Brussels, 07/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - In its response to the Commission's working document on “Cohesion policy and cities”, presented by Commissioner Danuta Hübner during the informal Bristol Council in December 2005 (EUROPE 9084), Eurocities said that it shared the conviction that urban areas were the engines for the economic development of Europe's regions. Eurocities says that the role of cities has to be taken better into account in Community strategic orientations for structural funds (2007-13). Eurocities also considers that greater recognition of cities could be obtained by adding a fourth priority to these orientations, “Reinforcing the urban contribution to employment, social inclusion and sustainable development”.
As engines of the European economy, cities still do not have enough resources that would enable them to deal with social, economic and environmental problems most of them have to confront (violence on the estates, for example). Eurocities therefore believes that cities should also have greater financial support for implementing measures that would help them to preserve social cohesion, jobs and training, integration of immigrants, development of social services etc. Eurocities stressed that these measures would contribute to development of the labour market, region competitiveness and putting the Lisbon strategy into practice.
Eurocities president Richard Leese stated, “The local governments of Europe's large cities must be recognised as key partners in the Union's Cohesion and Regional Policies, and also in the Lisbon and Gothenburg Strategies. A fourth Priority dedicated to cities and urban areas would highlight the role of cities in the economic development of their surrounding regions and of the European Union as a whole. It would strengthen the capacity of Europe's cities to contribute fully to achieving the goals of the Lisbon strategy in terms of promoting growth and creating jobs”.