19 July 2007 - This morning (coinciding with ECORYS' 78th birthday), Prof. Willem Molle, former ECORYS director and currently professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, handed over the first copy of his new book on European Cohesion Policy to Prof. Danuta Hübner, European Commissioner for Regional Policy in her office in the Berlaymont building in Brussels.

"This book makes a significant contribution to a better understanding of why we need cohesion policy, how it works, who is involved, what are its effects. It constitutes essential reading for all those who are interested or involved in European cohesion policy", according to the foreword of Mrs. Hübner in Willem Molle's book.

After handing over the book, a full hour of discussion followed about the challenges facing European cohesion policy in the future, the importance of evaluating this policy and coming to grips with the complexity of co-ordination of the policy in areas like innovation, rural development, demography and climate change. Willem Molle is occasionally critical of cohesion policy in his book, but both agreed that it provides an important tool for an integrated horizontal approach. "Money is important but the incentives are even more important. European regional policy is above all about 'triggering waves of reflection'", concluded the Commissioner.

Prof. Willem Molle's book on European Cohesion Policy has been published by Routledge (London) and will become shortly available.

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Jan Maarten de Vet
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