Resolution No. 3 on The foundations for European co-operation in the field of regional planning

43. Wishing to build common foundations for a European regional planning policy, with a view to ensuring a more balanced use of the European territory and a harmonious development of its various regions, the ministers have agreed here and now to co-operate in the following fields:
a. institution between the participating countries of a standing exchange of information on policy, legislation, experience and current developments in the field of regional planning;
b. co-operation in the field of long-range forecasting and establishment of regular co-operation between public research institutes concerned with regional planning;
c. co-ordination in time and space of plans and measures relating to regional planning in frontier areas;
d. meetings and discussions between officials and research workers in the field of regional planning, in order to harmonise and improve their training and to familiarise them with the policies and techniques in use in other European countries (these meetings and discussions would provide the opportunity for study and research on subjects of special importance such as, for example, the results of various policies for promoting growth centres);
e. harmonisation of terminology, statistics and cartographical methods.

44. The ministers resolve to communicate the present resolution to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, under whose auspices the conference was held, with the request that it shall be taken into account when preparing the Council’s two-yearly work programme, and be referred to the Consultative Assembly and the European Conference of Local Authorities.

45. The ministers resolve to meet again within a reasonable period. They also accept France’s invitation to hold this meeting on its territory.

46. In view of the complexity of the problems involved, they instruct the Committee of Senior Officials to prepare forthwith the implementation of this resolution, giving priority to points (c) and (e) above.

47. They therefore instruct the committee:
i. to draw up a list of regional planning problems to be dealt with at European level;
ii. to specify which of these problems are directly of interest to a conference;
iii. to study with the Council of Europe Committee on Co-operation in Municipal and Regional Matters the specific role of local authorities in regional planning policy;
iv. to propose an agenda and a date for a future conference in order to allow the participating states time to choose and prepare their contribution.

48. They further instruct the Committee of Senior Officials to examine what advantage could be drawn from the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund to assist rural areas.

49. The ministers request the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to place at the disposal of the next conference and of the Committee of Senior Officials all the administrative assistance they may require.

50. The ministers extend their thanks to the international organisations which have assisted them in their work, and they hope that this co-operation may continue. They have taken careful note of what those organisations have had to say. In the interest of better harmonisation of all national and international activities in regional planning, they express the wish that the conference and the Committee of Senior Officials may continue to be kept regularly informed of the work of these organisations which, in various capacities, are concerned with the complex problems of regional planning. For their own part, they request the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to give their proceedings the widest possible publicity.

51. They thank the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for the generous hospitality extended to the conference.