IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE LONDON CONFERENCE ON STRUCTURAL POLICY AND AGENDA 2000, HELD ON 5 FEBRUARY 1998,


THE COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS

Welcomes:

• the proposals contained in Agenda 2000 regarding the structural funds, particularly the European Commission's wish to decentralise the implementation and the management of the structural funds;
  
• the enlargement of the European Union, an element for peace and stability on the continent;
  
• the conclusions of the European Commission's Communication on Urban Policy as regards its emphasis on local level participation in Community policies;
  
• the conclusions of the Cork Declaration on the need to formulate a new rural development policy;
  
• the conclusions and recommendations of the first European Summit on Employment in Luxembourg.

1. That local and regional authorities have a leading role to play in European construction and enlargement in order to build a strong and united Europe close to its citizens, which joins together all public and private partners in the balanced development of its territory.

2. That the Europe which emerges from the implementation of Agenda 2000 should be:

• a Europe capable of responding to current challenges and primarily to the problem of employment while preserving and developing its own social model;
• a Europe which relies upon the active participation of its citizens and embodies the values of solidarity;
• a Europe which reflects the diversity of its territories and which relies on their strengths in all of its policies;
• a Europe whose policies are in keeping with the objective of sustainable development;
• a Europe which respects equal opportunities between women and men in all areas of society and at all decision-making levels;
• a Europe whose enlargement is a moral, political and economic objective for the Union and which constitutes a fundamental step in community construction.

3. That reforms be undertaken, prior to enlargement, in order that agreement be reached on the following points:

• the weighting of votes within the Council;
• an increase in majority voting;
• the extension of joint decision-making procedures; in order to render possible the efficient functioning of an enlarged Europe by strengthening the Union's Institutions.

4. That the Committee of the Regions, whose role has been confirmed and strengthened by the Treaty of Amsterdam, be compulsorily consulted during each phase of defining, planning and evaluating the structural funds.

• effective structural policy may not be implemented without the active participation of local and regional authorities;
• partnership in the management and the implementation of the structural programmes has not functioned optimally in the past;
• structural interventions must be guided by the proper application of the principle of subsidiarity and be carried out with respect for the internal structural organisation of the different member States;
• urban and rural issues must be dealt with in a co-ordinated manner within the structural policies;
• given the specific challenges faced by urban areas, urban policy needs to be a priority at Community level;
• given the importance of small and medium-sized cities, special attention must be given to their development and to their relations with neighbouring rural areas
• the success of enlargement depends upon the development of local democracy in the new member States and the association of the freely elected local and regional authorities of these countries to the membership process in order that it be understood and accepted by all the citizens.

1. Explicit guarantees for the implementation of a partnership between the European Commission, the Member States and local and regional authorities be provided for in the future Structural Fund regulations.

2. This concept of partnership be understood as involving, through local and regional authorities organised as a viable partnership, all the actors participating in local and regional development: the public and private sector, associative sector, social partners, universities and research centres and representative organisations of local and regional authorities.

3. A new form of partnership be created with the representative organisations of local and regional authorities to ensure:

• increased recognition by the Commission of the genuine impact of structural actions locally and regionally;
• the dissemination of best practice and innovative projects throughout the Community's territory as well as to the local and regional authorities in the future member countries.

4. Learning mechanisms be developed in order that innovative actions and the exchange of experience between European local and regional authorities, supported by the structural funds, enable them to rapidly respond to changes and to the emergence of an information society.

5. A specific juridical instrument, applicable to all the Directorates General of the European Commission be established for all forms of interregional co-operation so that it may fully contribute to cohesion and integration throughout Europe.

1. The impact of a balanced and harmonious development of urban areas in Europe is vital at the economic as well as the social level. Urban questions are of fundamental importance and should be treated as such by the European Commission. Specific programmes such as "URBAN" should be developed in order to allow all urban areas, whether in zones eligible for Structural Funds or not to deal with their specific situations (regeneration, security, housing, employment, poverty...). Actions carried out by the Union in this area must be conceived and applied in partnership with European local and regional authorities. Furthermore, their representative organisation, CEMR, must be associated with the preparation and the organisation of the next Urban Forum.

2. The questions of maintaining or setting up activities in small and medium-sized towns be included in the strategy on urban questions at Community level: the vitality of these areas depends as much upon maintaining "urban" type activities as agricultural ones.

3. The interdependence between the rural and urban environment be recognised at Community level, and that the co-ordination of European structural and rural development policies (alongside the Common Agricultural Policy) be ensured with the partners in these areas.

4. The concept of a "flexible eligible area", where the viable partnership functions and rural and urban policies are coordinated, be recognised by the Commission as an instrument for the implementation of structural policy.

5. Current indicators become comprehensive in order to assess the impact of Community policies on "functional integrated areas" so as to take into account all criterion for the development and/or the decline of these areas (unemployment rate, migration rate, establishment of businesses, poverty, active/inactive ratios, competitiveness, availability and quality of public services, etc.).

6. In line with this assessment, a certain flexibility be applied in the allocation of the structural funds: within a given planning period, situations may arise whereby new areas facing difficulty require support, while those of other areas may improve and require less assistance. A part of the funds should be reserved for these adjustment measures.

7. Exchanges and co-operative links between local and regional authorities benefiting from community support and those involved in the Territorial Pacts for employment must be encouraged for a better co-ordination and a maximal impact from these measures.

8. Access to new information technologies as a factor in integrating territories be facilitated through community aid, particularly for small and medium-sized cities and areas which are sparsely populated.

1. The need to strengthen the structures of local democracy in the future member countries be integrated within the pre-accession process as defined by the Commission and the Council.

2. The Commission's interregional co-operation policies integrate, starting today, an element allowing local and regional authorities from the future member States to receive the information and training necessary to actively participate in the process.

3. Pre-accession policies promote equal opportunities between women and men in all areas and all decision-making levels of society.

4. Pre-accession policies respect the principles of sustainable development.

5. Especially close attention be given to socio-economic changes which the border regions of the existing and future member states will have to integrate. These zones should benefit from increased support through European cross-border and inter-regional co-operation policies in order to achieve the adjustments (differences in levels of development, salaries, migration...) necessary in these regions.

6. The national representative associations of local and regional authorities from the applicant countries, most of which already participate in CEMR activities and are thus kept informed about the community dossiers and the work of the Committee of the Regions, be systematically associated with this work by being granted the status of observer.

7. The States taking part in the pre-accession phase be invited by the European Union to provide their local and regional authorities with all information relative to pre-accession negotiations. Furthermore, these local and regional authorities should be associated by the future member states in the negotiations on issues relevant to them.

8. The development of the information society is a powerful factor in Community integration, particularly for the new member countries. The European Commission should promote the access of local and regional authorities from the future member countries to the information society in order to reduce geographical imbalances and to compensate for the unequal access of the territories to communication means.

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS INVITES THE EUROPEAN UNION to take into account its recommendations when drawing up the new regulations of the structural funds and in their implementation.