Brussels, 11/10/2005 (Agence Europe) - On 11 October, European Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner attended the ministerial seminar on European Investment Bank and EU cooperation and micro-finance. The seminar focussed on the joint FEDER/EIB/EIF initiative to support micro-credit in the regions of the EU; and 2) the new partnership between DG Regional Policy of the European Commission and the EIB to support the relevant Member States' authorities in reaching the convergence target, particularly Member States eligible for Cohesion Funds to help them prepare projects for the new programming period (JASPERS: Joint Assistance in Supporting Projects in European Regions). Hubner wants to see what is the best way of using regional policy to contribute to the Lisbon Strategy, and how to use the Structural Funds to best contribute to boosting new innovative jobs, explained her spokesperson Ana-Paula Laissy, linking the 11 October seminar with the conference planned in Brussels on 24 November.
'Sound and efficient financial engineering to enhance growth and cohesion is needed more than ever in the enlarged EU. Closer cooperation between the European Commission and the International Financial Institutions and strengthen capacity building at the level of national and regional institutions can help us to achieve this,' commented Commissioner Hubner. The 24 November conference will be attended by the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, Commissioners Danuta Hubner and Joaquin Almunia (Economy/Finance), Deputy Prime Minister of the UK, John Prescott, EIB President Philippe Maystadt, EIF (European Investment Fund) President Giovanni Ravasio, and Vice-President of the World Bank, Shigeo Katsu.