Brussels, 09/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - The conclusions of the Prague Summit of Regions and Cities, delivered by Committee of the Regions (CoR) President Luc Van den Brande, will be passed on to the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the next European Council on Thursday 19 and Friday 20 March 209. The main message is that unity, “which is what makes Europe strong, must be preserved”. Van den Brande called for “coordinated action by every level of political leadership to ensure that the economic recovery plan is a success”. The conclusions also reflect “the pressing need to restore confidence” and to establish “opportunities for growth”, Van den Brande said. He pointed out that this could not be done without the direct involvement of local and regional authorities.
The main theme of the summit was “the recovery and growth of Europe's economy” through “a genuine partnership between the European Union, its member states and its regions and cities,” the CoR president said. Europe needed a master plan going beyond 2010 if it is to achieve “peace and justice, economic prosperity and competitiveness, social and territorial cohesion and environmental sustainability”.
The conclusions were a clear demonstration of the commitment of local and regional authorities to “multi-level European governance”, which, in accordance with the subsidiarity principle, involves them fully in EU decision-making and makes it possible to implement flexible policies that take account of Europe's diversity.
Van den Brande concluded with a call for “ambition for Europe”, in order to “demonstrate the added value of European integration”. This would encourage electors to vote in the European elections of June 2009 and thus, as European citizens, “influence the European Union's strategic and policy decisions for the next five years”. (E.M./transl.rt)