Environment Archives - Page 36 of 36 - Assembly of European Regions

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The architecture of tomorrow’s Europe – the Regions of Europe prepare

1 February, 2001 By Editor

Chaired by Liese Prokop, First Vice-Minister of Niederösterreich (A) and President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER), the new AER Presidium, elected last December, held its first meeting on 31st January 2001 in Strasbourg – where the Assembly of European Regions has had its headquarters since its creation in 1985 – in the aim of fixing the organisation’s priorities for the coming two years.

Bearing in mind the decisions taken at the Intergovernmental Conference in Nice (8th – 9th December 2000): to continue the debate on architecture and consider the ambitions of an enlarged Union in view of a further Intergovernmental Conference in 2004, the AER Presidium established its main aim as the mobilisation of all member Regions and interregional organisations concerning these important stakes in the future of Europe. “The political representatives of the Regions of the European Union and applicant countries must make their position clear and be considered as a source of proposals for this important debate for the future of Europe” stated Mrs Prokop. “In order for the enlarged Europe to be governable and governed, whilst remaining at grass roots level, competences must be clearly distributed between the various levels of government and the concept of subsidiarity must be given a more concrete and clear meaning in the European Treaties and the role of the Regions must be better defined in the construction of Europe” she added.

The institutional affairs Committee of the AER, chaired by Willi Stächele, Secretary of State for European affairs of Baden-Württemberg, received the mandate of preparing a draft AER position both for the next IGC and the White paper on governance in the Union which will be published next July by the European Commission. This Committee will meet on 8th – 9th February 2001 in Berlin. Over 70 European Regions (EU and non-EU) have already confirmed their participation.

In addition, the Presidium approved the Action programmes of the three other AER Committees for the period 2001- 2002:
– The Social Affairs Committee: Social protection and wellbeing in Europe post enlargement – Economic and social policy in the EU concerning the Regions post 2004 – Health, pensioners, equal opportunities
– The Regional policy Committee: Enlargement and future European regional policy – Report and forum on cohesion in Europe– 6th European environmental action programme – Trans-European Networks – and, of course, considering the current agricultural crisis, Sustainable agriculture and consumer protection.
– The culture Committee: Involvement of young people in public affairs at regional level – Adult education and training – Regional and Minority languages within the year of languages – Sport in the Regions.

The Presidium introduced the idea of organising two Conferences of Ministers and regional representatives in the field of environment and culture in 2002.

The Presidium also decided to give a more political dimension to the AER training programmes such as Centurio and the Summer School which aim at training regional elected representatives and managers of the CEEC as well as Eurodyssey which allows young Europeans to gain experience abroad for the first time.

For more information: [email protected]

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General Assembly 2002 in Seinäjoki: A woman at the head of the AER!

7 December, 2000 By Editor

15th General Assembly of the Regions of Europe

Seinäjoki, South Ostrobothnia (FIN), 7 December 2000

Mrs Liese Prokop, Vice-Minister President of Niederösterreich (Austria) since 1992, has just been elected AER President for 2001-2003. She is therefore the 5th AER President following Edgar Faure (Franche-Comté – F), Carlo Bernini (Veneto – I), Jordi Pujol (Catalunya – E) and Luc Van den Brande (Vlaanderen – B).

For the last 30 years, Liese Prokop, Austrian, has been a front running political actor in her country. For the AER, the election of Mrs Liese Prokop represents an additional asset with Austria being the long standing geographical link between the Regions of Western, Central and Eastern Europe.

Liese Prokop is also an outstanding performer in the world of sport as a top athlete. She won a silver medal for the pentathlon at the Olympics in Mexico in 1968; was junior champion in 1967 and broke the world record in 1969, again in the pentathlon. She is currently President of the Austrian Union of Sports Organisations.

With the election of Liese Prokop, the AER efforts to encourage equal opportunities for men and women are given added impetus.

The new AER President will be assisted in her tasks by the Vice-President Jan Waszkiewicz, President of the Region of Dolnoslaskie – PL, Vice-President Lambert van Nistelrooij, member of the Regional Council of Noord-Braabant – NL and Vice-President Treasurer Claude Ruey, State Councillor from the Canton of Vaud – CH (second election).

The new Committee Presidents are:
– “Institutional Affairs and East-West Cooperation”: Willi Stächele, State Secretary for Baden-Württemberg (D)
– “Social cohesion, Social services, Public Health, Employment”: Ragnar Kristoffersen, President of Akershus (N)
– “Regional Policies, Spatial planning, Infrastructures, Environment, Tourism“: Brian Greenslade, President of Devon (GB)
– “Culture, Education and Training, Youth, Media, Sport“: Bruno Hosp, Minister of Culture of BozenSüdtirol/Bolzano-Alto Adige (I)

In addition, a special mandate concerning the participation of young people in public regional life and the development of interregional cooperation in the Balkans was given to Roberto Antonione, President of Friuli Venezia-Giulia (I).

For more information: [email protected]

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The future of European regional policy: AER Action Plan

6 June, 2000 By Editor

AER Committee C: “Regional Policies, Territorial planning, Infrastructures, Environment, Tourism”

Florence, Tuscany (I), 5-6 June 2000

On 5th and 6th June 2000, the Committee C of the Assembly of European Regions met in Florence, Tuscany (I) at a meeting which was chaired by Mr Brian Greenslade (Devonshire, UK), the Committee President. The meeting was attended by representatives of the citizens of 57 Regions from 17 countries. The meeting considered the regional aspects of a number of key issues affecting the citizens of the European Continent (membership includes Regions both from inside and outside of the EU).

In the past, Committee C has succeeded in promoting the recognition of territorial cohesion as a fundamental principle of the construction of Europe which contributed to making sure that territorial cohesion was included in article 16 (former article 7d) of the European Union Treaty.

Today, the Committee C’s main fields of action cover the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Sustainable Rural Development, Regional transport and Communications, the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) and Environment, without forgetting Regional twinning (or cooperation) and specific matters linked to INTERREG III. The Committee also takes pride in its contribution to the enlargement process.

A multi-national working group has been established in order to draft a report on the AER’s perspective on the future of regional policies and European governance. The group is made up of Regions from Ireland, Italy, Great Britain, Norway, Finland and Romania among others. Their work will be completed by September 2000 (next Committee C meeting in Tulcea, 22nd – 23rd September 2000), in order to present the AER’s contribution to Commissioner Barnier before the adoption of the next EU report on social and economic cohesion.

Under the chairmanship of Mr Hjalmarsson (Norrbotten, Sweden), work is also progressing for the enhancement of the role and the future of regional airports, particularly regarding their contribution to regional economies and the reduction of peripheral areas. This work will include the development of a sub-TEN of regional air transport.

The Committee is developing a network on environment and tourism, coordinated by Västerbotten, which will collect case studies and enable Regions to share their good practices. The President of the Committee, Mr Brian Greenslade, will be seeking the involvement of the Regions in the consultation relating to the review of the transeuropean network and in particular the acknowledgement of the importance of the regional perspective in the development of these networks.

The Committee’s President will also address the EU Commission, on behalf of members, in order to announce the AER’s intention to actively cooperate in the observatory which was recently opened within INTERREG III and in which a number of AER members are interested. The AER will also try to cooperate in this field with other interregional organisations as already agreed in the Conference in Grado, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, I (April 1999).

Finally the quality of the members’ contributions and the direct relevance of the issues on the agenda for the Regions have greatly contributed to the ongoing process of the political relaunch of the AER.

This political movement which promotes regionalism and stimulates cooperation between regional authorities is providing to be, as President Martini of Tuscany (I) said, even more necessary in the interests of the Regions from all over the European Continent.

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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Regionalism in action: Poland

31 March, 1998 By Editor

At the end of 1997, the Polish Government launched a work programme for the administrative reform of the country. The bills which are currently being discussed in the Parliament propose introducing a decentralised system similar to that in France. This would mean a distribution of competencies between three administrative levels (there are only two at present): municipality, district, voivodeships as well as the creation of regional councils made up of elected members. In this context, the competencies of the municipalities will remain practically unchanged, the districts would cover inter-municipal administration responsibilities and a large part of those of the voivodeships. The voivodeships would then carry out the standard administration for the State at regional level.

The Regional Council would be elected through direct suffrage, which represents major progress when compared to the present system. It would be made up of an elected Assembly (legislative and control body) and an executive body. It would be responsible for the regional strategy and development policy and its implementation. The competencies of the Council would include: education and higher education, health, culture, social services, regional planning, the environment, management of water resources, infrastructures and transport. It would have its own financial resources (30% from income tax and 15% from VAT, collected at regional level etc.) and would prepare and vote its own annual budget.

The bill envisages that the voivode would supervise the Regional Council in legislative fields and foreign policy. It also envisages the suspension of activities or dissolution of the Council by the President of the Council of Ministers should the Constitution not be respected or if public commitments are not carried out.

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Aquitaine – Euskadi – Navarra: over 350 Crossborder Projects

5 February, 1998 By Editor

The regions of Aquitaine (F), Euskadi and Navarra (E) are geographically and historically close so it is quite natural that they got together. Aquitaine and Euskadi established a cooperation protocol in 1989 and Navarra joined them in 1992, thus sealing a fruitful institutional collaboration. The main objectives of this cooperation are:

to exchange information on respective economic and social policies, on actions for the promotion and the development of communications, training, research and infrastructures as well as the value of cultural and linguistic heritage,
to harmonise policies in the above mentioned areas,
to consult each other on the definition and implementation of projects of common interest,
to encourage all forms of cooperation between the different public, professional and private bodies from each region.

Over 350 transborder projects, 50 of which were introduced in 1997, have in this way been set up in a variety of fields: higher education, scientific research, the environment, economic development, tourism, agriculture, culture, training, social care, diffusion of the Basque language etc. These projects are financed by a common intervention fund. The three regions invest each year close to 300 million Pesetas so that this collaboration may realise an even greater number of common projects on both sides of the border.

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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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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”.