Brussels, 08/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Political Bureau of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), meeting on the island of Gozo in Malta on 5 May at the invitation of Giovanna Debono, Maltese Minister for Gozo and CPMR Vice-President, presented its policy position on the Community Strategic Guidelines (CSG). The Commission text “was very vague on the notions of 'governance' and 'territorial cohesion',” said the CPMR, and this “at a time when territorial players require semantic clarification and in-depth understanding of European issues”. The guidelines should be considered in a long-term perspective “where sustainability and continuity of EU action is able to face up to the demographic, economic and environmental challenges of future years,” added the CPMR in its press release.
The CPMR Political Bureau called on the Commission to take forward and intensify proposals for the involvement of regional and local authorities in implementing a territorial pact to support the Lisbon ands Gothenburg Agendas and proposed to develop the notion of tripartite or quadripartite programmes between Community, national, regional and local levels, or even trans-national and inter-regional levels where necessary.
At this meeting, the CPMR also formalised a cooperation agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with a view to taking into account factors from outside the European continent and the EU in the interests of the populations of its member Regions. Christopher Nuttall, representing the UNDP, stated that it was “prepared to support the CPMR's initiative to gradually structure a worldwide expression of Regions” and confirmed that UNDP's Deputy General Administrator Bruce Jenks would be attending the seminar on “Regions and Globalisation” in the Azores on 23-24 June, for the signature of a true cooperation framework agreement between the UNDP and CPMR.
Ms Debono was pleased that the CPMR was continuing to grow: after nine regions joined after last year's CPMR conference, two new regions, East Midlands (UK) and Skane (Sweden) were welcomed as members at this meeting on Gozo. “I am delighted that our association is gathering strength. We are in need of all our efforts not only for the territorial dimension to be taken on board, but also to ensure better governance taking into account the different territorial levels” she said.