Ministers were addressing three leading themes. The first theme was to develop a common approach to formation of sustainable communities, named the Bristol Accord. Sustainable communities vary according to the local characteristics, but to comply with the Accord, they should be: active, inclusive and safe; well led; well connected; well supplied; environmentally sensitive; successful; well designed and built; fair to everyone. The second leading theme of the ministerial meeting was the investment in sustainable communities and the role of European Investment Bank and of Structural and Cohesion Funds. Within the third leading theme, they focused on basic skills needed for achieving sustainable communities, regardless of different approaches in the countries. The first step in the long-term process of skills development was to organize European Sustainable Communities Skills Symposium, held in Leeds, UK.
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