The EU's regional policy is an investment, not a charity, which is aimed at bringing the less developed regions closer to the level of the most developed, the EU's Regional Policy Commissioner told a conference of the European People's Party (EPP) parliamentary group leaders in Budapest on Friday.

The task is to set out fewer strategic priorities, which, however should be implemented with a more thorough consideration of the different development level of regions, Johannes Hahn said, on the second day of the meeting.

In his opening remarks of the session focusing on the EU's cohesion policy the commissioner mentioned the block's Danube Strategy, of which Hungary was among the initiators, and stressed the importance of macro-regional cooperation projects in the future.

He said the EU's cohesion and regional development policies are priority areas in the new Europe 2020 competitiveness strategy and projects in these areas must be drafted and implemented in cooperation with the regional authorities.

Rural development will remain a focus for the EU, Hahn said but noted that the modernisation of larger towns and cities, where 80 percent of EU residents live, was equally important.

Projects must be aimed at promoting more energy efficient technologies in public transportation and infrastructure and housing, he said.

Addressing the session Dacian Ciolos, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, stressed the importance of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy CAP, one of the main objectives of which he said was to prevent the migration of workforce from the countryside.

In his remarks closing the session Tibor Navracsics, the parliamentary group leader of main opposition Fidesz, said that differences in the regions' development level must be alleviated to keep the EU together as a block in the long term.