Brussels, 29/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - Following Eurostat's publication of statistics on regional GDP per capital in the EU-25 in 2003 (EUROPE 9198), the development gulf opening up between regions in the EU-25 is becoming patently obvious. In an effort to rectify this problem, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) will seek a more balanced development on European territory and considers that if the EU wants to reduce the peripheral disparities of the regions it should implement high impact territorial policies, such as the Community Regional Policy, sustainable development, transport, farming,, fisheries and research. In a press release the CPMR explained that a huge gulf exists between the peripheral regions and those belonging to the “Pentagon” (bounded by London, Paris, Milan, Munich and Hamburg), which are only representative of 14% of EU territory but which produces 46% of its wealth. Among the 37 regions whose GDP is greater than 125% of the EU average, 30 are situated within the Pentagon. The CPMR warns that in order to establish its position in the world of international competition, Europe cannot rely solely on the power of the pentagon. It also regrets that the observations made during the time of the EU-15 have not disappeared with the enlarged Union of EU25. Xavier Gizard, Secretary General of the CPMR says that “the most striking example…is the Czech Republic, where Prague has a GDP of 138% and Moravskoslezko a GDP of 53%, but we might also mention Hungary with Közép Magyarorszag, the region of Budapest (94.9%) and Eszak-Magyarorszag (38%)”. Mr Gizard added that “In the run-up to the fourth cohesion report these observations should guide the discussions that are to be held shortly in the framework of the White Paper on the 2014-2020 budget”.