|
|
7 April 1995
Doc. 7273
REPORT on the 6th European Conference of Border Regions (Ljubljana, 13-15 October 1994)
(Rapporteur: Mr GRAU, Spain, Group of the European People's Party)
Summary
The 6th European Conference of Border Regions took stock of progress made in this field since the previous conference held in 1991. It also covered the new challenges of transfrontier co-operation in a new and wider Europe.
The role and achievements of the Council of Europe were highlighted, as was the importance of co-operation at the local and regional levels. This report takes up various proposals made at the Ljubljana Conference for facilitating and furthering transfrontier co-operation.
I. Draft recommendation
1. The Assembly has taken note of the Final Declaration of the 6th European Conference of Border Regions held in Ljubljana (Slovenia) from 13 to 15 October 1994 and of the general theme of the conference, relating to the new challenges of transfrontier co-operation at the interface between western Europe and central and eastern Europe.
2. It welcomes the fact that sound co-operation and concordance of views with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) attended the organisation of the conference, and asks that the 7th conference be prepared in the same spirit and in conjunction with the CLRAE.
3. The Assembly notes that during the work of the conference dealing with sustainable economic and social development of border regions, special attention was paid to the specific problems of infrastructure and transport.
4. In this connection it recalls its earlier proposals, in particular its Resolutions 977 (1992) and 1023 (1994) on European transport problems.
5. The Assembly stresses the importance of transfrontier co-operation as a factor of integration, political stability and peace in Europe, and expresses the wish that such co-operation should develop specifically towards and among the countries of central and eastern Europe.
6. The Assembly remains convinced that local and regional authorities can and must play a conspicuous part in bringing populations closer together and in solving practical problems encountered by neighbouring communities or like problems affecting more widely separated authorities.
7. It observes in this respect that notwithstanding their considerable interest, the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities, has so far been ratified by only 18 member states, and the draft European Convention on Inter-Territorial Co-operation has yet to be adopted.
8. The Assembly considers that transfrontier co-operation can contribute in a large way to implementing activities of current high priority for the Council of Europe, for instance as regards minorities, combating intolerance and xenophobia, cultural co-operation and environmental protection.
9. It further considers, and this is especially important where the countries of central and eastern Europe are concerned, that trans-European infrastructures and transport networks would not only accelerate the economic development of those countries but also intensify exchanges and improve mutual understanding in other areas such as legal co-operation or elimination of legal and administrative obstacles.
10. The Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
i. invite the member states:
a. to sign and ratify:
- the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities;
- the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;
- the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities;
b. to set up advisory transfrontier co-operation committees open to local and regional authorities and social and economic groups in order to consider and put forward solutions to the wide variety of legal and administrative impediments persisting in border regions;
c. to assist the creation of transfrontier co-operation bodies, constituted by the territorial authorities concerned, for administering public services of common interest, and fostering more harmonious social and economic development of border regions;
d. to take the "transfrontier dimension" into account in framing national or regional spatial planning or transport policies, so as to avert "border effect" in frontier regions;
e. to integrate transfrontier regional job markets into their economic and social policy and make them accessible;
f. to facilitate clearance at borders both for persons, in particular frontier workers, and for goods, by eliminating existing administrative and technical hindrances;
ii. adopt with all dispatch the draft Additional Protocol to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation;
iii. adopt also, without further delay, the draft Convention on Inter-Territorial Co-operation in accordance with the wish expressed by the Heads of State and Government at the Vienna Summit regarding transfrontier co-operation between non-adjacent regions;
iv. promote teacher training and provision of cross-border educational facilities, particularly for teaching the languages or the history of nearby border regions or countries, and to make these subjects compulsory in the schools of the border regions;
v. invite the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT):
a. to step up its work on transfrontier co-operation, by promoting in particular the establishment of transfrontier spatial planning commissions open to participation by local and regional authorities;
b. to study, if appropriate in conjunction with the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), the spatial planning problems linked with transport infrastructures in the specific context of transfrontier regions and especially those of the central and eastern European countries;
c. to further the development of inter-modal transport poles in border regions as a factor of economic vitalisation and development, and to improve the complementarity of transport modes;
vi. invite the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and the Commission of the European Communities to develop trans-European transport networks, first and foremost railway networks and in particular where transalpine traffic is concerned, and to eliminate the bottlenecks created by interconnection problems between national networks;
vii. invite the European Union:
a. to draw up a statute for frontier workers from non-member countries in order to facilitate the development of transfrontier job markets along the external borders of the Union;
b. to harmonise its member states' customs, police and immigration legislation so as to dispense with, or reduce to the bare minimum, formalities and controls at the internal borders of the Union.
II. Explanatory memorandum
by Mr GRAU
Contents
Page
Introduction 5
Ljubljana Conference 6
Conclusion 8
Appendix: Final Declaration of the 6th European Conference
of Border Regions 9
Introduction
After the 5th Conference held in 1991 in Rovaniemi (Finland), the 6th European Conference of Border Regions took place in Ljubljana (Slovenia) from 13 to 15 October 1994. Like its predecessors, it was jointly organised by the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.
The general theme of the 6th Conference was "the new challenges of transfrontier co-operation at the interface between Western Europe and Central and Eastern Europe".
The working sessions dealt with the subject of sustainable economic and social development of border regions, with emphasis on infrastructure and transport problems as well as the labour market and frontier workers. Co-operation in the educational and cultural field and the problem of minorities were also discussed.
There was a concluding round table on "the Vienna Summit and the role of the Council of Europe in transfrontier co-operation". The conference ended with the adoption of a Final Declaration.
It is noteworthy that for the first time the conference took place in one of the Central and Eastern European countries, 11 of which were represented among the 28 countries attending.
Also for the first time, the conference was held after the convening of the Vienna Summit (October 1993). In the Vienna Declaration, the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe member states recognised the importance of transfrontier co-operation between local and regional authorities. They called upon the organisation to "pursue its work in this field and to extend it to co-operation between non-adjacent regions".
They further noted that "the protection of national minorities is an essential element of stability and democratic security in our continent". They accordingly decided to enter into political and legal commitments on the protection of minorities in Europe by instructing the Committee of Ministers, inter alia, to draft a "framework convention for the protection of national minorities".
Ljubljana Conference
The participants were able to observe the progress of transfrontier co-operation which, since the Rovaniemi conference in 1991, had developed significantly in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It is nevertheless regrettable that co-operation in those countries still usually occurs at central government rather than local government level.
It can thus be noted that to date Hungary and Poland are alone among these countries in having signed and ratified the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities. Among the other states on the continent, however, only Andorra, Greece, San Marino and Turkey have yet to sign the instrument.
However, regarding the problem of minorities which was addressed during the conference, it is heartening that the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was opened for signature on 1 February 1995 and, significantly, was signed forthwith by all states of Central and Eastern Europe belonging to the Council of Europe.
The 6th European Conference of Border Regions, then, was held for the first time in a country of Central and Eastern Europe and focused on the transfrontier problems brought about by political changes in the region. Many difficult problems, some of them new, have arisen not only at these countries' borders with Western Europe, but also at their mutual borders as a result of the opening of frontiers and freedom of movement.
These problems must be tackled and overcome here and now, in political contexts which have evolved so that the frontiers which used to limit them have shifted. It will therefore be necessary to deal with frontier problems under the terms of the international regulations and legal instruments which have become applicable in consequence of this evolution.
The Council of Europe, which up to 1989 was confined to the countries of Western Europe alone, has since reached out to embrace ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe. As things stand, seven other countries have applied to join the Council of Europe. The European Union too has undergone recent enlargement and has likewise received other applications for membership. These enlargements have entailed territorial changes and have consequently pushed back the external frontiers of the two organisations - not to mention the implications of the Single Act and the completion of the Community internal market for the internal frontiers of the European Union.
On the subject of socio-economic problems, various questions were discussed. New spatial planning challenges have emerged and are most apparent in border regions. These questions are handled in particular by the CEMAT which under its 1994/97 programme of activities intends to examine the consequences of the socio-political changes in Central and Eastern Europe for regional/spatial planning in Europe. The Parliamentary Assembly for its part is due to discuss a report on a comprehensive European regional planning strategy. The report will put forward definite proposals on how to accommodate the new element represented by the pan-European dimension.
Regarding infrastructures, particularly transport infrastructure, attention was drawn to the many deficiencies existing both within the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and in relation to the Western countries. The communication and transport networks, which were not exactly designed for convenience of exchanges, suddenly have to cope with unexpected growth. In certain cases (due to the state of war in the former Yugoslavia, for instance), capability must also be developed to meet the new needs created by re-routing.
In order to make this part of Europe more readily accessible, it will be necessary to modernise existing transport infrastructure while at the same time developing rail transport as first priority, and to envisage commissioning new east/west axes which will open up the territory of Central and Eastern Europe. Special attention should accordingly be paid to the junctions between networks, located in border areas and forming traditional bottlenecks. This is particularly important at the external frontier of the European Union.
For still other reasons, chiefly involving traffic congestion, the north/south axes must also be improved, in particular where the Alps and the trans-Alpine corridors (Austria, Switzerland) are concerned. In general, but specifically in the latter case, since priority for the years ahead has been assigned to rail transport for transit traffic, the road-rail combination will need to be developed.
Numerous other problems were pinpointed regarding regulatory disparities between countries, whether on social and employment questions, in the taxation and administrative fields, or more generally in respect of local government powers. Many of these disparities affect frontier regions more severely, and specifically frontier workers. The promotion of transnational labour markets was advocated in order to assist the economic development of frontier regions and alleviate the problems still encountered by frontier workers.
The Ljubljana conference also gave special consideration to co-operation on culture, education and minorities. Minority issues engaged the attention of participants in so far as real problems exist, primarily in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.
In this connection the right to identity and regional autonomy were upheld, especially in the cultural field. Reference was made, inter alia, to the Vienna Declaration and the decisions taken by the Heads of State and Government on protection of national minorities, particularly with regard to the drafting of a framework convention which has now been opened for signature and signed by 22 member states.
In order to bring cultures and populations closer together, above all in contiguous regions, the importance of the educational factor was highlighted. National education systems should be adapted so as to help frontier populations achieve cultural convergence by providing facilities for instruction in neighbour cultures (language, history, geography). The significant role of communication media in frontier regions was also recognised.
The conference concluded with a round table on "the Vienna Summit and the role of the Council of Europe in transfrontier co-operation" during which attention was drawn to the major role of the Council of Europe and its pioneering work on transfrontier co-operation, most significantly through the adoption of the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities. Concerning this instrument, the expediency of early accession by the countries of Central and Eastern Europe was emphasised.
In Vienna the Heads of State and Government had furthermore decided in favour of developing transfrontier co-operation. The competent steering committee (CDLR) is therefore examining an Additional Protocol to the Outline Convention concerning the legal corporate capacity of transfrontier co-operation bodies and the legal force of their acts. A draft Convention on Inter-Territorial Co-operation (for non-adjacent communities), proposed by the CLRAE, is also under consideration.
Conclusion
Despite the inadequate recognition of its work, the Council of Europe was recognised as having a specific role in transfrontier co-operation, above all in the context of a wider Europe experiencing difficulties in this respect, particularly in the eastern parts. It should nevertheless be remembered that steady progress has been made in Western Europe thanks to achievements such as the establishment of transfrontier working associations and co-operation between territorial communities or, within the European Union, thanks to programmes like Interreg. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe can be guided by this experience.
The importance of territorial communities was also noted and once again the Council of Europe's role was acknowledged, specifically in relation to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. In particular, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), whose status has recently been enhanced, can make a very positive contribution to the furtherance of transfrontier co-operation.
At the Vienna Summit in October 1993 the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe member states stressed the importance of transfrontier co-operation in the new Europe and the relevant achievements of the Council of Europe, expressing the wish that its action in the transfrontier co-operation sector might be further developed.
During the Ljubljana conference some of the legal instruments on which the Council can rely for this purpose were mentioned: the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities and the Additional Protocol in preparation, the draft Convention on Inter-Territorial Co-operation, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Charter of Local Self-Government and a corresponding regional charter which is being drafted, etc.
Nevertheless, a great deal of information work indubitably remains to be done on behalf of territorial communities in order to make known and available to them the whole body of work and experience already accomplished in the Council of Europe. Indeed, the territorial communities of Central and Eastern Europe can benefit from the considerable assets which the Council of Europe has built up since the 1970s.
APPENDIX I
FINAL DECLARATION
The participants at the Council of Europe's 6th European Conference of Border Regions, including elected representatives of local, regional and national authorities and representatives of border regions, meeting in Ljubljana, on 13 and 14 October 1994,
I. express their gratitude to
- the Council of Europe, in particular its Parliamentary Assembly and its Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), for organising the Conference;
- the Slovenian Parliament and Government and the town of Ljubljana for their hospitality;
and adopt the following Final Declaration:
Final Declaration
Having discussed the current situation and the prospects for transfrontier co-operation, the Conference participants
II. point out that
1. Transfrontier co-operation has long been considered as a driving force behind European integration and as one of the best means of actively contributing to political stability and peace in Europe.
2. Frontier and transfrontier regions serve as models and as focal points when it comes to improving mutual understanding and trust, doing away with intolerance and ensuring that all are actively involved in the European integration, development and co-operation process;
3. Since, respectively, the early 1970s and the mid-1980s, the Council of Europe and the Nordic Council on the one hand, and the European Union on the other hand, have consistently supported and encouraged this trend;
4. Tolerance, partnership, decentralisation and subsidiarity are the essential bases for practical, lasting cross-border co-operation between individuals, municipalities, regions and states. The promotion, the implementation and the spread of such co-operation have made it possible to bridge the gaps between neighbouring regions, reduce or even remove barriers and thus promote cultural diversity and tolerance;
5. The implementation of the Vienna Declaration, adopted in October 1993 by the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe member states, implies that transfrontier and inter-regional co-operation must be taken a stage further and that special attention must be paid to national minorities;
6. National and ethnic minorities play a role in drawing together and uniting European nations;
III. note that
1. Despite the progress in co-operation between European border regions generally and growing integration due to the Single Market, there are still problems arising from the coexistence of different political, economic, administrative, social and tax systems, which can be solved only by increased co-operation;
2. Similar trends can be observed along the external borders of the European Union and those between the Central and Eastern European countries but, in the case of the latter, economic, monetary, wage and productivity discrepancies can be a political and social risk for Europe as a whole;
3. The growing role played by the regions in European integration goes hand in hand with the increasing importance of co-operation between border regions;
IV. Accordingly, the border region representatives call on
A. European institutions
1. to step up co-operation between European states, the Council of Europe and the European Union with an eye to facilitating, strengthening and promoting transfrontier co-operation and, in this connection, to give a special role to their bodies which comprise elected representatives - the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament on the one hand and the CLRAE and the Committee of Regions on the other;
2. to apply the principle of subsidiarity to transfrontier co-operation, while ensuring that such co-operation is in keeping with the objectives of an overall Europe-wide policy;
3. to support and strengthen European, national and inter-regional networks for transfrontier co-operation and existing aid programmes and ensure that they can meet the needs specific to each frontier or transfrontier region;
4. to ensure the security of the public in the face of the increasing ease with which it is possible to cross borders inside and outside the European Union, by means of direct co-operation between the police forces, customs departments and authorities concerned at all levels;
5. to give border and cross-border regions priority in regional development projects carried out in the context of spatial planning and trans-European transport network policy, so that these regions are not used merely as transit and transport corridors;
6. to promote and strengthen co-operation between these regions so that issues of concern to border regions are tackled in the context of an overall approach to Europe-wide regional and spatial planning;
7. to provide assistance to recently-created regional institutions in Central and Eastern Europe, keeping them informed of current experiences and advising them - with the help of western European regions;
8. to promote the creation of transfrontier educational structures.
B. the Council of Europe
1. to encourage its member states to sign, ratify and implement the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities;
2. to lose no time in adopting the Additional Protocol to this convention, which would give transfrontier bodies legal status and make their decisions legally binding;
3. to ask the Parliamentary Assembly and the CLRAE to make practical proposals for political follow-up to the convention and for its application;
4. to adopt, without delay, the Convention on Inter-Territorial Co-operation proposed in CLRAE Resolution 248 (1993) and designed to establish a legal basis for co-operation between non-adjacent territorial communities or authorities;
5. to encourage the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT) to step up its work on transfrontier co-operation and, in keeping with its own recommendations, promote the establishment of bilateral and multilateral spatial planning commissions at all European borders and, in so doing, ensure that territorial authorities are permanently involved in the determination of general regional planning objectives on the basis of a transfrontier approach and in the light of the principle of subsidiarity and partnership;
6. in order to reinforce the spirit of the Vienna Declaration, to make a special effort to promote transfrontier co-operation, in particular in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and, in this context:
- to speed up the drafting of the Outline Convention for the protection of minorities that is currently on the drawing board and
- to make provisions in its LODE programme for technical assistance with transfrontier co-operation, together with sufficient administrative and financial resources to achieve the objectives of the programme;
7. to further the development of multicultural education models adapted to the situations of border regions.
C. the European Union
1. to include transfrontier co-operation as a specific objective when the European Structural Funds are reformed, in the framework of the revision of the Maastricht Treaty in 1996;
2. to promote co-operation along the external borders of the European Union; this means bringing into line the criteria already used for existing assistance programmes within the European Union and in Central and Eastern Europe (Interreg/Phare, etc);
3. to continue to support projects promoted by inter-regional associations (Lace; ARFE; Ouverture; AER... ), whose purpose is to create, along the borders of the Union, European co-operation networks and transfrontier programmes for assistance and exchange of experiences;
4. to modify certain regulations applying to frontier workers within the Union, in order to eliminate the social, fiscal and administrative disadvantages suffered by them and to draw up a statute for frontier workers from non-member countries in order to facilitate the development of transfrontier job markets along the external frontiers of the Union.
D. national authorities
1. to apply the principle of subsidiarity when devising, implementing and managing transfrontier co-operation programmes and projects, by transferring powers to frontier and transfrontier communities or authorities;
2. to sign, ratify and implement the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation and to urge that the Additional Protocol to the Convention be adopted as soon as possible;
3. to recognise and apply the principle of the protection of all minorities, to avoid conflict and, to this end, for example, to sign and ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;
4. to promote the learning of minority languages by members of the majority cultures, in the spirit of a development of multicultural education models;
5. to strengthen and promote transfrontier co-operation at all administrative levels with a view to reducing or removing the legal and administrative barriers;
6. to make voluntary contributions to the Council of Europe's LODE programme so that transfrontier co-operation activities can be stepped up;
7. to ensure that all programmes benefitting border areas (for example,
Interreg II/Phare) are financed jointly by the countries concerned;
8. to promote economic co-operation in border regions; to recognise transfrontier job markets as factors in regional economic development; to integrate these markets into their economic policy and to create legal and administrative bases - via the appropriate transfrontier consultations - to make them clear and accessible;
9. to make the necessary administrative and legal information available to frontier workers in order to facilitate their integration into regional transfrontier job markets;
10. to recommend to the media and to educational institutions that they emphasise the role of tolerance and partnership as a basis for efficient collaboration between frontier regions;
11. to adapt the education system to the needs of frontier regions via the development of a genuine bilingual education, the acceptance of the culture of regions situated on the other side of the border and the introduction of transfrontier educational institutions.
E. border regions
1. to set up appropriate structures at regional and local level and secure the requisite financial conditions for ongoing transfrontier co-operation;
2. to elaborate, with the participation of all social and economic groups, transfrontier development strategies linked to operational programmes and projects and covering all areas of transfrontier co-operation;
3. to consider allowing the Interreg programmes (including Phare programmes) to be implemented independently, by setting up programmes and projects management teams, with due regard for the principle of partnership between the European Union and national, regional and local authorities;
4. to restore and organise "local border mobility" in the border regions, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe, so that their inhabitants can maintain human, cultural, social and economic relations without encountering day-to-day administrative restrictions;
5. to promote and support transfrontier exchanges between educational establishments in border regions;
6. to create regional transfrontier media structures (press, radio, television), organised on the basis of partnership and good neighbourliness.
DECLARATION
on the promotion
of the organisation of the Olympic Games
in border regions
The 6th European Conference of Border Regions,
meeting in Ljubljana on 13 and 14 October 1994,
- expresses the wish that the Olympic authorities at all levels respond favourably to the proposals to organise the Games in transfrontier regions, proposals which fully comply with the Olympic ideal. These initiatives would allow a new message of peace and co-operation between peoples to be brought to the sporting world.
- invites the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and, in particular, its Chamber of Regions, to support this proposal and to transmit it to the competent national bodies and to the international Olympic Committee.
DECLARATION
on Bosnia-Herzegovina
The 6th European Conference of Border Regions,
meeting in Ljubljana on 13 - 14 October 1994,
- stresses the importance of secular multicultural co-habitation in
Bosnia-Herzegovina
- strongly condemns ethnic purification as a dangerous anachronism.
Reporting committee: Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities.
Budgetary implications for the Assembly: none.
Reference to committee: standing mandate.
Draft recommendation adopted by the committee on 3 March 1995.
Members of the committee: Mr Parisi (Chairman), Mr Ruffy, Lord Newall (Vice-Chairmen), MM. Andreoli, Arata, Ateş, Bachna, Beis, Gudmundur Bjarnason, Mrs Blunck, MM. Bonrepaux, Brennan, Briane, Büchel, Carcarino, Mrs Ciemniak, Mr Demiralp, Mrs Dromberg, MM. Eversdijk, Feldmann, Frunda, Grau, Guia (Alternate: Mr Bolinaga), Hardy (Alternate: Sir John Hunt), Johansson, Jung, Korakas, Kukk, Lanner, Lie, Magnusson, Monfils, Motiu, Mozetic, Mrs Naoumova, MM. Pinto, Pozela, Prokes, Redmond, Reis Leite, Mrs Robert, MM. Rott, Sarens, Mrs Severinsen, Mr Spacek, Mrs Stoisits, MM. Szabo, Szymanski, Theis, Toshev, Vella, Mrs Verspaget, Mr Zierer, N... (Alternate: Mr Christodoulides).
N.B. The names of those members who took part in the meeting are printed in italics.
Secretaries to the committee: Mrs Cagnolati-Staveris and Mr Sixto.