Brussels, 21/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - During a meeting on the Commission's communication on 10 March at the Committee of the Regions, the Secretary General of the Conference of the Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), Xavier Gizard gave a very warm welcome to “plan D for Decentralisation, which could involve the regions in all debates on the future of Europe because our regions are the institutions closest to citizens and their representatives are local people”. According to Gizard, the Commission should launch, in partnership with the Committee of the Regions and European organisations representing regions and cities, “an observatory for linking public bodies in different countries working on Union policies”. Mr Gizard was also speaking on behalf of the Council of European Municipal Regions (CEMR).