Di Stasi: "Landscape Network a new instrument bringing citizens and territory closer together"

The Congress of the Council of Europe and the Campania Region have instigated a Conference of regions of Europe for the implementation of the Landscape Convention.

The Conference, held on 2 and 3 December in Naples, was attended by a large number of European, national and local and regional authorities; participants included the President of the CoE Congress, Giovanni Di Stasi, the “Greens” MP Alfonso Pecoraio Scanio, and the President of the Campania Region, Antonio Bassolino.

“The Council of Europe Landscape Convention is a legal instrument which protects landscape irrespective of its intrinsic value. In our country, landscape constitutes a universally proclaimed fundamental resource for sustainable development, which has always been among the operational priorities of the Council of Europe.” (Mr Di Stasi’s statement)

The Italian Parliament, in the wake of other national parliaments, is in the process of ratifying the Landscape Convention, and it is necessary to set up a network of European regions (RECEP) that will tangibly promote observance of the principles embodied in the Convention. “It is crucially important to activate the Recep, above all to bring about change in spatial planning and management procedures,” said Mr Di Stasi. “Finally the citizens will carry more weight in the fundamental choices regarding development, and proper protection of Italy’s landscape, a remarkable and unique asset, will be possible.”

The constitution of the network of regional authorities for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention, settled here in Naples over these two days, will be launched at the subsequent conference in Strasbourg.

Concerning the environmental situation of some Southern regions, Mr Di Stasi ended his statement by saying that it had been pointed out to him that Naples and Campania were not a positive example of environmental management. The areas experiencing the greatest difficulties in promoting and furthering effective environment policies were precisely where efforts to encourage innovative planning should commence, so as to set in motion a process allowing a change of direction in Campania, in Molise and in all regions, provinces and towns of Europe willing to undertake to rediscover and turn to account the territory in its entirety.

He added that in Molise there were current moves to frame the agreement between the Region, the Provinces and other authorities for achieving full implementation of the European Landscape Convention.