Brussels, 04/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - At its 29 April conference in Dubrovnik (Croatia) on the 'Role of the regions in Europe: scenario 2010', the Assembly of the Regions of Europe (ARE) starting working on its White Paper on the role of the regions. The conference provided an opportunity for the regions represented to discuss the impact of the European Constitution in terms of the role of the regions in European governance, and new opportunities for the regions to participate in preparing European policies and resources to be implemented to bring Europe closer to its citizens. An ARE press release highlighted that the conference was organised in Croatia, adding that if the negotiations between the EU and the Croatian government over cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia are successful, it will be the regions which will have a leading role to play in preparing Croatia for joining the EU. The ARE has 250 member regions from 30 European countries and 123 inter-regional member organisations and stresses that it will support the regions of Croatia in taking up this challenge.
During the debate, the Vice-President of the ARE's Institutional Affairs Committee, Lars-Gerhardt Westberg (Västra-Götaland, Sweden), said that enlargement of the EU and globalisation had created new opportunities and new challenges for the regions of Europe, and that the European Constitution and the Lisbon Strategy implied greater involvement of the regions in European governance in years to come. Catarina Segersten Larsson, President of the executive committee of the County of Värmland (Sweden), said European competitiveness and entrepreneurship cannot be improved without taking account of existing conditions and opportunities in the regions, cities and communities of Europe. Presenting her contribution entitled 'The Lisbon Strategy: the role of the region in creating the world's most competitive and dynamic economy by 2010', Ms Segersten Larsson said it was vital for achieving the ambitious Lisbon Agenda targets for the EU to develop more decentralised perspectives in all its policies and for the regions to accept their responsibilities in this process. Referring to the draft own initiative opinion of the President of the Economic and Social Policy Committee of the Committee of the Regions (CoR), Anders Gustav, on 'competitiveness and the regions' (see other article), Ms Segersten Larsson stressed the two-pronged approach to implementing the Lisbon Agenda at the regional level - improving regional competitiveness and developing public private partnerships (PPPs).