" The EU policy on political and economic cohesion is undoubtedly one of the most important factors in bringing citizens closer to the vision of European integration", declared Georges Dassis on 4 October, at the signing ceremony where he officially joined the Cohesion Alliance, an initiative undertaken by the Committee of the Regions alongside territorial associations aiming to advocate for a strong EU cohesion policy.

As stated in the principles of the Alliance, cohesion policy has a clear added value in creating jobs, sustainable growth and modern infrastructure, overcoming structural barriers, boosting human capital and improving people's quality of life.

In his concluding remarks, Georges Dassis said that "it is essential to strengthen political and economic cohesion and I would like to congratulate the President of the Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, on the initiative he has undertaken, which I support and endorse".

Background

The Cohesion Alliance declares that cohesion policy: a) works as a long-term investment policy, b) is needed now more than ever as an expression of European solidarity to overcome the economic, social and territorial divide, and c) must continue to be an effective policy with sufficient resources of at least one third of the future EU budget.

The official launch of the #CohesionAlliance will take place on 9 October 2017, in the framework of the European Week of Regions and Cities; you can find more information at www.cohesionalliance.eu.