On 11 December 2015 the COTER commission held a debate with OECD Deputy Secretary General Mari Kiviniemi on the state of play and future joint cooperation between the COR and OECD.
She reported on the results of the first Joint Consultation on Infrastructure Planning and Investments across levels of government and referred to the well-being index, developed by OECD as a complementary indicator to consider for the EU.
Mr Rollandin, President of Valle D'Aosta region and coordinator for the EA Group, thanked the OECD for the interesting analysis they have been carrying out and for highlighting the importance of urban-rural linkages together with an integrated approach to local development.
Mr Rollandin said that the European Commission should take account of the OECD recommendations for a greater integration between sectorial policies such as agriculture and regional development and recalled the importance of developing new indicators besides GDP. He said:
"There have been a number of interesting indicators developed at local level, such as accessibility and remoteness or those related to wellbeing that are worth being further exploited as they would provide a better picture of local development and specificities."
