Resolution No. 5 on Cartography, statistics, terminology and regional planning

I. The ministers,

1. Recalling that at their 1st Conference (Bonn, 1970) they decided to put into effect a programme of co-operation in the field of regional planning cartography, statistics and terminology and to give it priority (Final Resolution, paragraphs 43-46);

2. Having, at their 2nd Conference, considered the report entitled “European co-operation in the field of regional planning cartography, statistics and terminology” and the series of background papers prepared by the Committee of Senior Officials;

3. Again stressing the importance they attach to the use of thematic cartography (automated as far as possible) as a means of expressing and illustrating a European regional planning policy;

4. Considering that appropriate administrative, technical and scientific machinery should be set up to enable work on cartography, regional statistics and terminology to go forward;

5. Considering that the creation of a specialised institute could, in the long term, offer the best solution;

6. Instruct the Committee of Senior Officials

i. to see to the execution of the following programme:
a. to continue its work and to prepare an initial series of European thematic maps;
b. to make a more detailed study of the application of computer techniques to regional planning cartography;
c. to analyse the role played by cartography, statistics and terminology in the preparation of national physical planning strategies and thereby to attempt a synthesis which could help identify regional planning problems occurring at European level;
d. to institute a framework for close co-operation between cartographers (in their capacity as users) and statisticians (in their capacity as producers of data), particularly in association with the specialised international organisations;
e. to organise European co-operation in the management of statistical data (data banks) through an exchange of software and the organisation of a European network for the assembly of statistical data, suited to the requirements of automated cartography;
f. to continue work on the harmonisation of regional planning terminology in connection with the preparation of European thematic maps;
g. to organise a series of European seminars comprising a short-term, medium-term and long-term programme, for the benefit of cartographers and national officials responsible for regional planning; the first seminar of this series due to be held at the Institute of Cartography in Enschede, Netherlands, in 1975;
h. to study the possibility of creating an institute specialising in European cartography, subject to having established beforehand that its objectives cannot be achieved by cartography institutes already in existence in member countries;

ii. to entrust this work to a committee of experts answerable to the Committee of Senior Officials and through that committee to the Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning.