Hübner wil inbreng regionale Europese parlementen bij totstandkoming groenboek regionaal beleid (en)

Commissioner Danuta Hübner i, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will address the 11th Conference of Presidents of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) in Bilbao today. The Commissioner will focus on the recently published Green Paper on territorial cohesion and the future Cohesion Policy. She will also hold talks with Juan José Ibarretxe, President of Spain's Basque Government, on the region's priorities for its Cohesion Policy programme for 2007-2013.

Commissioner Hübner said: "The Cohesion Policy is one of Europe's greatest achievements in terms of delivering jobs and prosperity for our citizens. In this financial crisis turmoil, we need it more than ever. But the policy has to evolve to keep pace with an increasingly integrated and interdependent global economy. We must adapt to new challenges to enable our regions and cities to compete in the international marketplace. To do that, we need a flexible and differentiated policy that will turn Europe's diversity into strength and ensure that all our territories are able to contribute, for the benefit of Europe as a whole. Every region, from the Basque Country to the Baltic, has a role to play and I count on the support of the CALRE for a stronger policy that will deliver results for years to come."

Commissioner Hübner will urge the regional presidents to participate in the consultation process on the Green Paper, which runs until the end of February 2009 (see IP/08/1460). She will also underline the important role that regional legislative assemblies can play in informing citizens about the rationale for Europe's Cohesion Policy and its success as a catalyst for growth and jobs. In 2007-2013, the Basque Country will receive € 240.6 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), of which 85% will be devoted to the priorities of the EU's Lisbon Strategy for jobs and sustainable growth. The Community-backed programme will help create more than 2Â 500 jobs, according to initial estimates, co-finance more than 7Â 400 research, development and innovation projects, and establish 15 research centres. This investment will help to trigger a further €560 million in private investment (see MEMO/08/374).

Note for Editors

The Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) is an association which brings together the leaders of the legislative federal state parliaments of Europe. Its membership consists of the parliaments of the Spanish autonomous communities; the Italian regional councils; the assemblies of the Belgian regions and communities; the parliaments of both the Austrian and the German Länder; the autonomous parliament of Åland (Finland); the regional assemblies of the Azores and Madeira (Portugal); and those of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom). In total, there are 74 regions with legislative assemblies in the eight countries, and they represent more than 200 million citizens.

The Basque Country has a population of 2.1 million (4.3 % of the total in Spain) and covers an area of 7.234 sq. km (1.4% of Spain). It is located in the north-central part of the country and features a very dynamic economy, which has experienced sound growth over the past 10 years, leading to an average per capita income equal to 125.1% of the European Union's average.

More information: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/spain/index_en.htm