Informal Ministerial Meeting on territorial cohesion and regional policy: conclusions of the presidency on regional policy

At the invitation of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council, an Informal Ministerial Meeting on Territorial Cohesion and Regional Policy took place in Ponta Delgada, Azores, on 23 and 24 November 2007. Amongst the Presidency conclusions, one should underline the following:

• The conclusions of the Fourth Report on Economic and Social Cohesion stressed that the EU as a whole has not reached yet a sufficiently harmonious development of all its territories, in spite of the significant progress achieved. Disparities in economic performances, social indicators and education levels persist. These are remaining challenges both to the development of the EU territories and to its Cohesion Policy.
• Future discussions on regional policy could reflect, among other themes, a set of issues which takes into account some ideas on Cohesion Policy that were debated at the Cohesion Forum, like strategic integration, coherence and effectiveness, multi-level governance, visibility to the European citizens and contributions from Cohesion Policy to ongoing challenges such as globalisation, energy, climate change and demography.

Access the Conclusions of the Presidency on regional policy here.