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On 5 and 6 March, some 500 elected representatives of over 250 regions and cities will assemble in Prague for the European Summit of Regions and Cities, at the invitation of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the city of Prague and its mayor, Pavel Bém.
After the meeting of heads of state or government in Brussels on 1 March, the day before the European spring summit and less than a month before the G20 meeting in London, local and regional representatives will gather in the Czech capital to take part in meetings and send a message of unity, solidarity, competitiveness and responsibility to the European Commission and the Member States with the aim of addressing the economic crisis and its social consequences in partnership.
The representatives of regions and cities will tell Mirek Topolanek, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and current President of the Council, and José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, that only through unity ? which is the foundation of political union, economic and monetary union and the single market - will the EU as a whole find its way back to balanced growth in the medium term. On this point, Luc Van den Brande, CoR President, notes "We must learn from this crisis, trust in the opportunities it may offer, rely on the regions' ability to act as drivers and be aware of their contribution to the European venture".
For now, Europe's regions and cities will reiterate their commitment to solidarity and competitiveness. In the debate on the future of cohesion policy to be opened by Danuta Hübner, Commissioner for regional policy, the CoR will underscore that territorial cohesion must work to the benefit of all European cities and regions, and not only those that are more disadvantaged.
Local and regional representatives are now ready to take up their responsibilities in partnership with the other institutional actors. Confronted with a crisis hitting their local economies, these representatives are coming to Prague to listen to the proposals put forward by the president of the European Investment Bank (EIB), Philippe Maystadt, who in November 2008 was already warning regions and cities that the crisis would hit local and regional authorities hard. They expect him to assess the depth and duration of the financial crisis, and to give information on the practical assistance extended by the EIB to local authorities.
In the run-up to the European elections in June, the Prague summit will also mark the launch of a campaign to mobilise local and regional authorities to raise voter turnout for the June elections. Representatives will work alongside the other European institutions, especially the European Parliament, to raise public awareness of the major issues at stake in these elections. A televised debate on the European elections will be held during the summit, to be attended by European party leaders, and events will be organised in the streets of Prague.
The conclusions adopted at the end of the summit, urging all stakeholders to build Europe in partnership and govern it in harmony with the help of all tiers of government, will be presented by Luc Van den Brande to the heads of state or government at the European spring summit and sent to delegates at the G20 meeting on 2 April.
For the full programme and up-to-date news from Prague, visit the CoR website: www.cor.europa.eu
On Friday 6 March, you can follow the statements and debates live on the Czech television site
click here.
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