National Policy for Regional Development (NPRD)

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The EU-Brazil Dialogue on Regional Policy

As large territories with wide economic and social disparities, Brazil and the European Union face many similar challenges in the process of integration. Today, these take on many forms, reflecting differing economic endowments as well as differences in the geographical impact of global competition, climate change, the pattern of energy dependency and changing demographic structures and migratory flows.

Against this background, on 29 November 2007, the Brazilian Minister for National Integration, Geddel Vieira Lima, and the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Danuta Hübner, signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to establish a structured dialogue on regional policy with the aim of promoting enhanced mutual understanding and bi-lateral cooperation in the field of regional policy and to open new channels of communication to strengthen information exchange.

Co-operation with Brazil on regional policy follows up on the commitment made in the Commission’s Communication (May 2007), ‘Towards an EU-Brazil Strategic partnership’, in which regional policy was identified as an important area on which both sides could share information and experience.

The EU-Brazil regional policy dialogue focuses on policies aiming at territorial cohesion and the reduction of social and regional inequalities, policies contributing to growth, competitiveness and employment, experiences in setting up and implementing regional policy and organising territorial development strategies, governance and partnership issues and planning and evaluation procedures and methods.

The regional policy dialogue is a formal recognition of the fact that Brazil and the European Union share common interests, ideals and aspirations, and that they face common challenges in achieving more balanced regional development.