The Committee of the Regions (COR) of the European Union (www.cor.eu.int) has published the results of a survey conducted in the 103 regional and local Authorities represented within the COR and in 16 national organizations. The survey findings clearly express the general dissatisfaction of European Regions and Cities about the minimum role played by them in the framework of the National Reform Plans in accordance with the Lisbon Strategy. Only 17% of the participants in the survey declared their satisfaction with the role that the Centre assigns to the Periphery; the remaining 83% denounce a kind of “exclusion” deliberately practised by national Governments, which are accused of “failure to convene consultations”. Commenting on the document, the President of the COR Peter Straub declared that “only if all the players concerned are fully involved in the decision-making process and in the processes of implementation and control shall the Lisbon Strategy be able to produce results that could be qualified as a success”. For further information consult the website http://www.cor.eu.int/fr/press/press_06_01001.html
