Brussels, 08/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - At the end of the seminar on “civil protection and crossborder cooperation - a major role for regional and local authorities” organised on 27 May in Udine (Italy) by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, participants adopted conclusions whereby, in the light of recent disasters (forest fires, flooding, technological crises, etc.), they stress the importance of a strong and consistent civil protection policy. Participants recall that the regions and municipalities are the first concerned and must be actively involved in civil protection policies. They call on the Commission to develop operations with active participation by border regions, to provide a sound base on which to build a European rapid response force. Participants include: Olivier Bertrand, Chairman of the CoR's sustainable development committee; Isidoro Gottardo, member of the CoR and Regional Council of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region; Sergio Cecotti, Mayor of Udine; Marzio Strassoldo, President of the province of Udine; Alfonso Andria, MEP; and Guy Bley, Head of the Civil Protection Division at the Luxembourg Ministry of the Interior.