Brussels, 10/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - The Conference of the Peripheral and Maritime Regions (CPMR) is to hold its 35th General Assembly in Florence on 18-19 October, under the chairmanship of Claudio Martini. Agriculture and food safety, the impact of climate change, the perspectives of the budget of the EU, economic and social cohesion, European maritime policy and globalisation will be the subjects under discussion over the two-day meeting. The European commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs, Joe Borg, will present his blue paper on maritime policy, and the Portuguese secretary of state for defence and the sea, João Mira Gomes, will stake his ambitions on the agenda of the Portuguese presidency in this field. His counterpart for land-use management, João Ferrao, will speak on the subject of the need for territorial cohesion in Europe.
The CPMR will also announce that it is to launch a year of internal reflection on the territorial impact of funding under the first pillar of the CAP: direct aid and market support. An initial study, illustrated with highly detailed maps, has allowed the regions to be classified according to the dependence on their agricultural sector on this type of aid. On this basis, the CPMR will undertake to analyse the data from the CAP health check to be carried out by the European Commission. The conclusion of this inter-regional work will give rise to a high-level seminar in autumn 2008, to be attended by Commissioner Fischer-Boel and the French presidency of the EU, to be represented by Michel Barnier. For more information: http://www.wrpm.org (gb)