RIGA, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Mayors of Euroean Union (EU) capital cities gathered here for their annual summit on Friday, with the bloc's cohesion policy featuring high on the agenda, local media reported.
Nils Usakovs, the mayor of the Latvian capital Riga, said the role of the cities is becoming increasingly important as they are the centers of social and economic development.
"If we compare the EU with lungs, the cities are its air," he said, predicting that the role of the cities will only increase in the future.
EU Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu urged European cities to make use of the EU's cohesion policy.
"Cohesion is not the only assistance tool but it is a good and important tool," the commissioner said, stressing the necessity for policies that would lessen inequalities between regions and an agreement on a consolidation of the cohesion measures.
Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission's Vice President for the Energy Union, said the Commission is working to adjust its support programs to the needs of Europe's cities.
The methods of city financing are going to change, Sefcovic said, explaining that solutions have to be sought to raise private funding for city development and that policies have to be adjusted to each city's size and specific needs.
Usakovs called for increased involvement by capital city mayors' in the EU's decision-making process, saying that the European Commission should listen to their opinions more attentively.
