On 2-3 March the COTER commission met in Warsaw to discuss the future of Cohesion policy in the presence of Commissioner Crețu and ministers from 8 Member States including the Visegrad countries.

The publication of the white paper on the future of Europe provided members with the opportunity to reaffirm the key role Cohesion policy has had in the European project and of addressing development disparities.

The EA Member Mr Tadeusz Truskolaski said during the meeting that the EU should get back to its roots and show the spirit of solidarity it is based upon. He called for continuous support for less developed regions  "in order to avert the risk of depopulation and loss of human capital". Without a strong cohesion policy territorial disparities will widen, he said.

During the meeting COTER members approved the draft opinions on the future of cohesion policy and on the new financial regulations as well as on entrepreneurship in islands.