EU regional leaders warned against protectionism at summit in Prague

European regions should avoid resorting to protectionism in light of the current financial downturn, head of the Committee of the Regions Luc van den Brande said at the start of a two-day summit of EU regions being held in Prague. The summit is the single largest event organised within the Czech Republic’s EU presidency, and has brought hundreds of European regional representatives to the Czech capital. Speaking on Thursday, Mr van den Brande urged regional councils around the continent to cooperate, not compete, with each other in times of financial crisis. On the first day of the summit, participants agreed that drawing from EU structural funds more quickly and more effectively would prove a partial solution to the crisis.