By Martin Banks - 2nd February 2011
Cohesion policy has made a significant contribution to growth
Johannes Hahn
EU regional policy commissioner Johannes Hahn has called for "good and targeted" investment in Europe's regions.
Speaking at a major conference of regional representatives, Hahn, also made a robust defence of EU cohesion policy, saying it had a key role to play "in these difficult economic times".
The "fifth cohesion forum" in Brussels, which concluded on Tuesday, attracted 800 policymakers from all member states to discuss future regional policy.
The policy, worth almost €350bn over seven years, provides support for 455 national and regional development programmes.
Several options are currently being discussed for reforming the policy when the current funding period ends in 2013 and there are fears the EU will seek to reduce funding in the future.
Hahn said the two-day conference was a "last opportunity" for member states to "make their voices" heard before the commission presents its legislative plans on future regional policy this summer.
He said, "The findings from the forum will help us prepare an even more effective cohesion policy, better adapted to the economic situation of today and that will help us contribute to the ambitious EU2020 goals."
He said cohesion policy had made a "significant" contribution to growth and prosperity, helping to create 1.4 million jobs and helping 34 million jobless people return to work.
He told the forum that it had funded 4700km of motorway, 1200 km of high-speed rail and provided waste water treatment for 23 million people.
The forum heard from several senior regional representatives, including Jean-Yves Le Drian, president of the Brittany region, who said that regional policy could be the "catalyst for change" in the EU.
"But we know that we must not repeat the mistakes made in the past," he added.
Elsewhere, Euromontana, the organisation representing mountain areas in Europe, said regions such as the ones it represents have "great and still untapped" potential and are "well-placed" to help achieve the EU2020 targets for growth and jobs.
He said, "It provides a crucial opportunity for national, regional and local representatives to exchange ideas."
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