Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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European Integration: Past, Present and Future

Innovative Spatial Planning Instruments and their Contribution to European Integration

A Case Study of a Border Region in Northern Bavaria

Michael SeidelWaterloo, Ontario, May 1, 2010

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• The fall of the iron curtain and the need for rapid change of border regions (1989),

• The Single European Market (1993),

• The opening of the European Union for countries of central and eastern Europe (2004),

• Serious challenges caused by structural change, mainly internationalization and globalization,

• Rising regional disparities,

• Budget constraints called for an effective use of increasingly scarce resources in all member states.

Need for new spatial planning instruments

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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New national planning instruments and their interfaces

Product Target group(s) Focus

Regional marketing region (cross section) all stakeholders branding (image, attractiveness)

Business location marketing

economic region investors attracting investment

Regional management region (cross section) regional stakeholders managing projects

Euroregions as cross-border cooperations• Permanent structures intended to promote integration on both sides

of the border

• Supported by European Parliament since more than 30 years

• In the focus of the new objective 3 (former INTERREG community initiative)

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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Border regions in the focus of the European Union

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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Towards a multi-level architecture of spatial planning

Traditional paradigm

Governmental plans and laws

New paradigm

Regional management and marketing

formal experimental

theoretical practical

bureaucracy management

regulated improvised

reproduction innovation

administrative entrepreneurial

methodical trial and error

top-down bottom-up

• Central planning unable to prevent regional disparities

• Towards a multi-level architecture of spatial planning

• From top-down to bottom-up philosophy

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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New instruments included in EU support

Priority axis EU-Contribution

National PublicContribution

Total Public Contribution

Economic Development, Human Resources and Networks

72 222 559 12 745 158 84 967 717

Space and Environment Development 43 287 890 7 639 040 50 926 930Total 115 510 449 20 384 198 135 894 647

Figure 1: Breakdown of finances by priority axis

Operational Czech Republic Cross border programme (INTERREG IV)

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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Case study High Franconia: a region in a blind spot

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• Bad image („bavarian Siberia“, „poorhouse of Bavaria“, border region, „no-man‘s –land“), no branding

• „Regional mind-set“: passive and defensive

• Lack of cooperation between firms, counties and towns

• Monostructure: „old fashioned“ industry-portfolio

• Highest unemployment-rate in Bavaria

• Brain drain: loss of young, qualified people

• Demographic situation: loss of population

Status quo after the fall of the iron curtain

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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Implications of the division: loss of population

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

93.0%

98.0%

103.0%

108.0%

113.0%

population of Bavaria, Upper Franconia and High Franconia 1988 = 100 %

Bayern Oberfranken

Oberfranken ohne Hochfranken Hochfranken

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• Defining a regional platform: the city of Hof together with the counties of Hof and Wunsiedel

• Choosing a functional region, not an administrative one

• Re-designing a region: High Franconia instead of „North-East-Upper-Franconia“

• SWOT-analysis

• Branding strategy, financial support by EU-EFRE-funds

Implementing regional marketing and management

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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Comparative cost advantages

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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Business location marketing – promoting core competencies and clusters

1. Logistics – gateway to middle and eastern Europe

2. IT, call center and back office

3. Automotive industry

4. Fostering regional entrepreneurship

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• From 2007 – 2013 support by INTERREG IV: € 4 million

• Successful projects:

• Education:language courses, pupils exchange programme,

• Thematic events: cross-border garden show,

• Project „Good neighbourhood“: information campaigns, intercultural workshops

• Effects:

• Success in seeking, establishing and stabilizing contacts

• Cultural awareness on both sides of the border

• Committment above average to achieve commonly established goals

EUREGIO EGRENSIS: German-Czech cross-border platform

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• Developing the east-western business competence center

• One-stop-competence for business in Central Europe

• Reinforces the attractiveness of the Bavarian-Czech border zone

• Increased economical cross-border cooperation

East-Western business competence center

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• European and political added value

• Institutional added value

• Socio-economic added value:

• Synergies, e.g. in research and development

• Economies of scale via new markets

• Exchange of best practices and experiences

• Cross-border spin-offs

• Socio-cultural added value

Conclusions I: Added value of innovative instruments for European Integration

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• Bottom-up-based new instruments can help rural regions to keep pace with the metropolitan areas

• The innovative, bottom-up-based approach contributes to making regions more intelligent and flexible

• New instruments recommended for implementation all over the state by Bavarian Government

• Multi-level-architecture gives regions and municipalities more bargainig power vis-à-vis the central state

Conclusions II

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• Using EU- or government grants is only a starting point and not sufficient for success

• Need of professional and consistent strategy and marketing-mix

• Functional regions fit better than administrative ones

• Need of commitment: regional politicians must be or become team-players

• Need of patience: changing regional mind sets may take more time than changing infrastructure and economy

Conclusions III: requirements for successful implementation

Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel

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• Regional initiatives under public or private law?

• Inflationary founding of new instruments in a region may cause:

• Overlap

• Double expenditures

• Over-complexity

• Fragmentation

• Problems of integration

• Desire for evaluation: If you can‘t measure it, you can‘t manage it“.

Conclusions IV: unsolved questions