New prospects for regional/spatial planning policy in the greater Europe - CG (5) 9 Part II

Rapporteurs:
Leon KIERES (Poland)
Robert SAVY (France)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

I. Introduction

1. Spatial planning, now as in the past, stands in the political foreground both for national authorities and for those at local and regional level.

2. The conception and content of regional planning are constantly changing. Initially, the main concern was to set up co-operation between states and their component regions. Today, though, the European dimension in spatial planning has visibly gained ground; debate on the territorial evolution of our member countries now has a tangible continental dimension which is becoming still more pronounced in one part of Europe - the 15 States of the European Union, whose members are currently discussing an official draft European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP). The Rapporteurs assert, as of now, the need to extend the Scheme to central and eastern European countries.

3. The local and regional authorities actively supported the preparation of the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter and subsequently the work of devising a European Regional/Spatial Planning Strategy. This instrument, drafted by Luxembourg's CEMAT delegation, constitutes a major reference document, a compilation and a systematic presentation of the discussions conducted in the Parliamentary Assembly, the CEMAT and the Congress. In fact the Strategy represents the second stage in evolving common guiding concepts at European level. The Strategy is distinctive in being the sole document at European level to embody, for the various policy areas and the different types of regions, the conclusions on which agreement has been reached. It therefore forms an important compendium of common standards and concepts developed in the Council of Europe. This 1998 document, confined at present to western Europe, should be reviewed by the CEMAT to take in all the new Council of Europe member countries.

4. The proposal for its amplification has been raised in various quarters including the Congress, which in Recommendation 7 (1994) not only suggested revising the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter but also recommended that the CEMAT update the European Regional/Spatial Planning Strategy and extend it to the new Council of Europe member countries.

5. Furthermore, the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter acknowledges the importance of the subsidiarity principle and the need for devolution of appropriate powers to the regional level: regional/spatial planning "facilitates co-ordination and co-operation between the various levels of decision-making and the equalisation of financial resources. The various authorities involved in regional/spatial planning policy need to be given the power to take and carry out decisions, as well as adequate financial means". The regional level remains "the most appropriate level at which to pursue a regional/spatial planning policy", ensuring "co-ordination between the regional authorities themselves and local and national authorities as well as between regions of neighbouring countries ¼". In countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Spain, moreover, spatial planning policy is already an exclusively regional responsibility. In other countries, the regions are its principal agencies.

6. All the aforementioned texts emphasise the deep and abiding attachment of local and regional authorities to direct participation in the framing of spatial planning policies, as this involves decisions with a direct effect on the citizens' living and working environment. The two key inferences are thus application of the subsidiarity principle and pursuit of a decentralisation policy.

7. Decentralisation, regionalisation and spatial planning are therefore closely associated, which is why the Congress has kept up a constant interest in the relevant discussions and research and added its own considerations with regard to regionalisation, that is to create operational structures at regional level, vested with autonomous powers.

8. In that respect, the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the draft European Charter of Regional Self-Government recently drawn up by the Congress are bound to have implications for spatial planning policies.

9. Bearing in mind the texts adopted in the recent past, and with a watchful eye to the present situation and the outlook for the future, the Congress Working Group on Regional/Spatial Planning Prospects in the New Europe has decided to present the Congress with a draft recommendation and a draft resolution for adoption.

Survey of present conditions

10. In order to outline the current issues, our analysis starts with the attainment of the goals set by the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter: balanced socio-economic development, improvement of the quality of life, responsible management of the environment and rational use of land. The Charter also referred to essential requirements such as the citizen's right to participate in regional planning, environmental conservation and sustainable development, and emphasised the importance of physical planning for the regions, having regard to the fact that the region remains "the most appropriate level at which to pursue a regional/spatial planning policy". For the attainment of these goals, since the Charter was adopted the regions have had to strive to fulfil their right/duty of participation in the framing and implementation of spatial planning policies at both national and European level.

11. Spatial planning must now meet the great social and economic challenges confronting our societies. Industrial redeployment in the regions of western and eastern Europe alike continues to be an important element in these considerations. Spatial planners cannot disregard the scourge of unemployment and the shrinkage of the industrial fabric with their many urban, social and cultural repercussions.

12. Significant efforts have been made to modernise the regions' economic and industrial infrastructure to suit the new demands raised by the globalisation of the economy and world economic competition, but a number of problems persist and there is not always a simple solution.

13. Investments continue to be concentrated chiefly in "focal" towns and in capital cities, restarting a process of territorial concentration of employment, income and wealth with a possible marginalising effect on disadvantaged regions, especially if remote from the main conurbations or lying in less accessible areas (mountains, islands, etc.). What is more, despite the construction of large housing estates, these areas have never been integrated with the traditional communities and thus give rise to sources of tension and potential unrest.

14. Most small and medium-sized towns where subsidiary factories were sited have been the first hit by industrial decline. The factories perform a social function in such towns, and their closure means not only job losses but also the loss of services, social amenities and ultimately prosperity for the entire area affected. This actuates processes of forced migration which cause workers social hardship which creates difficulties for the communities receiving them.

15. Still more problems persist in the regions of central and eastern Europe, not only compelled to carry out radical economic and industrial transformation but furthermore having to cope with the political and administrative transformation of their state structures. Many potential investors prefer to seek a more central location in Europe in order to cut their transport costs. Indeed, transport infrastructure in these countries is usually poor-quality; much of the rail networks is single-track and usable only at low speeds, and very little of the road network consists of motorways and expressways. This corroborates the idea that it is now indispensable to reinforce the eastward transport routes. The comparative cheapness of labour in the countries of central and eastern Europe may admittedly attract investors, but modern economic trends increasingly demand a highly skilled, flexibly organised workforce often unavailable in these countries. Besides, a workforce of this class is particular about its living conditions and environment.

16. Inequalities between Greater Europe's different areas remain considerable. For example, disparities in terms of per capita GDP may range as widely as $700 for "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" compared to $3 300 for Switzerland. Siting preferences mean concentration of the private and often the public sector in the more developed areas. There is an awareness of inadequate diligence, assessment, monitoring and possibly regulation of public and private sector activities.

17. Globalisation and economic liberalisation processes also have a direct impact on regions and municipalities. Liberalisation and globalisation, whose chief characteristics are excessive competition and flexibility, may have negative effects such as reducing social protection, lowering wages, generating a certain brand of individualism, and weakening the effort to maintain solidarity among individuals, local and regional authorities, or even states. Moreover, unchecked laissez-faire leads to greater inequalities between people, social groups and territories. Further, the globalisation of the economy has given rise to inter-territorial competition and social, monetary and environmental dumping.

18. In order to reduce existing inequalities between different states and regions, it would be advisable to ensure a more even distribution of human activities and the benefits accruing from them by means of, for example, financial equalisation systems. Recent reports on economic and social cohesion show that, far from disappearing, inequalities between communities have worsened in some case (in some regions of Spain and Portugal, for example).

19. A final problem which should also be mentioned concerns the efficiency of public services, a key factor in an area's competitiveness, vital to public and private entities and to ordinary citizens alike. The current tendency to cut costs and seek immediate profitability may place at risk the public authorities' work of analysing citizens' needs, and also the supply of adequate public services.

20. Spatial planning policies should take account of these problems and treat them as priorities. Extensive policy action has been taken in certain regions, and it would be desirable to bring together, under an arrangement for pooling experience, all regions contending with similar problems to acquaint them with these examples. On its side, the Congress has been working towards this for the last two years by staging economic forums of regions.

New perspectives

21. As part of its activities, the Congress in conjunction with the Association of Polish Towns and the City of Poznan organised a conference on the role of regions in European regional/spatial planning in Poznan (Poland) from 3 to 5 April 1997. The final declaration of the conference forms the basis for the draft recommendation and resolution submitted to the Congress. The conference, bringing together for the first time local and regional representatives of the new central and eastern European member countries, showed that in an ever-larger Europe a greater effort to achieve economic and social cohesion is required. Also highlighted was the fact that a spatial planning policy designed to further sustainable balanced development of the Council of Europe member countries must be founded on co-operation at local, regional, national and European levels and more energetic promotion of decentralisation in accordance with the subsidiarity principle.

22. In order to comprehend territorial problems, states can no longer afford to dispense with the contribution of the regional and local authorities. The practical analysis of information needed for planning work should go beyond "community averages" and take account of specific figures more accurately reflecting local realities. Moreover, the Congress has recently suggested contemplating studies to evaluate the various policies and determine their impact under an integrated spatial planning approach. Having regard to the large number of sectoral policies, verification of their combined impact has been suggested. In this connection, environmental impact deserves special attention. It is also important to ascertain the impact of economic and social policies on all types of territory, and not only on rural areas. Furthermore, European policies have their own effects on localities and regions, and so these must be measured. In addition, the imperatives of planning which is both coherent and large-scale call for co-ordination or even amalgamation of the efforts made by European bodies representing local and above all regional authorities and by government bodies with spatial planning responsibilities.

23. An essential step towards solving these problems would certainly be to introduce decentralisation based on the establishment and/or enhancement of powers for local and regional authorities, which are the most immediately concerned by the problems described above. Formerly, strategy was devised and rules were defined at the central level, whereas today there is a need to strengthen the independence of local and regional elected representatives by granting them greater powers in order to ensure effective and unanimously acknowledged political regulation founded on direct knowledge of the problems and thus guaranteed to be effective.

24. Lack of decentralised administrative entities vested with decision-making powers seriously impedes the generation of synergies among private and public sector operators at local and regional level, and prevents intrinsic local and regional resources from being properly exploited. The privileged vantage-point and the spatial planning expertise of regions should enable them to open an on-going dialogue with state organs, to make decisions jointly and to produce the best possible results for their citizens. However, decentralisation can fulfil its function only in combination with an effective equalisation system, without which disparities will be heightened for want of resources in certain regions. Planning activity as such must fully involve the various levels and ensure their efficient co-ordination. If they are to pursue a productive spatial planning policy, national and regional authorities therefore need sufficient financial and other resources.

25. Specifically regional planning - where it exists - has assumed various forms because of historical, cultural and structural differences between the states of Greater Europe. At all events, an effort should be made to ensure that planning adheres to a sequence in each distinct stage of which local and especially regional authorities are actively involved:

- an "ex ante" stage, consisting of a forecast, prior to any decision, of the consequences for the area. In this way, compensatory measures may be implemented if necessary (area impact study);

- an "ex post" stage based on an examination of the effects after the decision is carried out.

26. Area impact studies prior to the implementation of major European and national policies, assessed in relation to the general goal of territorial cohesion, are the recommended way forward.

27. The regions for their part should step up their efforts to identify the assets and the capabilities of areas within their boundaries, and should define appropriate development strategies. For some regions, this presupposes a period of instruction in the techniques of spatial forecasting, regional planning and ensure integrated sustainable development.

28. Spatial planning policy is still at the starting-up stage in certain countries of central and eastern Europe; training courses and exchanges of specialists urgently need to be organised to improve the qualifications of planners and decision-makers. Spatial planning at European level should take account of this need for greater insight into the problems presented by the concentration of activities and populations in western regions and also of the need to exploit the potential of eastern regions.

29. Significant changes have occurred throughout Europe recently: the territorial conception of border regions has altered, and the almost universally accepted definition of a border area now includes an economic and social dimension not necessarily corresponding to the formal geographical borders of states. The recent entry into force of the Schengen Agreement has still more plainly emphasised the need for greater control of the problems raised by the physical scattering of populations and for adaptation, where appropriate, to the de-restricted and sometimes unforeseeable migration movements occurring in Europe.

30. Cross-border inter-regional co-operation is one means of tackling these new phenomena. The presence of similar ethnic groups either side of borders is genuinely advantageous for developing trade, economies of scale and effective participation in the global economy. In practice, the Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation, its additional protocols and the technical assistance programme could be very effective tools if they were more widely used. Setting up joint transfrontier commissions (governments and regions) on spatial planning could provide a solution to the problems. It is appropriate to recall that transfrontier co-operation has been defined as a priority field for the work of the Council of Europe, and that the specific problems of transfrontier regions have long commanded the special attention of the CLRAE. The first requirement is to co-ordinate regional development plans in transfrontier areas and arrange co-operation between the departments responsible. Where the countries of central and eastern Europe are concerned, transfrontier co-operation represents a new challenge in any approach to spatial planning. It would be advisable to set up suitable structures in these countries at the local and regional tiers of government in these countries to ensure coherent, continuous co-operation in transfrontier spatial planning matters. This could be achieved by promoting and devising common guidelines for the application of common development schemes to transfrontier regions; it would substantially further joint physical planning throughout Europe's border areas, designed to improve the living conditions of their residents and promote transfrontier economic and commercial activities.

31. Another key instrument to counter migration problems is afforded by more intensive and widespread dissemination of the new information technologies. At present western Europe is served by networked links that meet the growing needs of the economy and administration at regional, national and European level. The use of computer facilities in Europe shows wide disparities of density, however. As part of spatial planning policy, it is important to visualise means of ensuring balanced development in this respect. For one thing, computer equipment and data links can deliver information and services to populations living a long distance away and thus help increase the economic potential of their regions. Furthermore, where certain activities are concerned, especially in the service sector, these facilities can meet the challenge of relocating certain activities to where labour is plentiful, rather than compel migration to centres where labour is in demand. The end result could be containment of migration to the main urban and industrial centres. Policy in this respect should be co-ordinated with schemes for the development of rural areas, to which these methods may bring new economic development impetus. Computerisation of society can to some extent guard against the growth of still more concentrations further aggravating the current territorial imbalances.

32. It is felt that two aspects of spatial planing prevail today: first and foremost the need to equip territorial units with the essential public services, but also more even distribution of wealth. These two concepts are hard to apply in a Greater Europe context, and so both can be embodied in the single concept of territorial cohesion. This concept, as it were, is the antithesis of the territorial breakdown often observed today. It is now imperative for territorial units to reorganise in view of the globalisation phenomenon, and territorial cohesion provides a policy enabling territories to adapt to changes. This is fully consistent with the need to strike a balance between the free market and physical planning. It is also important to provide human rights safeguards in terms of preserving the individual's freedom to live in his own place of residence in accordance with the principles upheld by the Council of Europe. During the Working Group's proceedings, several members pressed the precise point that in this day and age the concern is not just territorial problems but also the need to address economic and above all social policy issues, so that technical analysis must henceforth be directed first and foremost at solving the unemployment problem.

33. Another topical issue is the need to invest in infrastructure and aids to small and medium-sized enterprises. Accordingly, the motion for a resolution before the Congress advocates the organisation of a conference on the transport situation. Virtually all economic sectors are dependent on efficient transport networks. Indeed, every form of activity, business in particular, should have the benefit of a transport network which facilitates production and distribution functions. Transport policies and definition of trunk communications are fundamental to all regional development. In this field, the CLRAE has carried out significant studies containing practical proposals derived from consultation of local and regional elected representatives. These studies could usefully be resumed and developed in the geographical context of the new Europe. It is obviously a field in which the criteria for sustainable development should be directly applied under the terms of spatial planning policy.

34. Finally, an important current issue pinpointed is the necessary consultation and active participation of citizens, interested associations and experts on the subject before spatial planning policies are defined. For this purpose the local and regional levels, being the closest to the citizens, are the most appropriate levels at which to promote a democratic spatial planning policy and also the most suitable for bringing coherence to territorial development in keeping with the real demands of the populations concerned. Therefore, what should be established in each state is proper consultation of residents and of local and regional authorities.

Institutional relations and co-ordination

35. At the 10th CEMAT in Oslo in 1994, the Parliamentary Assembly suggested an examination of work on the European Regional/Spatial Planning Strategy. In response to the demand of the elected representatives, the CEMAT Ministers instructed their Committee of Senior Officials to analyse and report on the proposal of the Parliamentary Assembly concerning a comprehensive European regional planning strategy and to improve dialogue with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. The many initiatives, activities and recent opinions delivered by the Congress should normally have been included in the proceedings of the 11th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT) and its Committee of Senior Officials meeting respectively in Limassol (Cyprus), 15-17 October 1997 and Strasbourg, 24-25 November 1997. At the 11th CEMAT Session, the elected representatives were forced to admit that there had been no action on the ministerial instructions. As regards the Parliamentary Assembly in particular, the Committee had not honoured its obligation to present a report on the proposed Strategy.

36. As the above-mentioned meetings have demonstrated, the debate on regional/spatial planning is often very technical and complex, which is why exchange of information between these bodies is of such importance. Relations between the CEMAT Committee of Senior Officials and the Congress in fact recently became difficult. Absence of dialogue between these bodies came close to compromising the satisfactory progress of work.

37. This question is vitally important in view of the fact that disregard of the contributions made by the elected representatives of the Congress and the Parliamentary Assembly towards work on regional/spatial planning could seriously reduce the value of the texts adopted. It would be detrimental to narrow the scope of activities in hand, moreover in a conflict situation where governmental experts have difficulty in accepting the importance of the role of the Congress and the Parliamentary Assembly in this field.

38. Most recently, dialogue between the national government bodies and the regional authorities was restarted at the "tripartite meeting" organised by the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe and held in Strasbourg on 27 January 1998. The representatives of the CEMAT, the Congress and the Parliamentary Assembly clarified their positions and reached agreement on a number of issues. The CEMAT representatives undertook to maintain contact with the elected bodies and agreed that the CLRAE would play a definite part in the preparation of the 12th CEMAT, notably in drawing up the final document. A move of special interest was the proposal to organise an enlarged tripartite meeting in 1999 with a specific contribution from the Parliamentary Assembly and the CLRAE on regional planning in the countries of central and eastern Europe. The possibility of holding restricted tripartite meetings on an ad hoc basis confirms the resolve to improve relations between national and regional government authorities. This augurs well for the conduct of their future relations.

39. Dialogue between these bodies is now all the more vital considering the progress made with work to devise a pan-European regional/spatial planing strategy and/or guiding principles for comprehensive, sustainable development of Greater Europe taking into account the needs of regions in the new Council of Europe member countries.

40. Holding conferences in central and eastern European countries, mentioned in the motion for a resolution submitted to the Congress, will enable Greater Europe's local and regional authorities, including those on its periphery, to review their spatial planning proposals; it will also enable the Congress to acquire additional experience in this field. The same comments could apply to the results of the exchange of know-how and experience carried on for the benefit of these countries through partnerships between towns and regions and by means of the Economic Forums of the Regions of Europe.

41. A still unsolved problem for these countries is how to set up democratic regional structures with the necessary powers in respect of regional/spatial planning and development, although progress is being made in central Europe (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania). Here too, governmental authorities - and particularly the CEMAT - should avail themselves of what the Congress has to offer.

42. Another sensitive issue concerns co-ordination of European Union activities and Council of Europe activities in general. The need to further bilateral co-operation between the two bodies should be emphasised.

43. Recent decisions on the European Union's enlargement make it still more urgent to launch an assistance programme for central and eastern European countries providing for transfer of spatial planning expertise which could also benefit local and regional authorities. In addition, the European Union has made recent formal decisions preparing the way for its extension to these countries; in this regard, the Congress is already technically equipped and possessed of considerable experience gained in the territory of the applicant countries, and these capabilities can help involve their regions in devising a comprehensive regional/spatial planning approach.

A first step in this direction was taken at the Conference on "Political strategy of the European continent" on 27 and 28 April, jointly organised by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and the Federal Republic of Germany, in which the Congress took an active part.

44. Preparation of a comprehensive European regional/spatial planning strategy covering all Council of Europe member countries is therefore imperative, and the on-the-ground experience of the Congress in central and eastern European countries could be useful for adapting the European Commission's INTERREG Community Programme. Accordingly, the European Union institutions and especially the Commission, the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions should also be induced to co-operate more closely with Council of Europe bodies.

45. Moreover, the Congress is instrumental in developing important ideas with regard to regional/spatial planning, such as the proposals to set up a European training centre in this field to carry out research and train elected representatives and staff, and to set up an "Observatory of Territorial Cohesion in Europe. It should be emphasised that this proposal, also appearing in the text of the resolution, in no way prejudices the independence of states. The idea of such an observatory is prompted in particular by the need to assess the advances or the setbacks of territorial cohesion. By way of an example, the creation of a large infrastructure, the privatisation of a public service or the amendment of a rule may have positive implications for some regions but negative implications for others. Thorough knowledge of how areas are developing is essential to the political authorities if they are to exercise control.

In this respect, the pan-European Observatory of Territorial Cohesion could take action and operate as follows:

Before decisions are reached, the observatory could make an analysis of their expected territorial impact. Prior consideration of the territorial benefits or otherwise could mean either altering the proposed decision or supplementing it with compensatory measures in the event of changes to certain areas. It would involve extending to spatial planning the impact assessment method applicable to environmental and landscape concerns in many states, while promoting studies of territorial impact as such. Next, one would need to ascertain the results of official policies and of action by private economic agencies vis-à-vis the goals of territorial cohesion (whether the aim is to concentrate activities and populations in more developed areas, or to break down regional disparities).

The Council of Europe, which has already expressed its interest in a European academy of territories, might take the step of founding an independent observatory with the task of studying the various aspects of the ramifications of territorial cohesion or even territorial cohesion viewed as a whole. The regional delegates to the Congress, through the observatory, could assist in defining the development processes, territorial dynamics and strategic choices. This would ensure the regions' active participation in framing spatial planning policies in an international context which would accommodate inter-state and also inter-regional interaction, highlighting the interaction between border areas. Besides this, it would also be possible to contemplate an activity of analysis of the impact which European policies have on the various areas.

These initiatives should also be thoroughly discussed between the Congress and the CEMAT.

46. Lastly, as mentioned in the draft resolution before it, the Congress intends to bring together the regional political leaders and planning officials who are the real negotiating partners of the CEMAT Ministers.

47. In conclusion, an effort is made in this report to place current problems in perspective and propose courses of action for the years ahead.

48. It is necessary to devise a comprehensive European regional/spatial planning strategy extending to all Council of Europe member countries, laying down the guidelines for the territorial cohesion of the continent. Its components should not solely relate to environmental concerns but also to practical structures such as transport links and transfrontier networks. Also, the present difficulties of European societies severely affected by unemployment call for closer attention to the socially relevant aspects of spatial planning policy.

49. The process of regionalisation, founded on recognition of the local and regional political dimension and on respect for the subsidiarity principle, is indispensable for managing regional/spatial planning policy; it is equally essential to strengthen and develop means of "inter-regional transfrontier co-operation" which avert divisions between areas and foster territorial cohesion.

50. Social problems now have priority in regional/spatial planning policies. It is necessary to press ahead with policies which provide a lasting solution to the unemployment problem and ensure that European citizens are able to live in their countries of origin in acceptable surroundings.

51. Dialogue between national, regional and European governmental bodies is crucial in attaining the goals of European spatial planning strategy with due coherence.