Brussels, 01/04/2005 (Agence Europe) - The future cohesion policy perspectives for the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France were under the spotlight in meetings of the Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner on Thursday 31 March with the President of the Conseil régional du Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Mr Percheron, the Vice-President of the Conseil régional en charge des affaires européennes et de l'apprentissage, Martine Filleul, and advisor to the President for European affairs, Gérard Caudron.
At the meeting, Percheron pointed out the specific characteristics of his region, notably its need for industrial conversion and job creation, and hoped that the special status of Nord-Pas-de-Calais would be maintained under the new Objective 2. He hoped the three administrative areas or arrondissements of the French Hainault region (le Valençiennois, le Douaisis and l'Avesnois) would be able to benefit from special measures under the new Objective 2 (regional competitiveness and employment) in order to preserve a degree of parity with neighbouring communities in the Belgian region of Hainault. Congratulating the representatives of the region for their dynamism in implementing Structural Funds and their motor role in European cooperation, Hübner expressed her support for the process of industrial conversion in the region and hoped regional policy would be able to provide solutions under the framework of the upcoming programming to the local problems outlined by the President, particularly for the three administrative areas mentioned.