Brussels, 24/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - Some 400 people are expected in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to debate the reform of the European cohesion policy. Placed under the sign of enlargement, this meeting of experts will be devoted to the assessment of the "added value" of the European cohesion policy. More precisely, the participants should debate the benefits and failures of the Objective 1 programme (for the poorest regions) ands Objective 2 programme (for regions undergoing re-conversion), as well as inter-regional co-operation, and draw conclusions on what the regional policy should be after 2006. In 2007, the new period of the multi-annual planning of the Structural Funds is to begin, whereas ten new, less developed, countries than the Fifteen should have joined the European Union. This two-day seminar comes within the debate on post-2007, launched by the Commission in its second report on cohesion in January 2001, complemented in January by an interim report (see EUROPE of 30 and 31 January 2002, 23 May 2001 and 27 January 2001). In the same vein, the Commission is organising a seminar in London on 8 and 9 July on its "Urban" programme for cities, and a seminar in October on mountains.
In Brussels, talks will be organised in three workshops, which will turn to a whole series of issues prepared by the Commission. One will be on regions lagging behind in development (Objective 1): How to adapt this programme to the new needs of the regions of the Fifteen and those of the new Member states? Should the multi-annual programme be retained? Should contracts be created between the Commission and States and regions? Another workshop will be on regions in the process of re-conversion or in isolation: What added value of such a policy? Should it be continued post-2006 for industrial zones being reconverted, rural areas or areas dependent on fishing, urban areas in difficulties, mountainous regions, islands? Can the zoning practised by the Commission be dropped or re[placed by Community and/or national criteria without detriment to the beneficiary regions at European level? The third workshop will be devoted to co-operation between European regions: what to do with the Community Interreg initiative (co-operation between regions), Equal (against discrimination and access to work), and Leader (rural development)?. How to organise co-operation between regions, be they border or not? How better to manage the programmes?
Presenting the European Parliament's Plenary Session (29 and 30 May 2002)