New European regional policy shaped in Mariánské Lázně
On 22 – 24 April 2009 Mariánské Lázně hosts the Informal Meeting of EU Ministers for Regional Development. It is the most important event of the Czech Ministry for Regional Development in the framework of the Czech EU Presidency.
After the official opening made by Minister Cyril Svoboda the delegates set out to visit of the Karlovy Vary region. The development of the Karlovy Vary Airport, partly financed by EU Structural Funds, was presented to the delegations, and the delegates visited the centre of Karlovy Vary.
The meeting of EU Ministers for Regional Development is held on 23 and 24 April 2009 in Mariánské Lázně. In addition to the representatives of all EU Member States, the meeting is attended by the representatives of the candidate countries, Norway, Switzerland, and by EU institutions and the OECD. The participants of the debate, chaired by Minister Svoboda, addressed the main priorities and goals of the future policy of regional cohesion. European Commissioner for Regional Policy Danuta Hübner presented the preliminary outputs of the public debate of the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion.
The key outcome of the ministerial meeting was the adoption of a joint communiqué. “I am very pleased that we succeeded in reaching a consensus on the future of cohesion policy. It is the primary aim of the EU to support regional development. After all, one third of the EU budget is spent on cohesion policy,” stated Czech Minister for Regional Development Cyril Svoboda.
The adopted communiqué emphasises the need to simplify the mechanisms of territorial cohesion as much as possible. All participants agreed that it is necessary to develop the current debate on the future of cohesion policy after 2013.
Recording of the press conference is available in video archive. You can find more information about the meeting in the calendar.
Contact:
- Petra Holopírková, Tel.: +420 224 861 599, GSM: +420 731 681 624, E-mail: petra.holopirkova@mmr.cz
Last update: 16.8.2011 15:31
