REGIONAL POLICY: CRISIS IN FRENCH SUBURBS SPURS COMMISSION AND MEPS INTO ACTION.

PositionMembers of the European Parliament

Jean-Marie Beaupuy, who is also deputy Mayor of Reims, believes it is important that "decisions should not only emanate from central government", arguing there should also be coordinated action at EU level. Speaking to journalists on November 9, he emphasised the "need" for the EU to continue working on the intervention model developed in the context of the EU's URBAN programme, in spite of the fact that this EU initiative is fated to disappear in 2007 (scope for intervention on cities in the context of the future convergence and competitiveness objectives will thereafter be left to the appreciation of the member states). He argues that "the URBAN model has borne fruit", insisting " there have been concrete repercussions on the ground where the EU has encouraged cities to pursue initiatives".

"Pessimism" regarding the eligibility of social housing.

As chance would have it, the deputy Chairman of the parliamentary Intergroup, Belgium's Alain Hutchinson, met with Regional Policy Commissioner Danuta Hubner on November 9. On his initiative, the European Parliament adopted an amendment to the draft General Structural Fund Regulation proposing that renovation of social housing should be eligible for European aid. Recent events in France put this issue into sharp focus. "These events are a manifestation of dissatisfaction with living conditions in all large European cities. (...) I hope they will serve as a wake-up call to the Council of Ministers. It is quite irresponsible to systematically ignore this dimension", he told...

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