Cohesion Fund: information and publicity measures

The committee approved a proposal for a resolution to supplement the Commission proposal on prior information on the Cohesion Fund. The resolution highlighted certain shortcomings in the information provided by the Commission to the national, regional and local authorities and recommended the creation of an information network on the Union's policy of economic and social cohesion. It also stated that universities should receive information, as should authorities, especially those responsible for transport infrastructures and the environment; in addition, transparency in information management should be extended to regions other than those hosting joint projects for the purposes of healthy emulation. Finally, the draft resolution emphasized the need to make optimum use of monitoring committees to transmit information and, with regard to the environment, asked the Commission to ensure that Directive 90/313 on freedom of access to information on the environment was respected in the implementation of assistance under the Cohesion Fund.�