Danuta Hübner: samenwerking binnen Europa cruciaal voor overwinnen huidge economische crisis (en)

Key EU measures to tackle global challenges such as the economic crisis and climate change will succeed only if regional and local governments work together to apply them across Europe, said Regional Policy Committee chair Danuta Hübner i (EPP, PL) on 5 October, opening the annual regional policy "Open Days", a 3-day event that brings together regions and cities across Europe.

"One day this crisis will be just a bad memory", said European Commission President José Manuel Barroso i, calling for more flexibility in using EU regional funding to tackle the economic crisis and turn Europe into a green, knowledge-based, sustainable and innovative economy. 

The need to boost innovation in countries and regions that lag behind Europe's best was stressed by regional policy Commissioner Pawel Samecki i, who urged regions and cities to share regional and local best practice in using EU regional funds to tackle climate change. Mr Samecki cited the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea region as a good example of territorial co-operation, which could be extended to other EU regions such as the Danube basin.

Local and regional governments should have more responsibility for using resources to generate environment-friendly growth and jobs adapted to each region's needs, agreed Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister Maud Olofson for the Council Presidency.

"Nobody builds a house beginning with the roof", said Committee of the Regions President Luc Van den Brande, stressing that the way out of the crisis is to "turn Europe's territorial diversity into regional strength". Ireland's referendum "yes" to the Lisbon Treaty was "good news for territorial cohesion" and EU regional funding should continue to be accessible to all regions, not just the poorest ones, he added.

"The Lisbon Treaty extends subsidiarity to local and regional level - it is up to you to make use of it!" - concluded Ms  Hübner.