27/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - In a press release published after the informal meeting on regional policy in Portlaoise, Ireland, on 27 January (see above), the President of the Committee of the Regions, Peter Straub, has indicated his intention of sending out a clear message to ministers, especially with as regards the need for the EU budget to have sufficient financial resources to fulfil the conditions laid down in the Third Cohesion Report. The Committee of the Regions welcomes the fact that the European Commission has taken up several of its recommendations, says Peter Straub, especially the suggestion that considerable resources are put towards competitiveness and employment, stating: "this means that each region and each Member State will benefit from the future regional policy", despite the concentration of efforts on the new Member States.