Members of the European People’s Party gathered in Luxembourg today to celebrate forty years since its foundation in 1976. Local and regional governments from across Europe were represented by Michael Schneider, President of the EPP Group in the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), and Markku Markkula, President of the CoR.
Addressing the political assembly ahead of the celebrations, President Schneider reiterated: "forty years is a long history in absolute terms, but more importantly in how we have evolved over this time and how we came together to find solutions to our common challenges. For just over half of these years, EPP local and regional leaders we have been bringing our experience from the ground through the mouthpiece of the EPP Group in the CoR. We will continue to work in partnership with you."
He also took the opportunity to call for the EPP's continued support for a modern cohesion policy, which will continue to reduce the disparities in the economic and social development in Europe's regions, and in defending the principals of subsidiarity and proportionality.
Follow the ceremony live www.epp.eu