§ Mr. DavidTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what responses she has received from other European countries to her paper on the future of European Regional Policy; [107491]
(2) what steps the Government are taking to gather support among other European countries for their recently published paper on the future of EU regional policy. [107492]
§ Alan Johnson"A modern regional policy for the United Kingdom" was published on 6 March and opened a UK-wide consultation on the future of EU regional policy after 2006. The consultation paper has been sent to representatives of both current member states and the accession countries, inviting their views.
No formal responses to the paper have yet been received from other European countries. However, the Department and others will continue to meet with representatives of other member states during the consultation period to discuss the future of EU regional policy and beyond.