At its extraordinary seminar in Bratislava on 28 October 2005, co-organized by the Mayor of Bratislava, Mr. Andrej Durkovsky, the EPP Group in the Committee of the Regions calls on the European Commission, and Member States to promote partnership, built on a bottom-up approach and a subsidiary principle, for growth and jobs.   "Local and regional authorities have a key role to play and important practical tasks to perform in achieving the re-launched Lisbon Strategy and its implementation", said the President of the EPP Group in the CoR Isidoro Gottardo. “The aim of such a partnership will help increasing the welfare of EU citizens, which is built on a strong complementarity between cohesion and competitiveness”.   As Ivan Miklos, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance of the Slovak Republic, stated “High and sustainable economic growth needs implementation of all necessary structural reform, an improved business environment  and a strong political will to realize this.” He added “We were very successful by introducing the 19% flat rate tax.  We are against a tax rate harmonization in Europe because it would slow down the necessary structural reform we urgently need”.   Jan Figel, European Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Multilinguism, highlighted that Europe needs more credibility trough a real partnership between the leaders of the European, national and regional levels.  “We need priorities - he added - for more and better jobs with a knowledge-based economy and society at its heart”.   MEP Jan Hudacky, added that “Expanding and intensifying coordination and cooperation in Research Development and Innovation at regional level is a key for competitive business enterprises and SMEs“. Bratislava Declaration