This year’s annual extraordinary meeting of the EPP Group in the CoR is to be held in Athens, Greece on 15 October. On the invitation of Ms. Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens, the EPP Group of the Committee of the Regions will meet to discuss how to best face the challenges of safety and security in European cities. ''The Athens Olympic Games were staged in a secure, safe and at the same time festive environment. The city of Athens provides the platform to discuss best practices in ensuring safety and security for our citizens'' said Ms Bakoyannis. Major European cities and regions are increasingly confronted with the challenge of providing a safe and secure environment to their citizens. Efficient Safety and security policies require specific expertise, strong cooperation between political leaders of European cities and urban areas, and an effective and rapid exchange of information and practice. How do cities act in terms of emergency planning? What civil protection measures are applied? How is crime best confronted, and what do cities do to face new terrorist threats? This meeting will be a forum for the exchange of good practice in this area, and will create and initiate the work of a new platform which will seek to enhance the liaison and cooperation between major European cities in dealing with safety and security issues. To open the proceedings, Mr Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece will address the meeting, followed by Mr Gottardo, President of the EPP Group in the CoR, and Ms. Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens and EPP Member of the CoR. Other speakers include: Mr. Prada Presa, Vice-President of the Community of the Government of Madrid, Lord Hanningfield, Leader of the Essex County Council and President of the English Emergency Planning Officers, Mr. Bem, Mayor of Prague, Ms. Roth, Mayor of Frankfurt, Mr. Straub, President of the CoR, Mr. Hatzidakis, Member of the European Parliament, Mr. Pavlopoulos, Minister of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation of Greece, and Mr. Skandalakis, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece. Following the debate and adoption of the "Declaration of Athens" the President of the EPP/CoR will close the meeting. Athens Declaration