Brussels, 03/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - With the European Commission due to present its Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion, in Brussels on Monday 6 October, territorial cohesion, the Lisbon strategy and regional development were discussed by the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), meeting in Bayonne on Friday 3 October,.
Assistant Director General of the Regional Policy Directorate General at the European Commission Katarina Mathernova unveiled the main points of the Green Paper. It will tackle three issues: taking account of the differences between regions when drawing up public policies, improving cooperation between regions and developing more fully integrated partnerships. “The Green Paper is not a pre-set framework containing discussions that have already been decided,” she said. “It emphasises the cross-sectoral dimension which is needed if we want to deal with certain challenges”. The appearance of the document has been delayed several times by the Commission, which even, for a time, considered putting it out as a simple working paper rather than a Green Paper. Mathernova said that the delays were due to the slowing down of the ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty. Unlike the other treaties, the text makes clear reference to territorial cohesion. “After the Irish “no” vote, the Green Paper had to be reviewed to make sure there were no references to the Lisbon Treaty,” she explained.
“The European Commission has tried to take account of those regions which face certain handicaps,” Mathernova told her audience. She also stressed that the cross-sectoral approach of cohesion policy had to be emphasised. “But we are well aware that territorial cohesion policy could not resolve all the problems,” she acknowledged. With some regions being far less industrialised than others, she wondered, “How can we react to this situation?” She stated that the policies in this area should contain three “key principles”: concentration of economic activities, development of interconnections and inter-regional cooperation.
The Green Paper would, Mathernova said, help strengthen the corpus of doctrine that exists on territorial cohesion. Indeed, it will open a consultation procedure lasting five months, until 28 February 2009.
On the previous day, CPMR President Claudio Martini said: “With regard to territorial cohesion, our impression is that the Green Paper that is due to be published shows no great ambition,” adding that the Conference would play a “very active” part in the debate.
Speaking on behalf of the French Presidency, Pierre Heilbronn, Adviser to the Secretary General for European Affairs, said that the period from 2007 to 2013 showed that greater attention was being paid to the Lisbon strategy objectives. “In the coming weeks, there will be much for us to discuss about the competitiveness of the regions,” he added.
Vice-President of the Committee of the Regions Michel Lebrun set out a number of lines to be followed to tackle the growing differences between the regions. First of all, he called for a “strong cohesion policy”. “Development built on strong cohesion is better for Europe,” he argued. He added: “There is a link between, on the one hand, the use of funding and the quality of the projects, and, on the other, the extent of decentralisation”.
Claude Grasland of the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) said that, on Tuesday 7 October, he would present a report on this issue to the European Parliament regional development committee. The report, “Shrinking Regions: a Paradigm Shift in Demography and Territorial Development” highlights, in particular the link between demography and territorial cohesion. (L.B.S./transl.rt)