European Union News - Regional Policy

More than 400 participants from 19 countries gathered in Ulm (Baden-Wurttemberg) on 2 February for the first conference on the development of an EU Strategy for the Danube region. This was the first in a series of consultation meetings by the Commission to shape the content of the Danube Strategy as requested by the European Council.

The Commission has opened a public consultation on the European Strategy for the Danube. Based on the strategy in the Baltic Sea Region, it is available until March 31.

Europe's regional and local representatives have asserted their strengthened position under the new Lisbon treaty rules at the constituent plenary session of the Committee of the Regions' 2010-2015 mandate. 344 regional presidents, parliamentarians, mayors and county councillors from across Europe have met in Brussels to elect their new leadership, debate the political priorities of regions and local authorities in Europe for the next five years, and in particular the future of regional policy.

The European Commission has concluded that Romania had taken effective action to correct its budget deficit. But in view of a sharper-than-expected recession in 2009, the Commission proposes to extend the deadline by one year to 2012 to bring the deficit below 3% of GDP.

Barcelona will host the European Summit of Local Governments 22-24 February 2010, bringing together representatives from local groups, governments, European institutions and the private sector. The question at the heart of the summit is how local governments need to go about strengthening the cohesion of cities and Europe in general.

On 1 and 2 February 2010, a first stakeholder event will take place in Ulm (Germany) marking the launch of the consultation process to draw up the first EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Members of the Commission, heads of state of the Danube countries, ministers and other authorities of the Danube countries will attend the meeting.

The European Commission is organising a conference on 4 February in Brussels to mark 20 years of EU support for urban development. This will provide an opportunity to review the experience acquired since the launch of the URBAN initiative’s first pilot projects in 1989. The cohesion policy will invest a total of €10 billion in the period 2007-2013 in urban development throughout Europe.