Experiences and Actions of the Committee of the Regions of the European Union

I believe we must start addressing the scope of globalisation by considering the very specific benefits of the European project: strength in Unity, strength in Diversity. We are strong when united, as the creation of the largest Single market in the world demonstrates us. This market constitutes already a critical mass for attracting foreign investments and for creating the condition for an European offer of excellence in different sectors. We have a single currency, the EURO, which grants us a certain stability and protection against external shocks and has become the second reserve currency in the world. It has also become a strong engine for structural and microeconomic change in the EU. The EMU has already answered the question raised by Prof. Straus in his yesterday’s intervention. In the EMU, business and companies are less and less attracted to a national basis, but increasingly oriented towards a European home market. Europe and its regions are also strong because of diversity: we can count on a unique puzzle of people, culture, languages, which is our natural software for reaching out across the world. Our governments are used to master the challenges of life and production in so different territorial conditions: maritime areas, mountain, urban and rural, as examples.