)." She added that both, territorial cohesion and urban issues are taken into account in the Union's renewed cohesion policy and structural funds for the 2007-2013 period by saying: "I share with you the need for a continued dialogue on these issues in the light of the Lisbon and Gothenburg agendas. Our common objective is to reconcile the Union's economic success in an environmentally sustainable way, which involves the citizens."

During the meeting on 29 November, Member States' ministers will take note of the demographic, economic, social and environmental challenges facing the EU territory. They will stress the importance of territorial cohesion, both in strengthening competitiveness and reducing disparities within the cohesion framework and discuss how the Union's, the Member States' and regional agendas could aim at supporting the Lisbon ambitions by "better exploiting Europe's diverse potentials".

On 30 November, Member State ministers and representatives in charge of urban affairs will discuss in particular "social inclusion" and "cities in the knowledge economy". For this meeting, the Dutch Presidency prepared two reports on national urban policies and recommendations on how "Cities empower Europe". Other points will concern the question of urban statistics, currently presented by the Commission in the "Urban Audit" database, and the knowledge exchange between cities through networking and identification of best practices in urban regeneration.

Background

Solidarity among the peoples of the European Union, economic and social progress and reinforced cohesion form part of the Community's overall objectives of "reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least favoured regions", as laid down in the Treaty establishing the European Communities. The instruments of solidarity, the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund, cover about one third of the EU budget (around € 36 billion in 2004). These funds have a major impact on the competitiveness of regions and contribute significantly to improving the living conditions of their citizens, in particular in the poorer regions. Most of the funding is spent through multi-annual development programmes, managed jointly by the Commission services, the Member States and regional authorities. For the period 2007-2013, the Commission proposed in July 2004 a legal and financial framework for a reinforced cohesion policy with a budget of EUR 366.1 billion focussing on convergence, competitiveness and cooperation.

More information:

For territorial cohesion, see MEMO/04/278

For Urban Policy, see MEMO to be published tomorrow

European Commission - Regional Policy and Structural Funds:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/index_en.htm

Dutch Presidency - Informal Ministerial Meeting on Territorial Cohesion and Urban Policy:

http://www.eu2004.nl/default.asp?CMS_ITEM=4B5121FBE0B64F419FEB85B1B706F396X1X46744X2