Context

International Seminar organised by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria within the framework of the activities of the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning of the member States of the Council of Europe - CEMAT-CoE

Spatial planning for the sustainable development
of PARTICULAR types of European areas:
coastal zones, rural zones, flood-plains and water meadows

The International CEMAT Seminar is jointly organised by the Council of Europe - Regional Planning, and Technical Co-operation and Assistance Division, Secretariat of the European Landscape Convention - and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria. The Seminar will be held at Hotel Princess, 131, bul Knjaginja Marija Luisa, Sofia (Bulgaria) on 23 and 24 October 2002.

Introduction

At the 12^th Session of the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (Hanover, September 2000), the Ministers responsible for regional planning and regional development in the Council of Europe member States adopted the "Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent" (GPSSDEC-CEMAT) and a ten-point programme for greater cohesion among the regions of Europe. The Guiding Principles must serve to underpin our continent's sustainable development and are intended for the political bodies and social institutions which, through their daily activities, prepare our future. They have been taken into the Recommendation Rec (2002) 1 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to the member States.

They represent a unique strategy for the cohesive and balanced development of the continent and provide managerial guidelines for strengthening the process of European integration by means of transfrontier, inter-regional and transnational co-operation.

The Ministers recommended that the Council of Europe member States make use of the Guiding Principles, which concern national regional planning and regional development measures. They must apply the Guiding Principles appropriately in national and international regional planning projects.

It is in this context that we must consider the aim of the international Seminar on the regional planning and development problems of mountains, coastal and rural zones, flood plains and water meadows.

Moreover, the Seminar is organised with the support of the Integrated Project of the Council of Europe "Making democratic institutions work" in view to allow a more advanced discussion on the issue of the participation of civil society in the definition and the implementation of policies of sustainable development in particular zones, and an integrated approach concerning these policies.

Particular areas

Mountains, coastal and rural zones, flood-plains and water meadows are areas of the European continent that are particularly exposed to specific problems relating to sustainable development and transfrontier, inter-regional and transnational co-operation.

As the Guiding Principles indicate, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe consider that mountain regions have a very important role to play in social cohesion strategy.

Mountain regions provide Europe with exclusive potential and have ecological, economic, social, cultural and agricultural functions.

Special account must be taken in regional planning of the need to protect and develop mountain regions. It is necessary to pursue an integrated economic and social development policy in such regions to protect and manage their resources but also to preserve local traditions and culture. A proper balance must be struck between their socio-economic development and nature conservation.

An integrated policy must take account of the fact that certain mountain regions are frontier regions and that it is necessary to apply related policies to both sides of the frontier. More specifically, regional planning - one of the main tasks of which is to facilitate transfrontier co-operation in frontier mountain regions - entails devising joint structural policies and common plans for the homogeneous development of the territory on either side of the frontier.

Europe's coastal zones are home to economic and commercial activities, including industry and power generation, and are particularly attractive for tourist development. At the same time, they have a wealth of natural and cultural assets. Since all these functions are concentrated along a narrow coastal strip in which there may be many conflicts of interest, an integrated spatial planning policy for coastal areas is a pre-requisite for the sustainable development of the coastline, but also the hinterland. Integrated management of coastal zones must be designed in such a way as to take account of the interaction of economic and social activities in the area, with due regard for and in co-ordination with environment policies and, in particular, natural and cultural heritage policy. Transfrontier and transnational co-operation between maritime areas is also very important.

In some countries, coastal areas border on mountain regions, and this makes them highly appreciated and advantageous when it comes to development, in terms of both policy and practice. This proximity of these European coastal and mountain regions necessitates joint examination of their situation and joint planning with a view to their sustainable, cohesive development.

Rural zones are defined by their basic function, which is agriculture, and such complementary functions as forestry, craft trades and rural tourism. Integrated management of rural areas includes the development of efficient agriculture and an active role for farms and forestry and mining undertakings, the enhancement of the natural and cultural heritage, the provision of adequate infrastructure and new services and the development of rural tourism. It is necessary to improve the living conditions of the inhabitants of rural zones and make these areas accessible. Conditions for the production and marketing of high-quality products from farming, forestry and the craft trades must be improved. It is necessary to promote the use of land by farms and forestry undertakings in such a way as to help to preserve biological diversity and traditional landscapes, promote small and medium-sized towns and villages, which are important as service providers and for providing sites for small and medium-sized businesses, and promote job opportunities by means of new information and communication technology.

Flood basins and water meadows are a particular spatial planning challenge. They include waterways and wetlands with rich, fragile ecosystems and quality landscapes. Integrated management of flood-plains and water meadows must take account of intensive human activity, factories, human settlements, transport infrastructure, traffic flow, hydro-electric power stations, measures to combat erosion, and so on. Account must be taken of the need to protect ecosystems, ensure sustainable, integrated management of the water system throughout the catchment basin, prevent flooding and water pollution through co-operation between countries when flood-plains are transfrontier and transnational, limit the expansion of urban areas in ecologically important zones and those threatened by flooding, and so on.

In the course of the Seminar, approaches, strategies, models, projects and ideas should be put forward for the planning, management and sustainable development of all these different types of areas in Europe.

In view of the features referred to above and the importance of mountain regions, coastal and rural zones, flood-plains and water meadows in Europe, the Seminar will highlight the following issues: the opportunities for the sustainable development of coastal and rural zones, flood-plains, water meadows and mountains, and the opportunities for transfrontier co-operation in connection with their planning and development.

Aims

The Seminar will examine the following items:

• Spatial planning and sustainable development:
  
  
• the orientations: why some particular zones need attention, a specific approach and what their needs are, taking into account natural, cultural, landscape, social and economic factors (the GPSSDEC-CEMAT mentioned the "Spatial development measures for different types of European regions");
• how to promote sustainable development and ensure the quality of life;
• what are the best practices.
  
  
• Instruments of implementation:
  
  
  • specific and innovative instruments (instruments of planning and protection, legal and financial);
  • participation of the population;
  • possibility of co-operation.

The Seminar will end with the elaboration of general conclusions and recommendations, which will contribute to the implementation of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent. The themes and the discussions suggested will therefore contribute to the preparation of CEMAT's 13^th Session, for which the theme is "Implementation of strategies and visions for sustainable spatial development of the European continent".

Participants

The Seminar is intended for government officials, representatives of local and regional authorities of transfrontier regions, public organisations and NGOs active in the field of spatial planning, sustainable development and protection of the environment.The number of participants is limited to 120. There are no registration fees for the participants. The working languages for the Seminar are English, French and Bulgarian.

International Seminar in Sofia on spatial planning for sustainable development*

The Council of Europe and the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria have organised on 23 and 23 October in Sofia a CEMAT international seminar on "Spatial planning for sustainable development of particular types of European areas: mountains, coastal zones, rural zones, flood-plains and alluvial valleys". This seminar is included in the work programme of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the European Confer­ence of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT) leading to the implementation of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Development of the European Continent (GPSSDEC-CEMAT) and to prepare the thirteenth session of the CEMAT to be held in Ljubljana (Slovenia) on 11 and 12 September 2003.

The conclusions of the seminar have brought to light the importance of holistic observation of problems, as well as a shift of attitudes in order to strengthen the interdisciplinary methods and set up a multidisciplinary system for evaluation of spatial phenomena. The economic policies require social and environmental assessment, and environmental protection needs economic and social assessment, inasmuch as social measures need economic and environmental assessment. All these assessments should be integrated in spatial planning methods and procedures as regulated by respective legislation and consumed in territorial impact assessment of spatial phenomena, that is of facts, problems and measures to manage them.

A specific (economic, environmental, social and spatial) cost-benefit analysis should thus be the basis for evaluation of any model, policy or measure with spatial development consequences, regardless of the scale of the territory it would be applied to. Not only should they be assessed, but so also should be their collateral influence. Last but not least: such an approach would contribute to the enhancement of a holistic approach, which is still missing in spatial planning and spatial development.

* Article published in naturopa No. 98/2002, page 37

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