Brussels, 14/11/2012 (Agence Europe) - President of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) Ramon Luis Valcarcél is calling on heads of state and government directly about the EU budget for 2014-2020 - ahead of the extraordinary European summit which will take place on 22-23 November. "Forgoing support from a source such as the EU budget (…) would be a serious mistake", he said to the EU27 in a letter on Wednesday 14 November. Valcarcél also conveys the feeling of the regions and local authorities "being deprived of the instruments they need to respond effectively to the challenges they face". He argues for a budget that is balanced between the different policies and for a substantial budget for the cohesion policy. Indeed, he recalls "the leveraging effect of this investment via private and public co-financing at local, regional and national levels". (MD/transl.fl)