closer to brussels, no 16 macro-regional strategies

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e–magazine of the małopolska region brussels office

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macro-regionalstrategies

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Parastudio*

↪ www.parastudio.pl

From euroregions to macroregions: a reasonable step? An appraisal from Western Mediterraneantext: thomas perrin

Forewordtext: marek sowa, marshal of malopolska region

What is uesalp?text: directorate-general for regional and urban policy

The strategy for the Adriatic & Ionian Regiontext: henriette bastrup-birk

Carpathian Euroregion rushes for gold!text: dawid lasek

Małopolska is conquering Brusselstext: renata jasiołek

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closer to brussels #16 / november 2014 4


closer to brussels5

Ladies and Gentlemen,

› What are macro-regional strategies ? According to the European Commission, “they are important innovation in territorial cooperation and cohe-sion”. In its Report concerning the added value of macro-regional strategies, the European Commission precisely defines the goals of such strategies, among which, in first place, the achievement of “benefits from strengthened cooperation for economic, social and territorial cohesion”.

There are currently three macro-regional strategies in the European Union: the Baltic, the Adriatic-Ionian and the Danube one. The fourth and probably last macro-regional strategy, concerning the Alps, will be finalized soon.

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› As you may know, this topic is also on the agenda in Małopolska, since in January 2014 the Council of Ministers adopted the Development Strategy of Southern Poland until 2020. This is of course a different scale of project but mutatis mutandis, it pursues the same goals.

How does the Baltic strategy differ from the Alpine one, why doesn’t a Carpathian strategy emerge, what are the strengths and weaknesses of macro-regional strategies. These are questions to which you will get answers in this edition of Closer to Brussels.

Enjoy our latest issue of the e-magazine,

Marszałek Województwa MałoposkiegoMarek Sowa

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closer to brussels7

• From euroregions to macroregions: a reasonable step?An appraisal from Western Mediterranean

Introduction

› Macro-regional strategies of the European Union are conceived as new instruments for territorial cooperation. They must integrate all the available and existing resources and schemes within the same transnational geo-graphical area: eu structural funds and territorial cooperation programmes; other national, local and transnational planning schemes; public and private initiatives, etc. These strategies are expected to articulate functional and political complexity and to improve policy efficiency through cooperative and flexible approaches, without creating new institution or funding(1).

This territorial approach evokes the concept of “mega-region”, i.e. a “meso-scale” transnational territorial unit, located inside a supranational

“region”, such as for instance the European Union, North America, Merco-sur, East Asia(2). Moreover, macro-regional scale was already at stake in the transnational areas designed from the mid-1990’s in the strand b of eu territorial cooperation programmes, or in cooperative organisations like the Benelux, the Visegrad Group, the Nordic Councils or the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

While these macro-regional strategies are expected to foster European territorial cooperation, they raise the question of how they can efficiently interact with the organisations that are considered to be the most success-ful schemes of territorial cooperation so far: the cross-border cooperative organisations commonly known as ‘euroregions’(3). Whereas around thirty euroregions existed at the beginning of the 1990s, there are currently about a hundred organisations of this type. Poland for instance is a country (cross)

They raise the question of how they can efficiently interact with the organisations?

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(1) Stefanie Dühr, Mer Baltique, Danube et stratégies macro régio-nales: un modèle de coopération transnationale dans l’UE ?, „Notre Europe Études & Recherches”, n°86, 2011.

(2) Richard Florida, Tim Gulden, Charlotta Mellander, The rise of the mega-region, „Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society”, Volume 1 Issue 3, November 2008, p. 459–476

(3) Francesc Morata, Euroregions i integració europea, Documents d’Anàlisi Geogràfica. Vol. 56, n°1, 2010, p. 41–56

(4) (epson) European Observation Network for Territorial Development & Cohesion, epson Evidence Brief. Territorial Cooperation, May 2013 • www.epson.eu

(5) This legal status was crea-ted in 2006 within eu law to facilitate the management and implementation of cross border cooperation. Cf. Regulation (ec) n° 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on a European grouping of territorial coopera-tion (egtc).

bordered by around 15 euroregions and in this context an association of Polish euroregions was founded.

In the framework of the Western Mediterranean macro-region, we can wonder for instance whether two existing euroregions in this area – Eu-roregion Pyrénées-Méditerranée and Euroregion Alpes-Méditerranée – can be milestones in the constitution of a macro-regional strategy for this area. The case of cultural cooperation is an interesting example to address this question. Indeed, among the various policies that are developed within euroregions, culture appears to be a frequent domain of cooperation. A re-cent study shows that culture and tourism are the favoured themes of cross-border cooperation(4).

Cultural cooperation: a vector for macro-regionalisation?

› Euroregion Pyrénées-Méditerranée was constituted in 2004 between the French regions of Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and the Span-ish autonomous communities of Aragon, Catalonia and Balearic Islands. Culture has been a mainstream domain of cooperation, through a specific agenda that includes a culture portal online, specific calls for projects, an-nual cultural forums. Culture was also one of the first attributions of the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (egtc) that was launched in 2010 to reinforce the structure and governance of the euroregion(5). Euroregion Alpes-Méditerranée was launched in 2007 and gathers the

text:thomas perrin

from euroregions to macroregions: a reasonable step?

http://www.epson.eu



closer to brussels9

French regions Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur with the Italian regions Piemonte, Liguria and Val d’Aoste. The partners established a cultural agenda based on networking in the field of visual arts and on organising cultural events to promote the euroregion.

In this context, different elements suggest that the interaction between both euroregions can help to implement a macro-regional strategy in this area, specifically starting with cultural cooperation(6):

ʫ they encompass focal key areas of the Western Mediterranean, with the Barcelona-Marseilles-Genoa Arc and the metropolitan regions of Toulouse, Lyon, Torino; thus constituting a potentially homogenous territorial entity like “North of Southern Europe(7)” or “Golden Mediterranean Belt(8)”.

ʫ There already exist cooperation schemes that can be integrated within a macro-regional strategy: eu cooperation programme med,

(6) Thomas Perrin, Culture et Eurorégions. La coopération culturelle entre régions europé- ennes, Éditions de l’Université de Bruxelles, 2013

(7) Hugues de Jouvenel, Maria-Àngels Roque (dir.), Catalogne à l’horizon 2010, Barcelone/Paris: Institut catala d'estudis mediterranis/ Economica, 1994, p. VI.

(8) Guy Baudelle, Jean Ollivro Catherine Guy, Les scénarios de l’espace européen, in Baudelle & Castagnède (dir.), Le Polycentrisme en Europe. Une vision de l’aména-gement du territoire européen, Editions de l’Aube/datar, 2002, p. 130.

cooperation Rhône-Alpes/Catalonia in the framework of the associa-tion “Four Motors for Europe”, Union for the Mediterranean.

ʫ These two euroregions show potential geo-cultural interactions: transnational historical and identity links, common fields of “crea-tive excellence” that are already mobilised in the euroregional cul-tural policies, like for instance audiovisual and image industries.

ʫ The two euroregions showed first step of cooperation with a joint participation to the Open Days in Brussels within the grouping

“Euroregions for territorial integration” in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

image 2. Actual and potential macro-regional strategy areas

source: bbsr Research News 2/2010, p. 3. • www.bbsr.bund.de

image 1. Euroregions in Poland / source: • www.euroregion-silesia.pl

obszar należący do kilku sąsiadujących regionów


http://www.bbsr.bund.de

http://www.euroregion-silesia.pl



closer to brussels11

The realpolitik limits

› Even though the macro-regional interaction between euroregions Pyrénées-Méditerranée and Alpes-Méditerranée can prove to be an op-tion for the constitution of a Western Mediterranean macro-regional strategy, several points(9) show a certain gap between the theoretical-ideal level and the practical one.

First, some observers question the very relevance of a macro-regional strategy for this area: can this really help reinforcing coop-eration, does it have a real added value and does it respond to the specificities of the Mediterranean territorial cooperation context(10)? Secondly, the evolution of both euroregional partnerships shows that they remain uncertain schemes in several aspects. In Euroregion Alpes-Méditerranée the whole cooperation project slowed down following the change of political majority in the Italian regions. The president of Piedmont, who was elected in 2010 with the support of the extreme-right party Lega Nord, declared that the euroregional cooperation was not a priority anymore and most of the projects are in stand by. In Pyrénées-Méditerranée, recent financial cuts and changes in the

The interaction between both euroregions can help to implement a macro-regional strategy in this area, specifically starting with cultural cooperation

•(9) François Alfonsi, The evolution of EU macroregional strategies: present practice and future prospects, especially in the Mediterranean, European Parliament, Committee of Regional Developement, 2012, p. 25.

(10) Luiza Bialasiewicz, et al., “Re-scaling ‘eu’rope: eu macro-regional fantasies in the Mediterranean”, European Urban and Regional Studies January, vol. 20, n° 1, 2013, p. 59-76.

political majorities could start to impact the initial ambition and objectives of the euroregion.

Developing new territorial cooperation instruments at transna-tional scale can allow a step further in the territorial construction of the European Union. This achievement can be based on the previously developed cooperation schemes, especially at cross-border scale and in the cultural sector. Nevertheless, real political will and commitment are crucial guarantees of efficiency for these instruments. In this way, planning experts and political leaders could work together to find the balance between giving a response to citizens’ expectations, while giving an impulse to meta-geographical projections.

thomas perrin› Thomas Perrin is a lecturer in Planning and European Studies at Université Lille 1, research centre tves. Previously, he worked for the French Ministry of Culture and cultural institutes abroad (Morocco, Chad) and was a research assistant at Toulouse University. Thomas holds a PhD in Political Science from Institut d’Études Politiques, University of Grenoble, with a thesis that deals with cultural policy and cooperation within euroregions. In 2011, he was a post-doctoral fellow at the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona. He is expert for the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe and mem-ber of ecures: European Association of Cultural Researchers.

His research and teaching deal with cultural policy and cultural relations on the one hand, and with the issues and dynamics of regionalism and territorial cooperation on the other hand. His works have been published in several books and journals. In 2011, he was awarded the Mark Schuster Prize on comparative cultural policy and a Merit Prize in the Committee of the Regions’ Doctoral Thesis Competi-tion. In 2012, Toulouse City Council gave him the award of “chercheur novélisé” dur-ing the Novela, Toulouse festival of science and knowledge.

image 4. Euroregion Pyrénées-Méditerranée / source: • www.medalp.eu image 3. Euroregion Alpes-Méditerranée / source: Marie-Laure Malaval, Université de Toulouse-Jean-Jaurès


http://www.medalp.eu




What is eusalp?•

Context

› Even before the European Council invited the Commission, in coopera-tion with Member States, to develop a eu Macro-regional Strategy for the Alpine Region last December 2013, in the last three years, different projects had (already) been initiated to look into the possibility and feasibility of a Macro-Regional Strategy (mrs) in the Alps(1).

Two conclusions can be drawn from these initiatives: ʫ the drive for greater cooperation, was (being) led by regions,

not Member States; ʫ the Alpine Strategy can be properly considered as a continuation

of existing cooperation rather than a new departure.

However, to draft the eu Macro-regional Strategy for the Alpine Region (eusalp), Member States will “cooperate” with the Commission. For the first time, the European Council uses such an explicit formula to describe the process to develop an eu Strategy. This will finally concern 5 Member States (Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia), 2 non-eu countries (Liechtenstein and Switzerland) and 48 regions.

The Strategy will seek to unlock the potential of the Alpine Region, by encouraging participants to overcome barriers to think more strategically and imaginatively about the opportunities available

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text:directorate-general for regional and urban policy

(1) These exercises were the following:• That of the so-called “Steering

group of the regions”, emphasizing regional pre-eminence;

• That of the Alpine Convention, which insisted on its international nature as a basis for its “legiti-macy” and representation;

• That of the Alpine Space Pro-gramme, conceived as a platform for discussion, where the other stakeholders are invited A synthesis of the views ex-pressed in the referred initiatives was reflected in the “Interven-tion document for the imple-mentation of an European Union Strategy for the Alpine Region”, as well as in the “Political dec-laration towards an European Union Strategy for the Alpine Region”, signed in Grenoble last 18 October 2013.

what is eusalp?




Principles

› This Strategy will seek to unlock the potential of the Alpine Region, by encouraging participants to overcome barriers to think more strategically and imaginatively about the opportunities available. To achieve this goal, in this new phase of the Alpine long-lasting cooperation process, actions should follow certain criteria, which are summarised in the table below:

Contents

› The Strategy aims to tackle the economic, social and territorial imbalances existing in the Alpine Region, stimulating an innovative and sustainable model of development, able to conciliate the promotion of growth and jobs, and the preservation of natural and cultural assets in the area. The Strategy, therefore, will build upon three general action-oriented pillars aiming:

(1) To improve the competitiveness, prosperity and cohesion of the Alpine Region. This will imply supporting innovative economic de-velopment in the Alpine Region, as well as strengthening the sustain-ability of the Region, not disregarding the specificities of all Alpine territories.

(2) To ensure accessibility and connectivity for all the inhabitants of the Alpine Region. Besides transport systems, the notion of con-

nectivity also embraces communication infrastructures and services (including tourism).

(3) To make the Alpine Region´s environmentally sustainable and attractive. Natural resources (in particular, clean and abundant water, minerals, a variety of landscapes and great biodiversity), and strong and diverse cultural life are major assets of this region. However, use of natural resources, and exploitation of their poten-tial need to be carried out in an environmentally friendly way, to which this Strategy can remarkably contribute.

Implementation methods

› Implementation of the eu Strategy for the Alpine Region will need an integrated approach, requiring coordination among selected initiatives.

Therefore, it will imply: ʫ Coordinated Policy design ʫ Alignment and coordination of funds ʫ Better cooperation

ʪ cooperation between the national and the regional or local level (vertical cooperation);

ʪ cooperation between Member States, as well as between Member States and non-eu countries (horizontal cooperation).

Calendar

› An extensive stakeholder public consultation was held between 16 July and 15 October. At the beginning of December 2014, a stakeholders confer-ence, organised under the Italian Presidency 2014, will close the consultation process. The European Commission will then draft a Communication and Action Plan for the Strategy, to be adopted in June 2015 and endorsed by the Council during the 2nd semester of 2015.

Selective approach (no exhaustive approach)

Relevance of making choices

Limited number of priorities and/or

Focus on eusalp selected themes

Focus on challenges and potentials: no exclusive focus on problems

Focus on issues of relevance for the whole/large part of the region

Particular emphasis on European dimension issues

Multi-level and integrated territorial approach

Functional relations between core alpine areas and surrounding regions/cities

Reflect the Interdependence and common benefits

New issues or innovative approach:

No repetition

No duplication of existing work

No pure labelling exercise

Synergies (can be both: structural and substantial) with other processes (like e.g. by etc asp Alpine Convention, etc.)

Concrete short/medium-term targets

Ownership appropriate resources and political momentum

Visibility

The Strategy aims to tackle the economic, social and territorial imbalances existing in the Alpine Region, stimulating an innovative and sustainable model of development, able to conciliate the promotion of growth and jobs, and the preservation of natural and cultural assets in the area

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what is eusalp?

The mission of the European Commission's Directorate General (dg) for Regional and Urban Policy is to strengthen economic, social and territorial cohesion by reducing disparities between the levels of deve-lopment of regions and countries of the European Union. In this way the policy con-tributes positively to the overall economic performance of the eu. This article was written by Directorate for Competence Centre Macroregions and European Ter-ritorial Cooperation, d1 Transnational and Interregional cooperation.




› On June 17, 2014, the Commission launched an eu Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Re-gion (eusair). The third of its kind, this is the first macro-regional strategy with equal partici-pation of eu members (Croatia, Greece, Italy and Slovenia) and non-eu countries (Albania, Bos-nia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia). The 70 million inhabitants of the Region are expected to benefit greatly from enhanced co-operation to promote blue growth, completion of missing transport and energy links, healthy marine and terrestrial ecosystems and diversified and sustainable tourism.

Apart from playing a crucial role in advanc-ing smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the Region, the Strategy is expected to advance integration of the Western Balkans into the eu, as well as reconciliation in a Region that witnessed a serious conflict less than two dec-ades ago.

The participating countries will be able to draw on valuable lessons from the Baltic Sea and Danube Strategies, notably the importance of strong political leadership and good governance, as well as of focus on a limited number of prior-

ity areas – or pillars – for securing clear results and genuine impact.

In addition to the four pillars of Blue Growth, Connecting the Region (transport and energy networks), Environmental Quality and Sustain-able Tourism, retained after extensive consulta-tion of stakeholders in all eight countries, includ-ing the private sector and civil society, topics were identified under each pillar as particularly promising for cooperation at a macro-regional or transnational scale, namely:

ʫ Blue technologies, fisheries and aquacul-ture, maritime and marine governance and services under Blue Growth;

ʫ Maritime transport, intermodal connec-tions to the hinterland and energy net-works under Connecting the Region;

ʫ Threats to coastal and marine biodiversity, pollution of the sea and transnational terrestrial habitats and biodiversity under Environmental Quality;

ʫ Diversified tourism offer (products and services) and sustainable and responsible tourism management (innovation and quality) under Sustainable Tourism.

The strategy for the Adriatic & Ionian Region

The Strategy is expected to advance integration of the Western Balkans into the EU as well as reconciliation

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› Capacity building, including communica-tion, research and innovation, primarily for the benefit of small and medium-sized companies, management of natural and man-made risks and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change effects were identified as cutting across all four pillars. Building the necessary institutional and administrative capacity is a prerequisite for counterparts to be able to coordinate ef-forts across jurisdictional levels, thematic issues and national boundaries. Communication is key for raising awareness of the potential of macro-regional strategies for improving living conditions but also for getting feedback from various types of stakeholders. Research and in-novation are pre-requisites for ensuring smart specialisation at all scales, including at the scale of the macro-region as a whole with respect to all four pillars. Finally, management of man-made risks and mitigation of and adaptation to climate change effects are pre-requisites for attracting external investors, as well as optimising the safety of the Region's population.

Like the other two macro-regional strategies, eusair will not come with extra eu funding, but will allow better use of existing resources by mobilising and aligning existing eu and national funding instruments. In particular, the Euro-pean Structural and Investment Funds (esif), as well as the Instrument for Pre-accession for non-eu countries (ipa) will be used to support the strategy.

Examples of indicative projects

It will be up to the various bodies, which will form part of the governance architecture put in place subsequent to the European Coun-cil's endorsement of eusair when meeting on

October 23–24, 2014, first to prioritise, next to approve the actions to be formally included in the action plan accompanying the Strategy. In its present form the action plan limits itself to presenting, by way of examples, actions and projects possibly qualifying for support.

These actions and projects all appear to meet the central criteria of:

(a) addressing well substantiated needs;(b) enjoying support by a wide array of

stakeholders in the targeted segments of the eusair territory;

(c) being transnational in scope; (d) being realistic and credible;(e) building on existing (successful)

initiatives; (f) paying attention to the cross-cutting as-

pects and(g) being mutually consistent and supportive.

Enhanced cooperation to promote blue growth, completion of missing transport and energy links, healthy marine and terrestrial ecosystems and diversified and sustainable tourism •

the strategy for the adriatic and ionian region

text:henriette bastrup-birk




• Examples for Blue Growth include regular stock assessments for sus-tainable fisheries management, as well as development of a joint approach to maritime spatial planning in the Adriatic and Ionian sea basin building on the •Adriatic Ionian maritime spatial Planing (adriplan).

• For Connecting the Region, upgrading of the Adriatic Traffic Repor-ting System (adrirep), improving the accessibility of the neighbouring coastal areas and islands, and removing barriers for cross-border invest-ments in energy networks.

• For Environmental Quality, exchanging best practices among man-aging authorities of marine protected areas, building on the •Adriatic Protected Areas Network – adriapan and further developing cost-effective management measures and policy options to keep the two seas clean, on the •CleanSea project.

• For Sustainable Tourism, supporting development of all-year thematic tourism, establishing synergies between macro-regional routes and local communities, and facilitating access to finance tourism start-ups.

henriette bastrup-birk› Master's in political science and inter-national relations and a doctoral degree in educational sciences from ku Leuven (Belgium). Her career at the European Commission spans education and voca-tional training, nature conservation, spatial planning and macro-regional strategies.

Henriette is currently a member of the team in charge of preparing implemen-tation of the Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, the third of its kind after the strategies for the Baltic Sea Region and the Danube Region.

In her previous roles Henriette was instrumental to drafting the eu Habitats Directive. She also contributed to drafting the European Spatial Planning Perspec-tive, covering in particular environmental and agricultural aspects. She was also involved in setting up the first interreg programme for the Baltic Sea Region.

Building the necessary institutional and administrative capacity is a prerequisite for counterparts to be able to coordinate efforts across jurisdictional levels, thematic issues and national boundaries

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KontinentalnaHrvatska

JadranskaHrvatska

Lombardia

Abruzzo

Molise

Puglia

Basilicata

Calabria

Sicilia

ProvinciaAutonoma

di Bolzano/Bozen

ProvinciaAutonoma di Trento

Veneto

Friuli-VeneziaGiulia

Emilia-Romagna

Umbria

Marche CrnaGora

VzhodnaSlovenijaZahodna

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AnatolikiMakedonia,

ThrakiKentriki

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DytikiMakedonia

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IoniaNisia

DytikiEllada

StereaEllada

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Attiki

VoreioAigaio

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Kriti

Bosna IHercegovina

Shqipëria

Srbija

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Sarajevo

Athínai

Ioannina

Irakleio

Kerkyra

Komotini

Kozani

Lamia

Larisa Mitilini

Patrai

Thessaloniki

Tripolis Ermoupoli

L'Aquila

Milano

Zagreb

Ancona

Catanzaro

Palermo

Perugia

Potenza

Roma

Bari

Bologna

Bolzano

Campobasso

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Ljubljana

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EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region

© EuroGeographics Association for the administrative boundaries

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National capitals

NUTS2 capitals

image 1. EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region / source: Marie-Laure Malaval, Université de Toulouse-Jean-Jaurès

the strategy for the adriatic and ionian region

http://adriplan.eu/

http://www.adriapan.org

http://www.adriapan.org

http://www.cleansea-project.eu/drupal/index.php




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text:dawid lasek

dawid lasek

Carpathian Euroregion rushes for gold!

› Alumnus of the Management and So-cial Communication Department of the Jagiellonian University. Between 2001 and 2005, Head of the Polish Office of the Car-pathian Euroregion. Between 2005 and 2006, he was the Director of the Territorial Cooperation Department by the Ministry of Regional Development. Since 2006, he has been the Secretary General and Vice-president of the the Association of the Carpathian Euroregion Poland, based in Rzeszów. Since 2012, he has also been member of the Executive Council of Euro-pean Border Regions in Gronau. Author and coordinator of international programmes and territorial projects, as well as regional development initiatives. Coordinator of the Alpine-Carpathian Cooperation Forum.

› The first half of 2014 was marked by sev-eral important events for the “Carpathian case.” What’s more, it promised that everything that will happen during this year will not be without significance for the development of initiatives related to this geographical area. Let’s start though with the date which is, from the point of view of the Carpathian Euroregion (ce), the most important one. On February 14th 2014, 21st anniversary of the creation of the Carpathian Euroregion in Nyiregyhaza, Hungary, after several years of domination by Viktor Orban’s compatriots, a new Chairman of the Council of the Carpathian Euroregion was elected. Józef Jodłowski, already governor of Rzeszów poviat and also President of •The Association of the Carpathian Euroregion Poland was appointed.

The term of office of the Chairman lasts two years and his most important prerogative is to head this authority which is, in the sight of the provisions of the Euroregion’s Statute, the highest international body. It is done on the basis of a precisely prepared plan. What are its main objectives? First of all, to strengthen the very foundations of the Euroregion, through the introduction of new solutions in the field of coordination of all national partners’ opera-

vice president of the association of the carpathian euroregion poland member of the executive committee of the association of european border regions

tions and through new principles of cooperation, as well as via an expansion of the territorial structures of the Euroregion on the Polish side, beyond its historical boundaries. Our ambition is to complete the institutional reform of the Union, so to “equalize organizational – operat-ing levels” between partners. This means to us promoting and carrying out federalisation of na-tional associations that are part of the ce, on the basis of the Polish model. We remain convinced that only a properly functioning international organizational structure providing a broad rep-resentation of governing and socio-economic partners of the Carpathians is able to implement and support a development policy. To achieve coordination capacity in a challenging political and institutional environment facing difficulties to cooperate, such an approach must be a condi-tion “sine qua non.” All other purposes of the Presidency are therefore secondary despite their great importance. I can mention as examples the cooperation with the •Carpathian Conven-tion, supporting the idea of •“Via Carpathia” corridor, and actions to promote the creation of a macro-regional strategy of the Carpathian. Above all, we would like to use our Presidency of the Council of the Carpathian Euroregion

to promote the Carpathian Brand’s Strategy. Every new day of the year 2014 confirms our belief that the Carpathian brand carpathia is an absolute priority for the current and future activities of our organization and its partners. Focusing on the entrepreneurial nature of this project is also a great therapy while waiting for calls for proposals under the next (or current) financial perspective. The addictive power of grants seizes minds and awakens lust of the majority of Carpathian cooperation stakeholders, but it also significantly reduces the willingness to seek alternative solutions. And the Carpathian brand “carpathia” precisely constitutes such an alternative, a bold project, a kind of "gold for heroes” hidden in the Carpathians, even though the new EU financial perspective is also part of our plan. We still painfully feel the absence of a Carpathian Programme and the awareness of the ineffectiveness of our almost 10-year efforts for its creation does not have a positive impact on the mood of the group. In spite of this context, good initiatives arise too. For these reasons, we are going to work in between the Baltic and the Danube Strategy, listening carefully to the discussion on the strategy for the Carpathian. The driving force behind our work will be the

Strengthen the very foundations of the Euroregion, through the introduction of new solutions in the field of coordination of all national partners’ operations and through new principles of cooperation, as well as via an expansion of the territorial structures of the Euroregion on the Polish side, beyond its historical boundaries

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carpathian euroregion

http://www.karpacki.pl

http://www.karpacki.pl

http://www.konwencjakarpacka.pl/eksperci/konwencja-karpacka

http://www.konwencjakarpacka.pl/eksperci/konwencja-karpacka

http://www.mbpr.pl/vc.html




idea, already announced by our organization, to create a Virtual Carpathian Programme under the name of “Carpathian Horizon 2020.” In the absence of an official Carpathian Strategy, there is no etc operational program for the Carpathians, so that the only thing we can do, using the Euroregion’s contacts and network of institutions, is to work on the inclusion of a package of project proposals (streams) relating to the Strategy “Carpathian Horizon 2020” in new operational programs for etc and enpi. Such a task requires a good methodological preparation backed by an effective coordination, and even if it does not guarantee full success (projects will compete in contests), it is worth trying, for the sake of these committed and motivated people, communities and institu-tions, left on their own but acting for the com-mon good of the Carpathians. Therefore we invite all the stakeholders to cooperate. From May 2014, a contact point for the Carpathian Horizon responsible for the coordination of

activities will be put in place in the Euroregion’s office. However, the issue of partnership and cooperation still remains the most important topic. This is why it is extremely gratifying that the Carpathian Euroregion, acting through the •Local Tourist Organization “Green Beskid” from Gorlice, was so well received by representatives of the governments from the Malopolska Region. In the second half of August, we held 18 meet-ings with voits, governors and town mayors from Malopolska. Impressions and conclusions of these discussions were very optimistic – they confirmed the willingness of Malopolska part-ners to cooperate for the Carpathian case. While looking for development opportunities, we need to forget about the administrative boundaries at district, county, provincial and national level. Carpathians know no borders, except those built by the lack of imagination of people, who are not ready yet to work together for this great and ambitious project.

The Carpathian brand “carpathia” precisely constitutes such an alternative, a bold project, a kind of “gold for heroes” hidden in the Carpathians

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carpathian euroregion

• fot. B. Lisowski • fot. B. Lisowski

http://www.porozumieniekarpackie.pl/273,a,o-stowarzyszeniu.htm




Małopolska is conquering Brusselstext:renata jasiołek

› On November 7th 2014, Marek Sowa, Mar-shal of the Małopolska Region, together with Mirosław Sekuła, Marshal of the Silesia Region, inaugurated the South Poland House in Brussels in the presence of many guests among which H.E. Ambassador Marek Prawda, Members of European Parliament, Marshals and Councillors from Polish regions.

The creation of the South Poland House in Brussels aims at establishing South Poland as a strong European macro-region within Euro-pean Institutions, fully taking advantage of the strengths and opportunities of development in the regions of Małopolska, Silesia and Opolskie. Together they unite their investment potential, improve their use of European funds, strive for common interests toward the European Union and prevent possible common threats.

The inauguration of the South Poland House was marked by an exhibition on the architectural designs built or renovated in South Poland in the last decade. The presented designs have a special value in the public spaces of Małopolska, Silesia and Opolskie and some of them were awarded

in national and international competitions. As underlined by B. Lisowski, President of the Cra-cow branch of the Association of Polish Archi-tects (sarp), who took part in the realization of the exhibition, the authors found themselves in great difficulties given the high number of renovated architectural designs. The exhibition, displayed on the Solidarity Esplanade in front of the European Parliament until October 17th, was part of the agenda of the European Week of Regions and Cities “open days” and was put in place in collaboration with Bank Pekao s.a.

The Friends of Malopolska Club meet Silesia Friends Club

The next action of South Poland House consisted in connecting meetings of the Friends of Małopolska Club and the Silesia Friends Club on November 4th 2014, which was dedicated to the Strategy for Development of Southern Poland until 2020. Experts from both regions as well as representatives of the Department of Transregional Programs of the Ministry of

Infrastructure and Development participated to this event, which was held under the auspice of H. E. Artur Harazim, Polish Ambassador in Kingdom of Belgium.

The Strategy for Development of Southern Poland until 2020 sets the actions which have to be taken for Małopolska and Silesia to become stronger and more competitive areas, both in the country, and in Europe.

The document specifies the priority areas, among which the interaction between metropo-lis, the improvement of economic competitive-ness, the development of human capital and the promotion of South Poland. The achievement of these goals will result, amongst others, in an improvement of access to transportation for both regions, a better protection of the natural environment and against the effects of natural disasters, a wider development of transporta-tion systems, a genuine specialization of South Poland’s economy, as well as in development of trans-regional enterprise cooperation networks.

Małopolska joins forces with Silesia and Opolskie: the inauguration of the South Poland House in Brussels

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• photo: B. Lisowski

małopolska is conquering brussels




The creation of the South Poland House in Brussels aims at establishing South Poland as a strong European macro-region within European Institutions

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• photo: K. Malinowski

• photo: K. Malinowski

• photo: M. Kulińska

małopolska is conquering brussels




especially required in the following fields: ʫ Stronger political leadership

and decision making ʫ Greater clarity in the organisation of work

To be clear, better governance of macro-regional strategies is not about new funds or new insti-tutions. Instead, it should aim for smarter use of existing resources(4). Furthermore, one size cannot fit all. The different strengths of the macro regions and participating countries must be understood and taken into account.

3. Political leadership, and ownership

› A high-level and structured political dimen-sion, providing overall direction, setting priori-ties and taking key decisions, is crucial for effec-tive macro-regional strategies. Over-dependence on the Commission as the principle driving force is not desirable. To succeed, the macro-regional strategies need a better balance between the leadership provided by the countries and regions involved and the role of the Commission.

1. Introduction

› Macro-regional strategies represent a new opportunity for comprehensive development of a larger region, addressing common chal-lenges and potential. Their integrated approach allows important overall policy objectives, such as mainstreaming of climate action, as well as support for a low-carbon economy and climate resilient society, to be incorporated in regional development work.

Good practice examples of successful macro-regional actions already exist in the eu Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and the eu Strategy for the Danube Region. However, experience(1) has also revealed obstacles to implementation.

This Report responds to the Council invita-tion to facilitate discussions to improve govern-ance of macro-regional strategies, and to report by end-2014(2).

2. The needs

› Based on analysis and experience of existing Strategies(3), it appears that improvements are

Questio Iuris

concerning the governance of macro-regional strategies

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

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(1) Communication concerning the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, 23 March 2012 com (2012)128 final; Report on the implementation of the eu Strategy for the Danube Region, 8 April 2013 com (2013) 181 Final. Report concerning the added value of macro-regional strategies, 27 June 2013 com (2013) 468 Final; Conclusions of the General Affairs Council, 22 October 2013.

(2) Conclusions of the General Affairs Council, 22 October 2013.

(3) ibid. footnote 2.

(4) ibid. footnote 2.

(5) As currently in the eu Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the rotation principle for the chair of a Strategy could take into account eu Presidencies in the Council, presidencies in other macro-regional institutions, or be on a voluntary basis.

(6) A good example of Commission guidance linking the Strategy to the policy level discussions is the Commission Staff working document on “A Sustainable Blue Growth Agenda for the Baltic”.

3.1. Options and recommendations

Countries and regions involved should take general strategic leadership at ministerial level. Ministers hosting the National Contact Point should be the ultimate decision makers, and together, constitute a regular decision making formation. They should be responsible for evalu-ating progress, guiding implementation, and seeking breakthroughs when stalemates occur.

Other options to ensure strategic leadership could include:

ʫ a rotating chair for each Strategy for a given period, with an agreed rotation principle(5);

ʫ the nomination of a special representative for a Strategy, approved by the countries concerned.

• Sectoral ministers should drive progress in their thematic areas. In each area of work, leadership at ministerial level should be assumed first and foremost by the country leading the priority area in question.

The macro-regional strategies need a better balance between the leadership provided by the countries and regions involved and the role of the Commission

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• The Commission should continue to offer strategic support. It will facilitate the evaluation of progress, identify shortcomings that need to be addressed at political level, as well sug-gest resolution of implementation stalemates. It should ensure coherence with eu policies and positions, especially the integration of the macro-regional approach into eu policies.

4. Coordination

› A strong and operational macro-regional strategy needs professional management and coordination, both at national and macro-re-gional level. To date, the Commission has been extensively involved in co-ordination activities. However, day-to-day technical support has di-verted resources from its core tasks where it can add most value, such as ensuring coherence with eu objectives, and providing expert eu thematic and policy support(6).

questio iuris




4.1. Recommendations

• National Contact Points should have the lead in coordination and operational leadership. The Commission should continue playing a key role, where there is a clear added value for its involvement. • The High Level Group should be the forum where the approaches and practices in each Re-gion are compared, with a view to maximising leverage and impact.

5. Implementation

› The implementation of the Strategies in-cludes tasks such as facilitating generation and implementation of initiatives and projects, setting of indicators and targets, reinforcing bridges to the relevant funding programmes and participation in programme committees.

5.1. Recommendations • Thematic experts and Steering Groups should be the expert drivers of day-to-day im-plementation. Steering Groups, with members from all involved countries, should be estab-lished for all areas. The Commission should provide equivalent thematic expertise.

• Integration of non eu countries and re-gions participating in the Strategies should be facilitated.

• Cooperation with existing institutions, avoiding duplication or overlapping of activities is a must.

• Transnational cooperation programmes, while retaining current objectives, should also be used effectively to support coordination and implementation of the Strategies.

• The Commission invites other institu-tions, and countries and regions involved, to endorse the proposed recommendations, and work with the Commission to improve the gov-ernance of the Strategies to maximise results and impact, taking into account the different macro-regional contexts.

closer to brussels, no 16 macro-regional strategies

Documents

macroregional strategy

macroregional scale

asupranational region

european union

territorial approach

territorial cohesion

european commission

carpathian strategy