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He was a long-standing advocate of the role of the Regions in European integration and helped to found the CPMR, of which he was a dynamic and devoted Secretary General for 22 years. Along with Edgar Faure, he also helped to set up the Assembly of European Regions and played a major role in the creation of the Committee of the Regions.

The working lunch we had with President Barroso today was very productive. As President of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CRPM), I called for strengthening the EU cohesion policy in order to implement the 2020 strategy. Therefore, regional policy after 2013 should remain for all regions of Europe and its budget should be able to finance such an important EU policy. Furthermore, the economic crisis should not been perceived by the Commission as an obstacle to the allocation of regional funds, because Europe will only overcome the crisis by boosting the economy of its territories.

The presentation of Eleni Marianou to the General Assembly and Annual Business Meeting of the North Sea Commission, held 16th June 2010, is now available on the NSC facebook group.



For more information please do not hesitate to join the NSC group on Facebook (see link below) , "A group for everyone who want to work for a sustainable development in the North Sea region."

Representatives of the oil companies, European Commission and NGOs answer MEPs questions

Is the legislation in force sufficient ?
Have the oil companies taken measures against the risks of such an accident?


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23RD, 2010 FROM 12:30 TO 2:30 PM
European Parliament, Brussels, Room JAN 6 Q 2
(Sandwich lunch provided)
Translation EN/FR

_____________________________

Corinne Lepage (ALDE), President
Vice Presidents: Matthias Groote (S&D), Alain Cadec (EPP), Isabella Lovin (Greens/EFA), Chris Davies (ADLE), Anna Rosbach (EFD), Jacky Hénin (NGL)

The meeting of the CPMR Political Bureau was held on 11 June 2010 in Tromsø (Norway).

The 7th Plenary Session of Aquamarina was held on June 8th in the presence of Jean Yves Le Drian, President of Brittany Region, Corinne Lepage MEP, Eleni Marianou, SG of the CPMR and Yves Auffret, member of the Damanaki Cabinet.
The implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy and blue growth were the focus of discussions though the aspect of governance, and in particular the role of regions, was repeatedly raised.
On this matter, Jean Yves Le Drian, stated: "maritime policy is the most regionalized policy of the EU after regional policy."

The CPMR met in Valencia for a seminar on: “Territorial Cooperation in the European Union and at its borders: What contributions can be made to the EU’s strategy objectives for 2020?”
Juan Cotino, Vice-President of the Generalitat Valenciana and Regional Minister for Environment, Water, Spatial Planning and Habitat, Rafael Ripoll Navarro, Regional Secretary for relations with the State and the EU of the Generalitat Valenciana and Eleni Marianou, Secretary General of the CPMR, opened the proceedings of this seminar. Territorial cooperation issues by 2020 and the tools for European cooperation and neighbourhood policy for 2014-2020 were at the heart of the discussions.

CPMR Islands Commission: Europe's islands ready to seize the opportunities of sustainable development... but want the resources to do it

Europolitics released a special dossier on Integrated Maritime Policy. Please click on the following link to download it on Europolitics' home page (below on the right).

The consultation on the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) was launched last 3 May 2010 by the CoR, in partnership with the Trio of Presidencies of the Council (Spain-Belgium-Hungary), the European Commission and Interact.

The consultation questionnaire focuses mainly on the lessons learned so far and the legal questions that the review should address. The questionnaire also aims at identifying the concrete added value and the future potential of the EGTCs.

The results will be presented in Brussels during the OPEN DAYS in October, and they will be a major contribution to the CoR own-initiative opinion 'Towards the review of the EGTC regulation' that is scheduled for adoption by the Committee of the Regions plenary in early 2011.
This opinion will be the main political input prior to the report of the Commission about the state of implementation of the EGTC and the proposals to review the legislative framework, foreseen in Regulation 1082/2006/EC.

The consultation questionnaire and further information is available in all official EU languages at www.cor.europa.eu/egtc. Contributions can be sent to egtc@cor.europa.eu by 20 July

Janusz Lewandowski, EU Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget met local and regional authority representatives in order to discuss the EU budget review.
Eleni Marianou, Secretary General, Carolyne Rule, Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration at the Cornwall Council (UK), and Emily Henderson, European Policy Officer for Economic Development from Cornwall Council (UK) represented the CPMR during the meeting and they specifically called for maintaining a Regional Policy which corresponds to a “policy” and not just to a “tool for implementing other policies”.

Klaus Klipp, Secretary General of the AER, Frédéric Vallier, Secretary General of CEMR, Daniel Termont, Mayor of Gent (BE) and EUROCITIES Executive Committee member, and Vanda Knowles, EUROCITIES Policy Director also attended the meeting which was held in the CEMR Brussels offices.

The Commissioner underlined the importance of Regional policy and the prominent role which it has within the EU budget

VIVA EUROPA is a European cultural event consisting on the live simultaneous broadcast on giant screens of an opera in several European cities.
Following last year’s success of the performance of the Valkyrie, this new edition in 2010 will be performing the work of Georges Bizet, Carmen, in the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, under the musical direction of Zubin Mehta..
This project is included within the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

For more information please contact:
Silvia Alonso:
PATROCINI DE LES ARTS
C/ Pascual y Genís, 19 Piso 2
46002 Valencia.
Tel./Fax: +34-963 515 705
salonso@vivaeuropa.eu
www.vivaeuropa.eu

and the Head of External Relations in the Valencian Region:
Ana Enguídanos Weyler
c/ Juristas 10
46001 Valencia
tel +34 9631 84313
enguidanos_ana@gva.es

www.2010againstpoverty.eu

Aquamarina next meeting is dedicated to “the theme of maritime employment and training”. It will take place on 25 March from 9.30 to 15.30 at the Committee of the Regions (Room JDE 53) in Brussels. This meeting will witness the participation of various concerned services of the European Commission. Several regions will also present their actions in this sector.

The Balearic Islands Governement is organizing a conference on insularity the 26th April 2010 in Plama (ES).

The network of regional governments for Sustainable Development, nrg4SD is seeking to recruit a new General Secretary.

Candidates interested in applying for this prestigious post should submit their CV and a covering letter to nia.jones10@wales.gsi.gov.uk by March 24 2010.

Interviews will be held in Brussels on March 31.

We kindly inform that the preliminary program of the Third Summit of Regions on Climate Change to be held in Montevideo, Uruguay, on days 20, 21 and 22 April has been published at our website www.cambioclimatico.org.uy

Your Registration can be done through http://www.cambioclimatico.org.uy

The website also provides information about the program update as well as arranging transportation and lodging.

To contact our secretariat you could send an e-mail to secretaría@cambioclimatico.org.uy

As early as 2008, when the Commission Communication on “Local Authorities: Actors for Development” was being prepared, the CPMR stressed the importance of the role the regions play in European development policies and the need to take due account of regional authorities as fully-fledged partners in these policies. The network has continued its work on this issue, both directly and through its participation in PLATFORMA, the European Platform of Local and Regional Authorities for Development.

The CPMR today welcomes the opening of a structed dialogue in 2010 between the European Commission, European parliament, the member states and also civil society and regional and local authorities. This process will have to enable proposals for a new, more effective European development policy, in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Paris, the Commission’s code of conduct and the Accra Action Programme, and the need to take greater account of Regions as fully fledged partners in this policy.

Just as this structured dialogue is being introduced, the CPMR referred to what it expects of this collaborative approach and stresses the importance of the development policy for European regions involved in building a more sustainable and fairer world, within which the territories play a key role.

This text affirms and specifies the CPMR’s options for an EU agricultural, food and rural policy which respects territorial balance and which gives regions the means to be involved to adapt it to their own situations. In light of the European Commission’s publication, at the end of 2010, of its proposals for changes to the CAP, the opinion of the CPMR puts forward a series of areas for consideration. These will be discussed with EU institutions during a seminar in Almeria in the spring of 2010.

INTERREG IV C
Environment and Risk Prevention

Application deadline: before Friday 26 February 2010

Over the next few years, the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Seas and Coastal Affairs will deal with issues such as marine biodiversity, the creation of a European coast guard, the development of ocean power, the processing of marine waste, maritime transport and climate change.

Within the Intergroup, several MEPs of different nationalities and representing various political groups will coordinate their work within Parliament, not just on topics currently on the EU agenda, but also on issues that the Intergroup deems to be a priority.

“The objective is to have a greater influence on the Council and the Commission,” declared the Chair of the Intergroup, Corine Lepage (ALDE, FR). For this reason, she announced that one of the Intergroup’s first events will entail a meeting with the Commissioner-designate for maritime affairs, Maria Damanaki.

The Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), represented by Ms Carol Thomas, will deal with the logistical aspects of the secretariat in coordination with Ms Lepage’s office.

The first meeting of the Intergroup will take place during the next plenary session from 8 to 11 February in Strasbourg.

The CPMR has forwarded to the European Commission its position statement on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy in response to the consultation on the European Commission's Green Paper.

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In the framework of the European Parliament pilot project 'Enhancing Regional and local co-operation through the promotion of EU Regional Policy on a global scale', DG REGIO organized, in collaboration with UEMOA (the West African Economic and Monetary Community) and FOGAR (the Forum of Global Associations of Regions) a seminar on "The Contribution of Regional and Local Authorities to Economic Development" on 26 and 27 November in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The seminar has four main aims:

- To explore the extent to which European Regional Policy can be a source of inspiration to the countries and regions of Africa;

- To explore certain issues such as urban / rural balance, decentralisation and the environment with a view to comparing European and African experience and sharing ideas for future action;

- To highlight the role of regional groupings such as UEMOA and ECOWAS in the regional development and integration process, and how needs in terms of institutional capacity building can be met;

- To examine cross border co-operation initiatives in both Africa and Europe in order to promote the sharing of best practice and experience.

"Eco Mundo Océans" est un jeu de société (à partir de 7 ans) dont la finalité est de sensibiliser ses participants à la préservation des océans. Il associe avec bonheur la découverte studieuse du monde de la mer et une réelle vocation divertissante. Que ce soit en scénario court ou long (30 minutes ou plus de 45 minutes), les joueurs découvrent, au travers un livret de plus de 800 questions-réponses, les éléments essentiels de la biologie marine, les pollutions trop ordinaires et leurs remèdes, l'histoire des océans, etc. "Eco Mundo Océans" est parrainé par Jacques Perrin en vue de son prochain film "Océans" dont la sortie est prévue le 27 janvier. Ce jeu bénéficie de la collaboration scientifique du Muséum d'histoire naturelle de la Ville de Genève.
Ainsi les joueurs acquerront-ils en toute liberté les éléments d'un savoir unique et, probablement, un véritable souci écologique.

Claudio Martini, Président de la région Toscane et de la Conférence des Régions Périphériques Maritimes européennes estime que les régions ont un rôle essentiel à jouer.

• Cooperation amongst Mediterranean ports is considered to be an important tool in reducing greenhouse gas emission throughout the logistic chain. It also promotes innovation as well as greater efficiency in energy use and the improvement in the quality of life in port settings.

• The Project establishes actions and initiatives in the area of sea and terrestrial transport, to develop a diagnosis of the influence of ports on climate change, and action plans aimed at reducing the impact of port activities on the environment.

Since 2005, the Maritime and Coastal economy Congress brings together each year the leaders of administrations together with public and private companies from different sectors of the maritime and coastal economy (maritime transport, shipping industry, fisheries, offshore oil rigs, watersports industry and coastal management and environment, shipbuilding, renewable marine energy, research, etc…). The 2009 Edition will take place on 1st and 2nd December in Brest.

Letter for the attention of the Members of the European Parliament on the early draft Communication by the European Commission, “Reforming the budget, changing Europe”


Submitted jointly by:

Assembly of European Regions (AER)
Association of European Border Regions (AEBR)
Conference of European regions with legislative power (REGLEG)
Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR)
Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)
EUROCITIES
European Association of Elected Representatives from Mountain Regions (AEM)

If you wish to receive some of photos, please send an email to lejla.becirovic@crpm.org

The results obtained from the cooperation between the two shores of the Adriatic will be the core of the closing event of the Programme Interreg III A Italy-Albania, organized by the Mediterranean Department of the Regione Puglia for Friday 2 October in Otranto

European Development Days (EDD) are Europe’s foremost platform for discussion and exchange on global challenges in all key areas – governance, climate change, international finance, trade, food security, water, energy, the role of the media and human and social rights. Previous editions have seen the participation of Heads of State and Government, Ministers and world-renowned leaders such as Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan, Richard Branson, Wangari Maathai and Aminata Traore.


POLICY MAKING

This year’s EDD, in Stockholm (22-24 October), falls one month after the G-20 Leaders meeting in Pittsburgh, two weeks after the IMF-World Bank meeting in Istanbul and six weeks before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Against this backdrop, the 2009 edition will focus on the global response to the economic downturn and climate change, as well as on the challenges of democracy and development.

Speakers this year include Fredrik Reinfeldt, Swedish Prime Minister; José-Manuel Barroso, European Commission President; IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and leaders of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank. Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the League of Arab States will also be speaking, along with UNDP administrator Hellen Clark, the Presidents of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Maldives, Burkina Faso and Micronesia and the Prime Ministers of Bangladesh, Kenya and Zimbabwe. The new European Parliament president, Jerzy Buzek, and members of EP committees will also be there. Representatives from NGOs Transparency International, ActionAid International and Oxfam International will be giving the view from civil society.


CARBON NEUTRAL

Hosting a large-scale event attracting people from the four corners of the world creates its share of CO2. It would be irresponsible to address the world’s development challenges at an international gathering without considering its impact on the environment – especially as global warming could push millions back into the poverty trap. However, these CO2 emissions can be offset through a range of schemes investing in energy efficiency anywhere in the world. Thus, exhibitors and parallel event organisers are asked to help offset the EDD carbon footprint by contributing to a carbon-offset scheme of their choice.


EDD’s KEY FACTs AND FIGUREs

5,000 participants from 125 countries
3 days of meetings, exchange and debate
200 speakers
5 plenary sessions and 25 parallel events
150 exhibition stands in the Development Village
Media partnerships with leading European media


INCLUSIVE AND PARTICIPATORY

Everyone has a say at EDD! Discussion panels are carefully gender balanced and geographically representative. Its openness allows it to be inclusive and blend a great diversity of political leaders and parliamentarians, international institutions, local authorities, NGOs, business leaders, academics, researchers, media representatives and the young. Any stakeholder can propose speakers, events, network meetings or exhibitions. Its participatory approach results in an agenda, which includes over 30 events, half of which are stakeholder-driven.
Ensure you have your say this year!

This event is organised by the European Commission in co-ordination with the Swedish Presidency of the EU.

International meeting organised by FAO/UNDP, between territorial authorities and professional organisations -
Brest, Le Quartz, October, 21st & 22nd, 2009

Claudio Martini, President of the CPMR and of Tuscany, talks to Régions Magazine about his views on the implementation of measures to be adopted in Copenhagen

Jean-Yves Le Drian, président de la Région Bretagne, Jacques Auxiette, président de la Région Pays de la Loire, François Maïtia, vice-président de la Région Aquitaine ont présenté à Lorient la contribution commune élaborée en réponse au Livre vert de Bruxelles par les Régions Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Aquitaine, Basse-Normandie et Poitou-Charentes. Les 5 régions maritimes demandent à ce que les moyens et outils financiers soient maintenus, voire renforcés, après 2012 en faveur d'une politique commune qui privilégie une pêche régulée, économe, sélective et sûre.

Afin de faire entendre leur voix, les cinq régions se sont regroupées pour présenter, en réponse au Livre vert -la consultation lancée par Bruxelles pour préparer la nouvelle politique européenne de la pêche et de l’aquaculture de 2012- une position commune sur cette réforme.

Ces propositions seront ensuite soumises à débat dans le cadre d’une conférence à Bruxelles, le mardi 29 septembre, en présence des institutions européennes et des partenaires européens des Régions. Cette consultation permettra de finaliser le document qui sera remis avant le 31 décembre prochain, date de clôture de la consultation du Livre vert.

CONFERENCE 2009
INTERACTING IN DIVERSITY FOR SOCIAL COHESION:
frameworks and references to adapt the organisation and competences of social services to the demands of a pluralist society

7-8 December 2009, Council of Europe, Agora Building, Strasbourg (France)

The Council of Europe, in partnership with the European Commission and the Government of Quebec, is organising this Conference – open to public authorities, social workers, migrants, researchers, etc - whose purpose is to analyse the social and operational frameworks, in particular the acquisition of the intercultural competences more suited to fostering interaction in a context of cultural diversity, especially the development of public services in our pluralist societies.

This conference will deal primarily with the following topics:
- the advantages and limits of the concept of reasonable accommodation in relation to the European standards on non-discrimination;
- the nature of constraints affecting and potential for the interaction of “accommodations” deployed in Europe by social workers and mediators;
- the need to adapt institutional language.

Application Deadline 24/09/2009
Entry Exam 11/12/2009

Unique Salon de l’économie et de l’aménagement du littoral, le Salon Européen du Littoral est le rendez-vous BtoB attendu des professionnels de l’aménagement, des équipements, de la technologie et des services liés à l’économie du littoral.

• Réel rendez-vous d’affaires, d’échanges et de décisions, le SEL présente durant 3 jours une offre multisectorielle inédite aux décideurs et responsables européens du secteur (collectivités locales et territoriales, gestionnaires de port, organismes consulaires…) sous 2 facettes :
un Salon d’affaires :

- entre les collectivités locales et territoriales, les acteurs de la décision et de la commande publique et privée, les services de l’état, les organismes institutionnels ou prestataires spécialisés dans la gestion, les services, l’aménagement et le développement des collectivités territoriales et des économies du littoral,

- et les entreprises, les professionnels, les fournisseurs et les prestataires de services spécialisés dans l’aménagement et le développement économique des régions du littoral.

• un lieu d’échanges et de savoir sur toutes les techniques existantes et expériences vécues en matière de développement économique et de gestion du littoral, grâce à de nombreuses rencontres, conférences et tables rondes.

SALON EUROPÉEN DU LITTORAL
Du mardi 6 au jeudi 8 octobre 2009
Parc des Expositions du Pays de Lorient – Morbihan
Contact : 0297 864 720

Pour toute information complémentaire, merci de contacter Arnaud Métivier au 0297 864 720 ou par courriel a.metivier@safym.com.

The European Coastal Fair will take place on the 6-8th October in Lorient (Brittany, France). This event is devoted to coastline economics and development, and aims at professionals working in development, equipment, technology and services relating to the economy of the coastline.
On October 8th, CPMR and the Atlantic Arc Commission which support the event will organize a Round Table focused on the assessment and perspectives of the Integrated Maritime Policy.

Region Västra Götaland and West Sweden organise the conference "Cutting Edge Healthcare Quality for a Competitive Europe".

How can Europe take a leading position in healthcare quality and patient safety?

- Join forces and engage triple helix stakeholders
- Involve patients and design healthcare from patients´ perspectives
- Benchmark achievements
- Refine management for continuous quality improvements

Keynote speakers:
Senior European decision makers from policy and administration, business, industry and research.

The conference is being held in association with the Swedish EU presidency (July - December 2009).

The Atlantic Arc Commission of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), chaired by Basse-Normandie (FR), is campaigning to voice its views under the future Spanish Presidency of the European Union.

A delegation led by Dolores Gorostiaga Sáiz, Vice-President of the Cantabrian Government, Philippe Bonneau, Vice-President of Basse-Normandie Region representing the Atlantic Arc Presidency, and Philippe Duron, Chair of the Conference of Atlantic Arc Cities, was in Madrid on Wednesday 9th September to meet the Spanish State Secretary for the EU, Diego López Garrido.

During the meeting, the Regions of Europe’s Atlantic coast called for a strong, pro-active strategy for the Atlantic Area, which would be led together by the European Commission, national governments and regions as part of a new partnership.

For more information about the project, please contact

niina.ihalainen@lamk.fi
tel. +358 44 708 0083

A round table discussion on The Regions Facing the Crisis was held today in Brussels on the initiative of the
President of the Principality of Asturias (ES), Vincente Álvarez Areces, with the participation of a number of
CPMR Regions from all the major sea areas.

Ifremer offers post-doctoral positions to young french or foreigners scientists who have completed their Ph D and are motivated by development and innovation in various fields of Marine Sciences : technology and ecotechnology, aquaculture, fisheries, environment, risks analysis, physics of oceans.

The speech that Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg was gave during the General Assembly of the CPMR North Sea Commission.

Claudio Martini, President of the CPMR and of Tuscany Region yesterday addressed a letter to the Presidents of the European Parliament Political Groups inviting them to set up a specific Committee dedicated to maritime and coastal affairs.

Creative and Innovative Regions is the theme of the 6th Progress Report on Economic and Social Cohesion adopted by the Commission yesterday. This report analyses how creativity and innovation boost regional development. The more developed EU regions tend to score well on most creativity and innovation indicators, such as core creative class, R&D and human capital intensity. The less developed regions, however, outperform the rest of the EU on a few indicators, in particular on productivity growth, which is the main driver of the continuing regional convergence.

This report also includes a short summary of the 391 responses to the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion. It is accompanied by 11 factsheets which map and analyse key creativity and innovation indicators. This report marks one of the building blocks in the wider debate on the future Cohesion Policy and will feed into the Fifth Cohesion Report on Economic and Social Cohesion, due for publication in autumn 2010. Numerous other events and discussions will help to shape the proposal for the reform of the policy which the Commission will present following the EU budget review.

Evaluation of the action plan and the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy will be discussed during the meeting

The 16th edition of Employment Week will take place on 24-25 June 2009, once again at the Management Centre Europe in Brussels.

Economic downturns are worrying times for everyone, particularly when unemployment is on the rise. It will take some time before markets begin to operate within normal conditions again. But we might like to remind ourselves that economic decline is part of a cycle, better times will return, and businesses and governments need to ensure that Europe is also prepared for the economic upturn.

The Employment Week 2009 programme will look at today’s challenges and opportunities:

First, looking at Europe’s human capital, the conference’s agenda will focus on skills development and evaluate how the European workforce is coping with change. Secondly, the programme will also present how the European labour market, more generally speaking, is responding to the current economic situation with respect to competitiveness, innovation and restructuring.

Deadline : 5 June 2009

The overall objective of the project is the highlighting, recovery and joint promotion of the maritime cultural heritage of the Atlantic Coast, related to the whaling activity of its fishing people.

The Cooperation Platform for Territorial Cohesion (COPTA) was designed to support information and communication among all concerned with the Territorial Agenda of the EU and its implementation process.

The financial, economic and social crisis calls for a radical change in the European development model.

Such a change can only be made if there is a coming together of will and potential. At European level, the
introduction of a real system of multi-level governance systematically involving the regional authorities in discussions led by national governments and the European Union, and in the introduction of EU and national policies, would help make a significant step forward in this direction.
The manifesto calls for the establishment and implementation of a “European Territorial Pact” that could give substance to this idea and for the European Commission to organise an extraordinary meeting bringing together national and regional leaders from Europe to lay the foundations for this pact.

The Presidents of all the Regions of Europe are invited to sign it as a show of support for these proposals.

The CPMR launched last month an enquiry among its member Regions inviting them to answer a questionnaire “How are the Regions tackling the financial and economic crisis?” which aims to collect experiences of each Region on the type of measures and the funding mobilized within regional budgets to cope with the crisis.

Two meetings are planned after the enquiry:

• A policy workshop to exchange experiences, in July 2009 (date to be confirmed) in Brussels (BE)

This workshop will be designed to pool and compare the measures implemented by regional leaders with a view to identifying good practices and stumbling blocks.

• A seminar on “European responses to the crisis: what do the Regions expect?”, on 27 November 2009 in Marseille at the invitation of Mr Michel Vauzelle, President of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region (FR)

This major political event will aim to present to the new EU institutions (Commission and Parliament) what the Regions are expecting in terms of EU public policies for the medium- and long-term to cope with the
specific problems caused by the crisis

“With the new European integrated maritime policy, that we are building , our coastal Regions will remain instrumental in securing Europe’s global competitiveness and a high quality of life for all our citizens”.

A quotation from Mr José Manuel Durao Barroso, President of the European Commission during the European Maritime Day in Rome.

The European Union has declared 20th May to be “European Maritime Day”. For the second year running, the Commission is inviting the different European stakeholders to join in this celebration of the sea and the oceans with a series of events in Rome from 18th to 20th May and by encouraging the organisation of events in the maritime regions.

The CPMR is very much involved in promoting a Europe-wide maritime policy. In this regard, we feel that it would be wise to suggest that our Member Regions express this common will by sending out the same message through different channels of communication.

You will find below a message co-signed by Claudio Martini, President of the CPMR, and Jean-Yves Le Drian, President of Brittany and leader of the CPMR’s Aquamarina working group. It is available in English, Italian, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.

We invite our Member Regions to publish it on 20th May through the media of your choice:
- On your regional authority’s website;
- In your regional press;
- Or through any other channel you might deem useful, either by reproducing the text as it stands or by issuing it on your own behalf, taking care nevertheless to refer to the CPMR’s action in this area.

The conference will be held at Helwan University in Egypt from Saturday 24th to Monday 26th October 2009. The theme of the conference regards the development and the territories of the Mediterranean in an Integrated Relational Tourism approach.

Échéance / Deadline: 30 June 2009

The action aims at supporting networks of destinations at local and regional level so as to create a favourable framework for tourism sustainability, to improve the cooperation on sustainability issues through tourism networks, to increase the level of awareness of enterprises, in particular SMEs, about good practices, and to foster sustainability-driven innovation in the tourism sector.

Claudio Martini has written a letter to José Manuel Barroso in which he asks the European Commission for more flexibility in implementing cohesion policy

The negotiations on the follow-up to be given to the Kyoto Protocol on climate issues will be held at the end of 2009 in Copenhagen in the framework of COP15 (Conference of Parties). Given their remit and responsibilities, the regional governments want to be taken into account in the future world organisation to combat climate change. They are getting organised to ensure their presence during these negotiations and are already undertaking work along these lines at international level.

CPMR’s regions are involved in these activities via nrg4SD (Network of Regional Governments for Sustainable Development), of which the CPMR has been a founder member since 2002.

An initial position has been drafted emphasising the place and role of the regional level. You will find the text in the attached documents.

This text presents the position the regional level might have regarding the contribution it is able to make in the fight against climate change and also aims to open the way for regions to be involved from an operational point of view, including access to funding.

If CPMR’s member regions agree with the terms of this position, they are kindly asked to send it without delay to their respective governments who might take advantage of this action to support the position of the regions in the upcoming international negotiations.

This is a voluntary initiative. The main thing is for the regional level to be present in this negotiation which is of the utmost importance for all levels of governance.

Päijät-Häme region is seeking particularly partners for exchange of best practices and information. At the moment there are no specific plans to apply for a program/project, but in a longer run that can be also a possibility.

For further information, please contact :
Ville Puotila
Assistant
South Finland EU-Office
Avenue de Tervueren 35
1040 Bruxelles

Tel. +32 2 282 03 70
Fax. +32 2 742 32 88

southfinland@skynet.be

ProAgria is searching for international partners to the project that is promoting tourism product development as a tool for easing off the effects of structural change of rural areas. Product development will be based on local networks and carried out by promoting the values of sustainable development. The basis for the project consists of local and international networking and dimensions of product development around rural tourism. The project planning is coordinated by ProAgria Rural Advisory Centre Häme, Finland in association with 4-5 international partners. A specific funding program will be decided in cooperation with project partners.

If you are interested in cooperation, please contact Mr. Vanhamäki directly:

Isto Vanhamäki, MSc
Business advisor, tourism
ProAgria Rural Advisory Centre, Häme
Mariankatu 8 A, 15110 LAHTI, FINLAND
isto.vanhamaki@proagria.fi
+358 20 747 3031

Further to the European Commission’s communication of 3 September 2008, ”A European Strategy for Marine and Maritime Research”, the CPMR has adopted a policy position.

The Regions and the CPMR wish to consolidate both their contribution towards implementing the European strategy for marine and maritime research as well as the way the regional dimension is taken on board within this strategy.

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It’s a service of the Council of Europe and its Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, developed and implemented with the support of the Italian government and brought to you in co-operation with the Committee of the Regions of the European Union and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions and moreover the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CRPM).

The CPMR took part in the Conference on territorial cohesion and the future of the cohesion policy, held on 30-31 October 2008 in Paris. The speech of Xavier Gizard, Secretary General and summaries of the workshops are available on the following links.

On 23rd September 2008, the CPMR sent a letter to the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee members. While satisfied with the European Union’s environmental objectives, the CPMR hopes that the current instruments make a positive contribution to the sustainable development of the EU’s most isolated and remote territories.

Therefore, the CPMR very much welcomes Compromise Amendment 4, recently adopted by the Parliament’s ITRE Committee within the framework of Mme Ek’s report on the “Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2003/87/EC so as to improve and extend the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme of the Community”.

This amendment relates to Article 1§7 of the proposed Directive, which defines what the revenues generated from the auctioning of emission allowances should be used for. The amendment adds the following (*) to the list proposed by the Commission: (*summary of the text)

“to mitigate the impact of the Community scheme on regions affected by special geographic and demographic challenges, by assisting them in developing a sustainable energy policy”

We hope that the Parliament ENVI Committee, which is soon to discuss this proposed Directive, will be intent on (whilst examining the opinion of the ITRE Committee) taking up the aforementioned provision. This would have the great credit of ensuring that the fight against the causes of climate change effectively contributes to strengthening territorial cohesion within the European Union.

2008-2009 Evaluation and Prospects of the CPMR’s Second Medium-Term Development Plan