Kazan, Tatarstan-RUS, 21 September 2007

One day after the plenary meeting of the Committee ‘Economy and Regional Development’, representatives from European regions have gathered in Kazan, Tatarstan-RUS, for a Seminar on the development strategy in the Republic of Tatarstan, organised by the Assembly of European Regions (AER).

Tatarstan has put a clear focus on developing its economy. In order to do so, it has set up various initiatives to attract foreign investors and to help start-up companies, for instance by the creation of the innovative technopark “IDEA”. This region underlined the crucial role of regional airports in the development of the tourism sector. The AER is well aware of this issue and has therefore created a network of regional airports, which is currently influencing EU regulation in this field.

Tatarstan has invested a lot to develop its tourist amenities by constructing, among others, hotel resorts. Nevertheless, the region is confronted with an important need of skilled staff. Klaus Klipp, Secretary General of the AER, presented the AER Eurodyssey programme to Mr Bariev, Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan. In offering Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 an opportunity to spend 3 to 7 months abroad, gathering work experience and acquiring foreign language skills, this programme could help the region to solve part of the problem it faces. Minister Bariev showed great interest in this programme.

Onno Hoes, President of AER Committee ‘Economy and Regional Development’ and Member of the Executive Board of the Region Noord-Brabant-NL, together with Klaus Klipp, also met Mr Akulov, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs to the President of Tatarstan; Mr Kogogin, Minister of Industry and Trade, as well as other ministers, to define together a very pragmatic and effective co-operation in Tatarstan in the fields of Tourism, Energy and Youth. The importance of this co-operation was also underlined in a meeting with the Tatarstan State Council chairman, Mr Mukhametshin, who considered it essential in the European context.

Thanks to the AER initiatives and networking, the Republic of Tatarstan can benefit from the know-how of 260 member regions. The AER is a bridge between the European Union and neighbouring regions like Tatarstan. “It is our duty to help our members to learn from each other and to benefit from others’ experiences. Our meetings today are proof of the added value of exchanging and working closely all together” said Klaus Klipp.

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