Brussels, 07/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - Meeting on 6 October in Poznan (Wielkoplskie, Poland), the political bureau of the Assembly of the European Regions (AER) sent to the Heads of State and Government meeting informally on 27 and 28 October in Hampton Court (Surrey), a message calling for immediate adoption of the 2007-2013 budget to “give Europe a chance to overcome its difficulties”. The ERA regrets that this point does not appear on the agenda of the informal summit. ERA President and President of Friuli Venezia Giulia (Italy) Riccardo Illy states in a press release that one cannot wait until the Austrian EU Presidency (first half 2006) for adopting the next financial perspectives. “The process after adoption will take time”, Mr Illy said, warning: “National governments must now face their responsibilities: either to give a new input to Europe or to condemn it to years of economic and political stagnation”. The president of the Region of Wielkopolska called for the budget to “adequately respond to the needs of the enlarged Union in terms of economic, social and territorial cohesion and to the priorities of the Lisbon Strategy”.
The ERA Bureau also encouraged the new Polish government to pursue the regionalisation process and called on the regions of the new Member States to continue their work with the relevant Commission services to reduce the weight of administrative procedures in implementing Structural Funds.