Min første bemærkning er, at samhørighedspolitikken, hvilket den fjerde rapport viser, fortsat er afgørende for reduceringen af skævhederne i udviklingsniveauet i de forskellige regioner og for at skabe incitamenter for de mest ugunstigt stillede regioner, som sakker agterud, eller med andre ord for at skabe en mere harmonisk og bæredygtig Europæisk Union, der er kendetegnet ved en større grad af solidaritet.
My first comment is that, as shown by the Fourth Report, the cohesion policy continues to be essential for reducing disparities between the levels of development of the various regions and for encouraging the least-favoured regions that are lagging behind or, in other words, for creating a European Union that is more harmonious and viable and has a greater sense of solidarity.