Brussels, 08/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission is to hold a conference in cooperation with the Committee of the Regions and the Forum of Global Associations of Europe (FOGAR) on the theme “Regional governance in a global context”. The conference will be held on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 May in Brussels. It will bring together representatives of the regional governments of Europe, Africa, Russia, China and South America. Organised in the context of the growing interest for regional policy in EU external relations, the conference aims to examine experience acquired in the field of Union regional policy and similar policies in other parts of the world. Third countries of capital importance such as China, Russia and Brazil have expressed a keen desire to know more about the way Community regional policy has contributed to balanced regional development within the EU, the Commission states in its press release. Participants will look at the EU's experience in this field and at the different development models, the way lessons drawn from crossborder cooperation are shared, and the role of European regions in setting up direct partnerships with third country regions. Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hübner will deliver a preliminary speech on general policy as well as the closing speech. Those taking the floor will be FOGAR President Claudio Martini and his secretary general, Xavier Gizard, as well as the director general of DG Regional Policy (European Commission), Dirk Ahner. For information: http: //ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/ conferences/globalreggov/index_en.htm