EU visit to review funding needs

An EU Commissioner is on a fact-finding mission to Cornwall to see how the county could benefit from funding.

The European Commissioner for Regional Policy is visiting locations where Objective One and Regional Development Agency funding has already been used.

She is due to tour Newquay Airport, the Fifteen restaurant at Watergate Bay, and Tolvaddon Energy Park in Camborne.

Danuta Hubner will also attend a European conference on innovation at the Combined Universities in Cornwall.

Competition and productivity

Delegates from 25 EU regions will be at the talks at Tremough campus to discuss how to maximise business opportunities.

Cornwall is to get £389m in funding over the next seven years as part of £540m of European Structural Funds being distributed across South West England until 2013.

The Regional Development Agency will be in charge of distributing the cash for two new investment programmes.

The money will be used to improve the county's economy by encouraging more competition and productivity.