​On September 26th the COTER commission will meet in Brussels to adopt a series of important opinions. Cllr Brian Meaney and EA coordinator regarded the future guidelines to state aid to airport and airlines and the future of ports as the hot topics of the meeting.

Both proposals are extremely relevant to LRAs as regional airports and ports are essential to ensure territorial and economic cohesion and they need a fair level of support and investment at national level.

Access to market and competition are very important principles which are worth promoting but they should not be sought at the expenses of the local economic development and local communities.

The Coter commission will also adopt an opinion on macro regions and will appoint new rapporteurs on the future EU Urban policy, the future programme on inland transport policy and on the 2014-2020 Solidarity Fund.