20-07-2007

The informal meeting of ministers of spatial planning and regional development is to be the main event organised by the Portuguese in terms of regional policy. The first day will focus on spatial planning and the second on regional development. For the former, this will include the follow up to the informal Council held in Leipzig on 24 and 25 May which concluded with the adoption of the ‘Leipzig Charter’ containing details of the main principles for urban development.

The meeting in the Azores will see how to further implement the Leipzig Charter. It is foreseen that the informal ministerial meeting will see the adoption of a concrete action plan. This action plan will be prepared ahead of time by a working group within the presidency consisting of representatives from Member States, the European Commission, the Parliament, the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.

The day devoted to regional development will discuss a document prepared by the Commission's DG Regio on the extent to which the Lisbon strategy is taken into account in the national strategic reference frameworks drawn up by Member States.

The Portuguese Presidency is also involved in the preparations for the fourth forum on cohesion organised by the European Commission in Brussels on 27 and 28 September. It will be attended by Nunes Correia and the Portuguese Prime Minister José Socrates. At the forum, the 4th report on economic and social cohesion will be discussed.