Brian Greenslade is President of AER Committee on Regional Policy and Leader of Devonshire. He met Commissioner Michel Barnier in Plymouth, on 20th September 2002, during a conference on the future of European Cohesion Policy.

On this occasion, Brian Greenslade presented the AER’s main proposals for the future of regional policy and announced future AER major events in this field.

“The efficiency of the future Regional Policy in an enlarged Europe will depend on the full Regions’ involvement. Regions – and their regional development policies – have a particular and necessary role to play as actors in cohesion and development. This means they must be better integrated at the programming stage and also – in advance of the actual programming stage – decide on future objectives of common regional development policies along with EU and national states. This also requires that the Regions must be provided with appropriate competencies and adequate financial backing: this is what I told Mr Barnier, during the conference, also in the presence of Mr Caveri, MEP, President of the EP Committee of Regional Policy, and of Mr Graham Watson MEP, European Parliamentary Leader for the Liberal Caucus”, Mr Greenslade said.

“Mr Barnier welcomed the AER’s proposals. He recognised the indispensable role of the AER as a bridge between all the Regions, despite huge differences among them and competition”, Mr Greenslade added.

This dialogue between the AER and major EU institutions will continue in Pecs, Hungary, on 14-15 November 2002, during the forthcoming 1st AER Conference of Regional Presidents and Ministers of Spatial Planning. Jean-Charles Leygues, Director, DG REGIO, and MEP Luciano Caveri, President of the European Parliament Committee on Regional Policy will share their views with the European Regions.

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