8 juillet 2008

Point of view

The future of cohesion policy in Czech Republic by Oldrich Vlasak

On May 16, 2008, a seminar entitled “The Future of Cohesion Policy - Shaping of National Position in the field of the European Cohesion Policy beyond 2013”took place under the auspices of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The event was organised by Oldrich Vlasak, Member of the European Parliament active also in the Urban-Logement Intergoup - in collaboration with CEVRO - Liberal Conservative Academy. The seminar was attended among others by Members of the European Parliament, representatives of involved ministries of the Czech Republic (Ministry for Regional Development and Ministry of Finance), representatives of local and regional self-administration, representatives of the business and academic circles and representatives of NGOs. The key views expressed by participants could be summarised as follows :

The debate on the future of cohesion policy must be conducted on the basis of partnership and in a dialogue between the state and the regions, municipalities, businesses as well as academic and civil society.

Implementation of the cohesion policy on the all-European level has its irreplaceable role and added value, it should, however, respect the subsidiarity principle and avoid solving or subsidizing problems that can be tackled very well on the national level.

The Czech Republic should not aim at renationalisation of the cohesion policy ; the cohesion policy should primarily focus on the poorest regions.

The Czech Republic should opt for promotion of competitiveness, research and development and for boosting of innovation and, in this way, achieve convergence with other members of the Union. At the same time, one must bear in mind the need for solidarity inside a society and promote investments in health, long-term care and protection of the environment.

Implementation of the new Union objective of territorial cohesion should consist in strengthening of interregional cooperation and should accentuate cohesion inside regions, between cities and countryside.

The future cohesion policy should, in the context of territorial cohesion, underline urban issues ; cities must gain the opportunity to implement integrated plans and allocate European funds on their territory.

One of the key challenges will be to attain simplification of implementation rules of the cohesion policy. and overall reduction of excessive bureaucracy associated with administration of European funds.

8 juillet 2008

Declaration of the new Vice-president of the Urban-Logement Intergroup

   

Byliana Raeva, Bulgarian Member of the European Parliament, substitutes Alfonso Andria within the Bureau of the Urban-Logement Intergroup, after his election to the Italian Senate.

She explains her vision of the city nowadays.

“For more than a decade we describe Europe as "Europe of the regions". I hope that it will take less than a decade to fully appreciate the quality of life in a Europe of cities. 

 As in the Medieval Ages, cities become increasingly important centres of economic, cultural and social life. With the intelligent technologies of modern democracies and a vibrant culture we can succeed where our ancestors have failed but also go far beyond. We can develop the enormous cultural potential of our cities and thus contribute to the European culture as a whole, as well as make use of the technological advances today in order to build tomorrow’s sustainable cities. 

Working on urban and lodging questions contributes to create a good architectural, economic and cultural framework of life and as European representative I am deeply committed to the promotion of the well-being of the European citizens”.

8 juillet 2008

Creative Cities - Tops or Flops for Local Development ?

Conference 17 April, Brussels

 

On behalf of the green group Gisela Kallenbach organised a conference on creative cities 17 April in the European Parliament in Brussels. Amongst others the cities of Amsterdam, Bologna and Lille presented examples of different strategies for creative urban development. Concluding Gisela Kallenbach indicated that there are numerous challenges for future urban development as demographic change, migration or global warming. She underlined, that strategies for creative urban development must pay attention to the variety, the heterogeneity and the split-up character of creative branches as well as counter further consolidation of precarious working and living conditions.

8 juillet 2008

Managing a Sustainable Future for Cities and Regions

12-13 February 2008, Berlin, Germany

The project Managing Urban Europe-25 has been running for three years in developing a model for local and regional sustainability applicable to cities and regions in EU27+. The MUE25 model is a tool for cities and regions to fulfil EU policies such as Lisbon Agenda, EU Sustainable Development Strategy, as well as Leipzig Charter on European Sustainable Cities. Purpose of the conference was to discuss challenges and benefits for cities and regions concerning the MUE-25 model. Gisela Kallenbach, Vice President of the Urban-Logement Intergroup, emphasised in her input statement the importance of integrated management for sustainability in cities and regions in particular the so-called integrated approach.

8 juillet 2008

Meeting of the Urban-Logement Intergroup in Katowice

Poland, 25th and 26th of April 2008

Mr. Olbrycht organised in Katowice a conference "City 2008 - cities in EU’s cohesion policy". The main aim of the conference was to discuss the development of the urban policy in Poland ; the first panel focused on Poland’s experiences with the implementation of the cohesion policy in the years 2004-2006, the urban dimension of this policy was discussed during the second panel. The conference’s participants were representatives of local and regional governments in Poland ; Polish ministers, representatives of the European Commission as well as members of the Urban-Logement Intergroup’s Bureau also participated in it. After the conference the members of the Bureau had as well the chance to see some of the results of the implementation of the cohesion policy in the Silesia region.

24 avril 2008

The focus of the month : Housing and ageing

16th of April, Brussels

Demographic change is a reality in Europe. In 2050, the population aged between 65 and 80 years will have increased by 44%. The recent report Castex and the joint amendments tabled by members of the Inter-Urban Housing underscore the challenges posed by this demographic issue. Economic challenges, but also human challenges . Faced with the risk of isolation, even ghettoization of the elderly, housing has answers to give.

The conference held on April 16 by the IUL in collaboration with the Cecodhas objective was to identify innovative practices of the operators of social housing in Europe. It is around more than one hundred participants that the home adaptations to the ageing population were presented. For example, the association Delphis was able to present its "Label" Habitat Senior Services (HSS) which aims to develop housing and services, offering concrete solutions like raising the electrical outlets or the establishment of showers instead of baths. These initiatives help to be able to maintain the ageing people at home, in areas where there is generational mix.

Intergroup’s members’ news

The Intergroup congratulates Alfonso Andria on his election to the Italian Senate and thanks him for his involvement in the activities of the Intergroup as vice-chairman. The written declaration 111 co-signed by Jean Marie Beaupuy to put an end to street homelessness obtained the number of signatures required. 61 members of the Intergroup are signatories of this declaration. Homelessness is a common problem in the European Union and this declaration will give the necessary political impulsion at the EU level to address the problem of homeless street which represents a sad and unacceptable reality. Jan Olbrycht went to Madrid for a conference organized by one of our partners QeC-Eran, on the urban dimension in cohesion policy. Members the Intergroup bureau met with the new Head of Unit of DG Regio in charge of urban issues, Mr. Wladislaw Piskorz. They were able to talk on the relationship between social cohesion and territorial cohesion. Indeed, Wladislaw Piskorz believes it is "necessary to make the connection between social cohesion (people have equal opportunities) and territorial cohesion (territories have the same chance).“