Recommendation 1638 (2003)1
Sustainable development of mountain regions
1.
Mountain regions have to contend with a set of problems stemming from their
geoclimatic characteristics, such as difficulty of access, low population
density and ecological vulnerability. In addition, they supply other regions
with vital services and products, such as water, high-quality environment and
produce, and the management of irreplaceable landscapes.
2. The
specific nature of mountain regions is such that, even though some of the
problems facing these regions are the same as those of rural regions, in no
circumstances can they be approached in the same way.
3.
Furthermore, it is indispensable that a policy for mountain regions should not
only be a preservation policy aimed at protecting the natural heritage that
these regions represent, but also a conservation policy which seeks to
guarantee the sustainable socio-economic development of their communities.
4. For
this to happen, the development of Europe’s mountain regions must also be part
of a strategy for achieving a better regional balance within an overall
spatial planning policy for the whole of Europe.
5. Aware
of this situation, the Parliamentary Assembly has, for many years, kept a
close eye on the situation of Europe’s mountain regions, with a view to
facilitating the introduction of specific policies capable of meeting the
needs and legitimate expectations of their communities.
6. In
this connection, it helped to draft and gave its full backing firstly to the
European charter on mountain regions, in 1995, and then to the European
outline convention on mountain regions, in 2000, both put forward by the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE).
7. The
Assembly deeply regrets that the Committee of Ministers did not think it
expedient at that time to adopt this instrument and open it for signature and
ratification by member states, not recognising the merits of an instrument
that could provide a framework for a pan-European mountain policy, including
for the countries of central and eastern Europe.
8. It is
with satisfaction that the Assembly has taken note of CLRAE Recommendation 130
(2003) to transform the two aforementioned draft instruments into a European
charter for mountains, a document that has strong political ramifications but
is non-binding for Council of Europe member states, and which could be the
subject of a Committee of Ministers recommendation.
9. In
addition, the Assembly welcomes the outcome of the conference organised by its
Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs in
Cavalese, Trento, from 16 to 18 June 2003, on Sustainable Development of
Mountain Regions, European Transit Policy and the Challenge of Globalisation,
which was a further contribution to the discussion on the major problems
facing European mountains. It supports the final declaration adopted by the
conference and in particular the backing given to the efforts of the Assembly
and the CLRAE for a charter for mountains, which is unfortunately non-binding
for member states but which sets out the basic principles for a suitable
pan-European policy on mountain regions.
10. The
Parliamentary Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers
respond positively to the initiative of the CLRAE, as laid out in its
Recommendation 130, by adopting a recommendation to member states on the
European charter for mountains, with a view to establishing a common
pan-European policy on mountain regions.
1.
Text adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the
Assembly, on 25 November 2003 (see Doc. 9992,
report of the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional
Affairs, rapporteur: Mr Gubert).
