The European People's Party (EPP) Group at the Committee of the Regions was invited by the President of the Veneto Region and CoR member, Giancarlo Galan.  The following also attended the meeting: Italian Minister for European affairs, Rocco Buttiglione, Chairman of the EPP-DE Group at the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, Secretary-General of the EPP, Antonio Lopez, President of the Lombardy Region, Roberto Formigoni, former CoR president, Jos Chabert, and European Convention member from Slovenia, Alojz Peterle. Discussions focused on the future of Europe and, in particular, the Committee of the Regions, and the role of local and regional authorities in the light of debates at the European Convention and with a view to the 2004 Intergovernmental Conference. EPP Chairman Reinhold Bocklet presented a declaration entitled "EUROPE NEEDS ITS CITIZENS!  Strong regions and towns – the pillars of Europe", which was adopted unanimously by Group members.  This declaration will be sent to European Convention members informing them of the EPP Group's standpoint, and in particular its call for a more powerful role for the CoR and the regions, provinces, towns and municipalities of Europe. EPP members are calling for the Committee's role to be extended beyond its current consultative status.  EPP Chairman Mr Bocklet pointed out that local and regional authorities are the pillars of the EU and that there is a need above all for a policy targeted towards citizens' needs. For the EPP, the EU must concentrate its efforts on responding to citizens' expectations and meeting the challenges they have identified. The declaration states that the CoR should be the guardian of the principles of subsidiarity, proportionality and proximity.  In addition, the EPP believes that the CoR should have the right to bring actions before the European Court of Justice in defence of its prerogatives and when the principle of subsidiarity is infringed. According to the EPP Group, the CoR should be more involved in the European decision-making process, a process in which all the political levels in the Member States, from local authorities to regions with legislative powers, must play a role and shoulder their share of responsibility. Among the speakers, Mr Formigoni stressed "the need for horizontal as well as vertical subsidiarity that places the citizen at the heart of all European policy".  Mr Pöttering stressed the good level of cooperation between the two existing EPP groups in the European institutions and confirmed his support for the CoR's demands, especially its role as the guardian of the principle of subsidiarity.  He noted that "Europe must take account of all levels of governance: the EU, the Member States, regions and local authorities". Mr Chabert reported on the work of the CoR delegation at the European Convention and launched an initiative to involve local and regional authorities by means of a questionnaire sent by the CoR designed to gather their views on the proposals made at the Convention.  As for the Italian government, Mr Buttiglione confirmed his support for strengthening the Committee's institutional status. Venice Declaration