 These early spring months make us think of renewal and regrowth, and according to the latest figures from the European Commission, many of Europe's regions and cities are beginning to see the green shoots of economic recovery. However, despite forecasts that each member state is expected to return to growth this year, unemployment remains high and the investment environment weak. The European Committee of the Regions will therefore assess the investment plan for Europe from a local perspective. This will take place during an event with Commissioner Joachim Katainen on the 15th of April. The discussions will be centred on how to strengthen Europe's competitiveness and stimulate investment in the regions. Getting Europe back to growth and providing the right environment for innovation will also be at the heart of debates in the EPP Group meeting on the following day. Manfred Weber, Chairman of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, and Michael Lesterinder, President of the Wilfrid Martin Centre for European Studies, will join the debates in this pre-plenary group meeting. During the plenary session on the 16th and 17th of April, the EPP Group will take the lead on five opinions. Following a request from the Latvian EU presidency, Marek Vozniak will present his views for improvement in the territorial agenda of EU 2020. He would like to see a set of indicators to measure the territorial dimension of EU policies. Looking at the enlargement strategy, Franz Schausberger will argue that the so-called period of consolidation cannot bring preparations to a standstill, rather it should be a phase of intense preparation for potential EU membership at a later stage. Spiro Spiridon will call for targets to evaluate the 2011 White Paper on Transport in terms of the progress of implementation, and he will call for faster adoption of legislative proposals. Turning to cultural heritage in Europe, Christina Maza Spiridon's OLEGA will propose measures for a more integrated approach, and she will call for culture to be part of the reworked EU 2020 strategy. And last on the agenda, Zaba Borberli will look at resource efficiency opportunities in the building sector. He will stress that local and regional authorities have much to offer when agreeing on common European standards. Throughout the month, the EPP Group will be playing a leading role in determining the political priorities for the COR over the next five years.