On 5 December 1969, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir publishes an article that outlines the programme of a symposium on ‘Border regions in the Common Market era’, organised by the Institute for European Studies of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and held in November 1969. A month earlier the Commission sent the Council a proposal for a decision on the organisation of Community instruments for regional development, accompanied by a note on the Community’s regional policy detailing the regional problems facing the Community.