Ahead of the European Council on June, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso, 1st Vice President of the Committee of the Regions, has stressed that local and regional authorities must be involved in the drafting and implementation of the National Reform Programmes if the Europe 2020 Strategy is to be a success.

Speaking at the 7th territorial dialogue meeting yesterday, members of the Committee of the Regions considered whether the EU is ready for a job-rich recovery and highlighted their concerns and recommendations on the growth strategy with a special focus on tackling unemployment and supporting SMEs. "The EU wants a recovery plan that will generate jobs" Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso said. "There is no alternative." However, he also warned that the Europe 2020 Strategy could fail if there is not sufficient collaboration with local and regional authorities. "At this time of crisis, the EU and the local and regional authorities have to work in close cooperation to ensure the maximum potential of their budgets is reached and to launch the recovery of the economy and sustainable growth" he said. This was also the message delivered during a meeting with Herman Van Rompuy today.

Gerry Breen, a Dublin city councillor, intervened on the subject of business recovery and growth. In his view, globalisation can also be seen as an opportunity whereby the right conditions for businesses can be created. "Growth is created by the creation of new businesses or the expansion of existing businesses. Employment is therefore a bi-product of this growth" he underlined. "At the local level, we should focus on building coalitions of interested groups so as to improve growth conditions in our regions and cities."