"Territorial Cohesion, Meeting New Challenges in an Enlarged EU"
Territorial cohesion in the EU is all about looking after our communities who face particular hardships like geographical isolation (e.g. islands, mountainous areas) or sparse population or urban deprivation. This conference is of great importance therefore to people from all the far-flung corners of the EU. It is also a very exciting time in the negotiations process where real progress can be made towards ensuring that all citizens of the EU benefit equally from their membership of the Union.
Speaking on the first evening of the European Presidency conference on Territorial Cohesion, Éamon Ó Cuív T.D., Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs said; "Through this conference, the European Community is actively looking at how to bridge the gaps not only between the richer and poorer countries, but also between the richer and poorer areas within those countries. Cohesion should, above all, be about the needs of people and without effective and targeted policies that respond to the actual problems, economic and social cohesion will remain beyond our grasp."
We are still very much at the early stages in the decision-making process about what shape cohesion policy in general will take in the next round of funding post 2006. The Conference on Territorial Cohesion, (Connemara Coast Hotel, Na Forbacha, Galway 25th/26th/27th May) is designed to further develop the debate on the place of territorial cohesion, not just within regional policy, but across a wide range of other policy sectors. It is hoped that it will significantly advance the debate and this, in turn, will lead to informed decisions being made at the appropriate time.
"As an island state on the western periphery of Europe, we fully understand the difficulties posed by problems of accessibility, infrastructural deficits, access to markets, rural to urban migration and the various other constraints that pertain to peripherality. Obviously in our Presidency capacity, we will move the debate forward in an objective and impartial manner. Later, of course, in line with other Member States, we will pursue our interests in the context of the most appropriate policy for the EU as a whole."
Éamon Ó Cuív, T.D., Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS CONFERENCE IS AVAILABLE AT www.territorialcohesion.ie or at www.pobail.ie
Tue, 25 May 2004 00:00:00 BST