In particular, the Community commits itself to seeking to reduce disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least-favoured regions, including rural areas.

Although this reform was designed to reduce disparities between the levels of development of European regions, it has in fact increased the disparities between the richest and the poorest regions.

Cohesion policy needs to be an effective tool for responding to the socio-economic challenges brought about by the financial crisis and for reducing disparities between the levels of development of European regions.

The European structural policy has brought us considerably closer to realising our aim of reducing the disparities between the levels of development and per capita incomes in the Member States and their regions.

Cohesion policy is a particularly important part of EU policy, which aims to reduce disparities between the levels of development of European regions and to ensure economic, social and territorial cohesion.

The territorial dimension must not contradict or dilute economic and social cohesion, in other words the reduction of disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the encouragement of the least-favoured regions that are lagging behind.

There are several positive aspects to this resolution, particularly where it insists on the objectives of cohesion policy, which aims to reduce disparities between the levels of development of European regions and mobilising growth potential to achieve economic, social and territorial cohesion.

Article 158, which provides the legal basis here, states, in connection with the policy of economic and social cohesion, that the Community shall aim in particular to reduce disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least favoured regions or islands, including rural areas.

Thus, Article 130a states that the Community is committed to solidarity between the poorer and wealthier Member States, and establishes one of its aims as being to reduce disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and the backwardness of the least-favoured regions.

We now have the largest integrated market in the world, with 370 million consumers, and they alone account for 1.1 % to 1.5 % of GDP growth within the European Union, and thus play a key part in economic convergence and in reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various Member States.

It is a structural policy which must have as its primary and principal objectives, as has already been stated, the reduction of disparities between the levels of development of the various regions, the encouragement of the least-favoured regions that are lagging behind, the promotion of real convergence and the stimulation of growth and employment.