20/12/2000 (Agence Europe) - During a Conference organised on 14 and 15 December in Danzig by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) on the role of regions in accession to the European Union, the Director General responsible for Enlargement in the European Commission, Eneko Landaburu, underlined, on the one hand, the importance of the involvement of the regions and local actors, and felt, on the other hand, that the regional policies will be able to continue to play a significant role in the success of new accessions only if the solidarity mechanisms are reviewed upwards. MPs and representatives from the Baltic regions, regions of the member countries, and regional associations debated the preparation for enlargement and the implementation of European regional policy.