Brussels, 27/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - The Political Bureau of the Conference' of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), meeting in Århus, Denmark, on Monday 26 January, adopted a policy paper warmly welcoming the publication of the Green Paper on territorial cohesion, which upholds solidarity and cohesion as priorities for the EU.
In also calling for the subsequent publication of a White Paper, the CPMR put forward the ambitious idea of a European territorial pact that would involve all stakeholders, from local right through to European level, the CPMR says in a press release, adding that its president, and the president of the Tuscany Region, Claudio Martini envisages “a sort of integrated cohesion policy involving all the commissioners and Directorates General of the European Commission so that it forms a core part of other policies”. The CPMR also feels that (1) the issue of governance is not adequately developed in the Green Paper; (2) there is a vital need for a detailed analysis of the diverse range of stakeholders concerned within the European Union, of their responsibilities and of the different coordination mechanisms. It also calls on the Commission, Parliament and Council to draw up a Charter for Multi-Level Governance. President of the Region of Brittany Jean-Yves Le Drian said: “The fact that that the Lisbon Treaty, which will legitimise these principles, has not yet been enforced, must represent a challenge for us and not an obstacle”. He added that “territorial cohesion cannot just be limited to the land” and that “the maritime policy also needs to be integrated into territorial cohesion”.
Other issues discussed at Århus included negotiation of the Copenhagen Agreement, the meeting of parties in Poznan and the conclusions of the World Summit of Regions on climate change which took place in St Malo on 29-30 October 2008. For information, contact enrico.mayrhofer@crpm.org (G.B./transl.rt)