At the last plenary session of the Committee of the Regions (Brussels, 2-3 July) discussion focused on the politics of cohesion. For the first time the 222 members of the CR were accompanied by 95 observers from the countries of enlargement. EU Commissioner Michel Barnier confirmed the need to maintain the regional policy of the EU also in the enlarged Union: “the future priority he said consists in the attention to the underdeveloped Regions of Objective 1, even though the regional policy ought also to regard the other Regions on the basis of four priorities: the Lisbon Strategy, flexibility for medium-rich Regions, the political need for a Europe visible through the Union and respect for territorial specificities”. The chairman of the CR, Albert Bore, mayor of Birmingham (UK), underlined “the need for the Committee to create the necessary cohesion to reduce regional disparities and reinforce solidarity among citizens “. For information on the CR, consult the website www.cor.eu.int
