Brussels, 20/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - Prudence has been recommended in laying down new macro-regional strategies, in a study commissioned by the parliamentary committee on regional development.
The study, which was carried out by the Directorate General for Internal Policies of the European Parliament, takes stock of the macro-regional strategies already in place (Danube and Baltic Sea), under preparation (Adriatic-Ionian, Alpine) and those under consideration. The last group includes the regions of the North Sea, Black Sea, Carpathian, Atlantic Europe and the eastern and western areas of the Mediterranean Sea.
The study argues that the commitment to identify joint regional needs is fairly low in these areas. If such a commitment were to be made, aspects related to the environment and economic development in the border areas should be the focus, the study finds. The report also notes that external relations and current territorial cohesion do not argue in favour of strategies of this kind: some of these regions face political instability or even, in certain cases, military conflict (Carpathian, Black Sea and Mediterranean).
Additionally, the level of development of these strategies is extremely uneven, the study reports. Although the macro-region for the Black Sea or Atlantic Europe are currently in the process of being adopted at the Parliament and the Council, the strategy for the Carpathian is still at working document stage at the European Commission. The degree of support for these macro-regions also varies greatly, at the level of the member state (Carpathian and Mediterranean), the European Parliament (Black Sea, North Sea) or the cities (Atlantic Europe).
On this basis, the study concludes that the European Parliament has a part to play in assessing political and financial needs related to territorial cohesion. This could serve as a basis to determine the degree of feasibility of a macro-regional approach. (Marie-Pauline Desset)