Brussels, 16/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - In order to examine the priorities of cohesion policy during the British presidency of the Council of the EU and to underline the importance of an agreement on financial perspectives 2007-13, the Commissioner for regional policy Danuta Hübner met the British Secretary of State for trade and industry Alan Johnson. In a press release Hübner's spokesperson stressed that during the British presidency, cohesion policy is expected to be marked by “closer cooperation between cohesion instruments and the European Investment Bank (EIB) and other international financial institutions in the context of regional development and the relaunch of the Lisbon strategy. The Commissioner is taking part in a conference on 24 November in Brussels on the theme of “Financing Growth and Cohesion in the Enlarged Union”. The EIB, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Council Development Bank and the World Bank will be taking part.