Brussels, 17/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Union is preparing to add another official day to its calendar, European Cooperation Day, under this year's slogan of “Sharing borders, growing closer”. It will be celebrated for the first time on 21 September, with more than 160 events organised in 40 countries to present initiatives bringing local communities together across borders. Official presentation, however, of this new European official day will already be taking place next week.
On Tuesday 18 September, the launch of this initiative will take place at the European Parliament. It will be attended by the European Commissioner for regional policy, Johannes Hahn, the president of the Parliamentary committee for regional development, Danuta Hübner (EPP, Poland), as well as MEPs Riika Manner (ALDE, Finland), rapporteur on this regulation on the regulation on European territorial cooperation, and Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid (EPP, France), rapporteur on the future agenda for cross-border, transnational and inter-regional cooperation. The first event in this context will be organised and sponsored by the latter who declared that, “the credibility of European action depends on its ability to develop the advantages of border regions and improve the living conditions of their inhabitants. Cross-border regions must play a pioneering role in the context of crisis, in order to test out new stages of European integration and subsequently become the driving force of a 'continually closer union between' the people of Europe”. During the first presentation of European Cooperation Day, new details are expected to be provided regarding negotiations on regulations in this connection. (MD/trans/fl)