The General Assembly of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime of Europe (CPMR), an interregional cooperation body chaired by the President of the Government, has approved a final declaration defending increased recognition of the role of regions in the migration crisis, Community investment and implementation of the Cohesion Policy.

This final declaration, which will now be sent to the Community institutions, was approved Friday at the meeting of CPMR held in the Italian city of Florence. It was attended by 300 participants, including 35 Presidents of European Regions and 95 elected officials from 85 Member Regions.

The document includes an amendment submitted by the President of the Government, who was elected to chair CPMR in September 2014. It recommends the European Commission to "revive the spirit of close cooperation with the regions and organisations such as CPMR," as was customary in the past for a wide range of European policies.

The Final Declaration also addresses the role of European regions in the current migration crisis, highlighting the response of communities and European and regional authorities. The document also defends that regions should receive Communities funds to meet the urgent needs of hosting and integrating refugees.

Regarding the so-called " Junker Plan," intended to revitalise investment in the European Union, the CPMR recalls that the implementation of this European Fund of Strategic Investments - EFSI must rely on the proactive involvement of the regions, namely in the definition of strategic projects that can contribute to the creation of wealth and employment.

The Final Declaration also reminds European institutions about the effective role played by regions in the promotion of investment for growth and employment in the context of maritime economy, but also in the development of the Cohesion Policy.

"The contribution that regions can make to the effective use of EU funds in the maritime area also requires further development in terms of EU policies," says the document. It also calls the attention for the need of European institutions to collaborate with regions in monitoring the socio-economic impact of the Common Fisheries Policy.

With regard to the Cohesion Policy, CPMR urges the Commission to recognise the important contribution of peripheral and maritime territories to the goals of increasing competitiveness and reducing regional disparities within the European Union.

Furthermore, CPMR draws attention to the transport costs in more remote regions and islands, defending a cohesion policy based on more balanced statistics in order to support growth, employment and innovation in these areas.

The mission of CPRM is to defend the interests of its members within national and European institutions, through the promotion of territorial cohesion and regional power in Europe as well as through the reinforcement of the peripheral and maritime dimension of the European Union.

 Accordingly, this body has conducted extensive efforts of policy development and influence with EU institutions, especially with regard to Cohesion Policies, Integrated Maritime Policy, Transport Policy and Macro-regional strategies.

The agenda includes 10 sessions focused on issues such as the migrant crisis in Europe, transport and accessibility, post-2020 Cohesion Policy, the Integrated Maritime Policy as well as on the issues of Energy and Climate in preparation for the UN Conference on Climate 2015.