First Minister in Brussels to highlight impact of European funding in Wales

First Minister Rhodri Morgan was in Brussels on the 24 September 2009 to give the opening address to a seminar on European regional policy.

The seminar was called to discuss the EU’s Cohesion Policy and how this has been affected by the global economic crisis. The First Minister shared the experience in Wales of using structural funds to boost the most economically disadvantaged areas of Wales and how structural funds are helping Wales through the economic downturn.

In his speech, the First Minister called for a Europe-wide graduated regional policy, such that the less prosperous a member state is, the more regional assistance it will get from EU services.