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General Assembly 1999 in Lyon: For a Europe with its Regions

3 December, 1999 By Editor

Lyon, Rhône-Alpes (F), 3 December 1999

At its General Assembly in Lyon on 2nd and 3rd December 1999, the Assembly of European Regions (AER), which represents 300 European Regions from 26 countries, wishes to bring the European Council of Helsinki’s (10-11 December) attention to:

1) The need, in the general interest of Europe, to acknowledge the role of the Regions in the unification process, in particular regarding the full application of the principle of subsidiarity;

2) The need for a correct legal and political definition of this principle in the Treaty, in order to allow the Regions of the enlarged Europe to jointly paricipate in the construction of Europe by building on their great diversity.

As the new treaty which will result from the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) will be the first in a series of successive treaties which will have a serious influence on the life of our peoples, regional authorities wish to be informed and have a direct impact in the elaboration of these important international instruments. The Regions of Europe feel that the IGC Agenda is too limited and too focused on procedures, therefore not allowing for the preparation of the new European Society. A vision combining a general perspective with respect for the diversities to be found in the Regions is necessary so that the reforms currently underway on the continent and, in particular, Union enlargement, keep and develop their social, economic and territorial cohesion.

In the various negociations in which the Union participates, on a world wide scale, in particular those of the WTO, we express our wish for Europe to adopt a strong, but flexible position taking into consideration the preparation for globalisation without compromising the diversity of peoples and cultures which form the foundation of the political and social organisation model of Europe.

Ever faithful to its declaration on regionalism in Europe, the AER calls for an adaptation of the European institutions without compromising the construction of an Europe with its Regions and wishes to actively participate in this debate along with other interegional organisations, cosignatories of this declaration (CEMR, CPMR, AEBR, RETI).

In the perspective of a new dimension in the enlarged Europe, the Regions of Europe aim to involve young europeans to a greater extent in public affairs. Aware of the hopes, expectations and aspirations, but also of the growing tendancy in young people to doubt the capabilities of elected members, and the political system in general, to fight against unemployment and meet the challenges of the world economy, the regions wish to create the appropriate structures, such as “youth groups” in order to participate actively in public life and to make their opinions heard in the drawing up of youth policies. The AER will create a body which will be uniquely responsible for young people within its midst.

The AER General Assembly has also adopted several resolutions drawn up by the thematic Committees and destined for the respective European Institutions, in particular:

• A resolution on EU territorial planning as well as the Commun Agricultural Policy, especially in view of enlargement,which brings the EU’s attention to the need to take into account the diversity of territories and their economic development, in particular, in rural, agricultural and peripheral areas, and the Region’s responsiblity in these two areas.

• A resolution on regional communications which underlines the interdependancy between regional politics and transport and, in consequence, brings the EU’s attention to the importance of the participation of regional authorities in the formulation of European policies on transport; this resolution also calls for the setting up of European co-financing for the development of public and other forms of transport, in particular for connecting rural and peripheral zones in the EU, but also for improving connections with candidate countries for future EU membership.

• A resolution on the Charter of fundamental rights in the EU, the preparation for which has been launched by the Council for General Affairs of the EU, which requests that all EU partners be consulted, regional authorities included, in the elaboration of this charter.

At the General Assembly, the AER also elected Mrs Liese Prokop (58 years old), Vice-Minister President of Lower Austria (A) and President of the Culture, Education and Training, Youth, Media and Sport Committee of the AER since 1996, as First Vice-President and Hans de Belder (61 years old), Flemish (B), former senator and diplomat, First Director General of the Flemish Office for External Trade, as Secretary General.

For more information: [email protected]

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14th General Assembly of European Regions: 2-3 December 1999, Lyon, Rhône-Alpes (F)

28 September, 1999 By Editor

At the invitation of Anne-Marie Comparini, President of the Rhône-Alpes Region, the representatives of 300 Regions from 26 European countries, members of the Assembly of European Regions (AER), will take their General Assembly in Lyon on 2nd and 3rd December 1999.

A few days before the European Council of Helsinki (10-11 December), this General Assembly will be the occasion for the Regions to formulate their common position in view of the next Intergovernmental Conference (IGC), which will deal with the way improving the organisation of the EU institutions and the decision-making process at European level.

The Regions will also prepare their proposals relative to the foreseen European Constitution and the Charta on fundamental rights of the EU. As a forum for exchanges between European Regions and debates with representatives of European institutions, the General Assembly will also raise other subjects of interest to the European Regions, such as their role in the enlargement process and the European integration of central and western European Regions, the question of training and employment, as well as the reinforcement of interregional cooperation networks to enhance peace and solidarity in Europe.

For more information: [email protected]

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Meeting of the AER political Bureau

12 May, 1999 By Editor

Brussels, 12 May 1999

The first meeting of the AER political Bureau, in its new composition issued from elections at the General Assembly in Linz (A) in last December, will be held on 12th May in Brussels. Several subjects will be discussed and in particular:

• Regions faced with the situation in Kosovo;

• Project of the European Constitution, the Subsidiarity, the EU Enlargement, the next Intergovernmental Conference (IGC);

• Regionalisation in progress: results of elections in Scotland and Wales, development in Hungary;

• Adoption of resolutions and decisions made by the AER Committees (January to May 1999):

Commission A ”Institutional Affairs and East-West Cooperation”
– Programme of Seminar “Strong Regions for a strong Europe” (27-28 May, Stuttgart-D),
– Project of the Conference “Regions and EU Enlargement process” (21-22 Sept., Wroclaw-PL),
– Information relative to the Summer school (28 August, Istra-HR) and Centurio, two AER training programmes;
Commission B “Social Cohesion, Social Services, Public Health and Employment”
– Resolutions and decisions which will be made at the next meeting (6 May, Trondheim-N),
– Declaration of Turin relative to the men-women equality;
Commission C ”Regional Policy” (Meeting of 18-19 March, Umea-S)
– Views on the last Environmental Action Programme (EAP) of the EU and contribution to the next EAP,
– Views on the respect of environmental norms in tourism,
– Participation in the European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign and in the next Earth Summit,
– Role of the Regions and interregional cooperation in the implementation of ESDP,
– Declaration of Grado – Interregional Organisations common position on the Interreg III,
– Regional twinnings ;
Commission D “Culture, Education/Training, Youth, Medias, Sport” (Meeting of 19- 20 April, Nyborg-DK)
– Preparations for a pan-European Conference of Regional Cultural Ministers (2000) and support to the initiative of creating a network for exchanging information via the Internet between regional public libraries (“Culture” Subcommittee),
– Requests for amendments of Community programmes, especially following the nonadmission of EU candidate countries to the pilot project “Parliaments representing the Youth of Europe” (“Education & Training” Subcommittee),
– Creation of a programme of solidarity for Romanian street children and orphans – ”Streetkids-Romania 1999”- organised by the Region of Piemonte (I) and proposal put forward by the Region of Odessa (UKR) to organise a conference on the “Participation of Youth in management and public life at regional level” by spring 2000 (“Youth” Subcommittee).

For more information: [email protected]

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Comparative study on medical care in Europe

31 August, 1998 By Editor

The region of Nordrhein-Westfalen (D) has just launched a comparative study on health services in Europe and is seeking partner regions, particularly in Italy, Spain and Denmark. The health services in Europe are called upon to carry out major structural reforms. In this context, the goal of the Nordrhein-Westfalen initiative is to evaluate existing systems, to propose comparative analysis methods and then to carry out studies on the priority issues. The results obtained will be used in a European forum for discussions at regional level and as a practical framework for the implementation of these reforms. The region has already established a cooperation with the AER’s Committee for Social, Health and Employment Affairs (IV) which plans on organising a seminar on this theme.

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Newsletter Summer 1998: The Regions play an important role in promoting Employment

1 July, 1998 By Editor

Headlines:

The Regions play an important role in promoting Employment
Help for SMEs
First steps towards decentralisation in Great Britain
The Amsterdam Treaty >Ratification in progress
350 years of the Treaty of Westphalia
East-West Cooperation >Preparing the regions for EU enlargement
Social and employment affairs >The need for interregional action
Education & training >Creating partnerships and networks
Financial aid for candidate countries
Pre-accession financial aid for agriculture
Pre-accession Structural Instrument
The key role of the Phare programme
Ecos-Ouverture: Call for proposals – 1998 to 2000
The reform of the Structural Funds is launched
Employment and the regions >Creation of a data base
The Mediterranean >Action for the prevention of fires
The Danube Delta >The need for greater cooperation
Progress report on interregional cooperation between the AER member regions
Oberösterreich to host the 1998 General Assembly

(Use pop out button to view & download the publication)

The newsletter is available in English, French and German:

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Eurodyssey’s contribution to the promotion of employment

15 February, 1998 By Editor

The Eurodyssey programme, which aims at improving young peoples’ chances to integrate into the labour market, was opened to the regions of central and eastern Europe in 1997 and, this AER programme, will continue to develop in 1998. Its objectives are to increase the number of participating regions (contacts already made in the United States of America and Canada) and placements, to propose new professional fields and to ensure a wider diffusion of information, especially through multimedia technology. Young people from 18 to 30 years old – either unemployed or graduates looking for a first professional experience – can already discover Eurodyssey through a CD- ROM (available from the AER General Secretariat) or on the Internet sites of the participating regions. Soon they will also be able to obtain the application dossier through the Internet.

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Agenda 2000, employment and EU Enlargement at the heart of our work

13 February, 1998 By Editor

Under the presidency of Luc Van den Brande, President of the AER and Minister-President of Vlaanderen, the Presidium and the Bureau of the AER met on 12th and 13th February 1998 in Brussels for the first time this year. As a follow-up to the work of the General Assembly of Montpellier, some important decisions were made:

Agenda 2000 for the regions

The Bureau asked a reflection group to draw up, for June 1998, a regional Agenda 2000 on the political role and priorities of the AER for the coming years. The AER would like to see itself as a full regional partner in the construction of Europe, to which the regions make a major contribution.

Promotion of employment

The Bureau launched an appeal to its EU member regions to participate actively in the national plans for employment which are being prepared in their countries. President Luc Van den Brande will write to the Heads of national governments asking them to take account of regional initiatives when they draw up and implement their plans and, at European level, to ensure that the principle of subsidiarity is applied in this area. In carrying out the decisions made by the extraordinary Bureau on Employment and the General Assembly in Montpellier (concerning the creation of an interregional network for the exchange of experiences and the setting up of a permanent observation centre for employment in the regions of Europe), President Van den Brande will draw up, in liaison with the European Commission, a proposal for the implementation of this observation centre. Made up of regional experts and social partners, it will carry out a prospective analysis of the labour market in the regions of Europe and will lead to the exchange of experience on a methodical basis. Moreover, the Bureau appeals to the member regions to take an active role in the exchange process set up last year and to join the unofficial existing network (26 regions participate already) which shall have the necessary interregional information at its disposal.

Enlargement of the European Union

In the perspective of the European Conference on enlargement, the Bureau has asked the Presidents of the six Committees to develop bilateral and multilateral regional partnerships with the regions from candidate countries. Its objective: to ensure the transfer of know-how and the exchange of experiences, the setting up of democratic institutions at regional level, economic development in the regions from the candidate countries and the participation of these regions in European programmes and European regional networks. The AER, which will follow very closely the work of this Conference, will organise, at the end of 1999, a European conference on the contribution of the regions of Europe and the enlargement and integration of the EU.

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The European Commission welcomes AER Resolution on the Structural Funds

16 January, 1998 By Editor

Adopted at the General Assembly in Montpellier, following a wide consultation of the regions, member and non-member states of the EU, the AER’s opinion on the reform of the Structural Funds was well received by the main European political bodies. The Prime Minister of Luxemburg and President of the EU Council for the second quarter of 1997, Mr J C Juncker, felt that this opinion “constitutes an irre- placeable basis for the long negotiations at European Union level”. The President of the European Commission, Mr J Santer, stessed the need for a “constructive cooperation of all the political representatives at European, national and regional levels” and “in this context” he “welcomed the Assembly of European Regions’ contribution to the current debate” and he pointed out that “the concerned directo- rates in the European Commission will examine, in detail, the Declaration adopted in Montpellier”.

Mr A Larsson, Director-General for Employment, Industrial Relations and Social Affairs in the European Commission, notes that the problems highlighted in the opinion go “to the heart of the reform” and says that he is convinced that there will be a lot of items to discuss among those concerned, “especially once the Commission has adopted its detailed proposals for new Regulations this spring”. Mr Larsson went on to say “during the course of forthcoming discussions on the reform, we would be pleased to have the opportunity for an exchange of views and suggest that we make contact again about this later in the year”. Mr R Savy, President of the Committee on Regional Policy, Regional Planning, the Environment and Tourism (V) (the Committee which drew up the AER reso- lution) intends to do just that.

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Social services: The concept of Partnerships makes its mark

20 October, 1997 By Editor

Since the adoption of the text “A Partnership between the Citizen, Society and the Region in the area of social, health and community care”, the AER Committee for Social Affairs, Health and Employment (IV) has applied itself to the promotion of partnerships between regional representatives, associations and the beneficiaries themselves. This is indeed a new conception of the care and services offered, in particular to the elderly and the disabled, the main principles of which are: solidarity, shared responsibility, subsidiarity, empowerment and active participation of the regional representatives and associations.

During a workshop in October 1997 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a first meeting of regional representatives and European NGOs led to a better understanding of this new concept of partnership and allowed those present to exchange experiences in this area. A dossier presenting cases of good practice was put together as well as a brochure to promote this concept among all the partners concerned in Europe. This brochure was distributed to the member regions at the last AER General Assembly. As a follow- up to this action, Committee IV plans launching a campaign for the promotion of this partnership, among the European institutions, in close cooperation with the NGOs active in this field. It also plans to launch an officer exchange programme between coordinators of social projects, at regional level, this year.

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AER Declaration on Regionalism

30 August, 1996 By Editor

The “Declaration on Regionalism” in Europe was adopted by the AER in 1996 during the General Meeting of European Regions in Basel (CH). It is a reference document for new regions or those undergoing expansion. It defines the norms and criteria for regional development and fixes the different steps to be undertaken so that the region can beacknowledged as a fully-fledged political entity. There is currently awide range of different regional structures in Europe. The “Declaration” has not chosen to promote a specific type of regionalism but sets out ageneral framework within which the regions may develop.
“The Assembly of European Regions strives to have regionalism recognised not only within the European Union but also beyond. At a time when, within Europe, the strengthening of the European Union is being reflected upon, the role of the regions in the unification process is gaining importance. Themes such as the distribution of responsibilities and the cooperation through partnerships between the various policy levels have consequently come to the fore, subsidiarity being the basic principle to define everyone’s role. The movement for regionalism is strong within the European Union as well as beyond. It is fuelled by the belief that the powers vested in the European Union, the (Member-) States and the regions are complementary.Regions, federated states and autonomous communities are above all mainstays of democracy; they strongly support cultural diversity in Europe and they are major partners in socio-economic development. This is why they should be able to take responsibilities in the policy areas where they have a competitive advantage, amongst others, in economics (employment), culture, the environment, regional and country planning, scientific research etc.The Declaration on regionalism adopted by the Assembly of European Regions offers a reliable guide for regions on the way to enlargening and strengthening their powers. It is a document of norms and standards, an entity of beacons and stepping stones. It is not a charter that fixes the minimum norms for recognition of a region. The rich diversity of regions in the AER yields a great number of models and structures to streamline regional development. The Declaration on regionalism sets out the guidelines within which the AER member regions develop. Thus they endorse the AER objective: strengthening regional development.
By this Declaration the AER wants to show what it, together with its members, strives for. They can enrich and strengthen the AER. This is why the Declaration is distributed, presented and discussed within the AER as well as beyond. In our capacity as former and current Presidents of the AER, we want to further promote regionalism in Europe, thereby enabling regions to take up more responsibility in a Europe that is closer to the citizen”.