Brussels, 18/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - The ministers responsible for regional policy and territorial cohesion will meet in informal council on 20 and 21 May in Luxembourg under the chairmanship of Luxembourg Ministers Jeannot Krecké (economy, external trade) and Jean-Marie Halsdorf (interior, spatial planning). The ministers will discuss the strategic guidelines for the Structural Funds 2007-2013, including for the European Social Fund (ESF), on the basis of a document from the Commission services (DG Regional Policy and DG Employment) entitled “Cohesion Policy in Support of Growth and Jobs - Community Strategic Guidelines 2007-2013”. The Commission will be represented by Commissioners Danuta Hübner (regional policy) and Vladimir Spidla (employment, social affairs, equal opportunities).
The first part of the meeting, devoted to regional policy, will be chaired by Jeannot Krecké. Ministers will hold a first exchange of views on a Commission document concerning the EC strategic guidelines for cohesion, which will be presented by Ms Hübner and Mr Spidla. On this occasion, Vladimir Spidla will evoke the link between the Lisbon strategy and the ESF guidelines for employment and financing and will stress the need to substantially increase the financial resources devoted to human resources in order to achieve this goal. Commissioner Spidla will identify the following major challenges: 1) managing demographic changes (training and integrating the young, supporting active ageing); 2) adjusting to the change and managing restructuring; and 3) strengthening administrative capacities.
The second part of the meeting will deal with territorial cohesion, under the presidency of Jean-Marie Halsdorf. Discussion will cover the operational contribution of the territorial dimension to the Lisbon/Gothenburg strategy on the basis of a synthesis paper on the state and perspectives of EU territory. The debate will be fuelled by a study presented by the European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON) on links between the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) and the Lisbon strategy. Danuta Hübner will comment on and react to this document, which will then be endorsed.
The meeting will close with conclusions drawn by Jean-Marie Halsdorf.