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EU Commissioner stresses role of local and regional dimension in Eastern Partnership

10 November 2011 11:15 (UTC +04:00)

The Commissioner reiterated the importance of the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities of the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) and touched upon the latest initiatives to promote regional development, namely Pilot Regional Development Programmes covering the EaP region, with a â‚¬70 million budget for 2012-13, which the Commission is developing in close cooperation with partner countries, as well as the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD), due to be launched by the Commission.
These programmes, based on the experience of the EU cohesion and agricultural policies, will promote regional development and social cohesion while helping to reduce socio-economic disparities in the region, the Commissioner said.
Å tefan FÃ¼le also emphasized the importance of cross-border cooperation and contact in the region.
The Commissioner said following calls for proposals for cross-border cooperation programmes, with a budget of â‚¬400 million for 2007-13, the first funds had already started flowing to the beneficiaries, â€œbringing real benefits on the ground.â€