Resolution No. 1 on Regional/spatial planning at the European level

The ministers taking part in the seventh session of CEMAT,

1. Considering that, if Europe wishes to keep and strengthen its place in the economic, social and cultural balance of the world, it should achieve closer co-operation and co-ordination of its policies;

2. Having considered the reports submitted by the Luxembourg and Spanish ministers and believing that Europe, as it moves towards integration, needs an overall view of the future organisation of its territory to be defined within a European regional planning policy;

3. Having regard to their discussions on regional/spatial planning in the European context and its future prospects;

4. Stressing the great importance of regional/spatial planning, especially the need for future-orientation within the field and its significance for governmental and administrative authorities at local, regional, national and European levels;

5. Aware of the fact that regional/spatial planning in Europe faces a number of new developments with international implications, such as new technologies and information networks, changing patterns of communication and major environmental problems, and that it can help to solve the problems arising in this connection;

6. Considering the need, in the regional/spatial planning field:

– to continue and intensify the exchange of experience;
– to intensify future-orientated research into new (world-wide) developments;
– with the benefit of that exchange of experience and research, to formulate common guidelines contributing to a European regional/spatial planning strategy;

7. Aware of the need for adequate financial, administrative and technical resources, in order to intensify research and joint policy formulation;

8. Recognising the positive results of work done with the support of the Commission of the European Communities and trusting that such co-operation will be further developed;

9. Considering that the Council of Europe is in principle the most appropriate organisation from the geographical and political point of view to tackle regional planning problems at the European level,

10. Invite the Council of Europe, above all the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly, to give their full support to promoting European co-operation in the field of regional/spatial planning, especially as regards the exchange of experience and the formulation of common guidelines so as to contribute to the preparation of a European regional planning strategy and the implementation of their work programme (see paragraph 12);

11. Request the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to place at the disposal of the secretariat of the CEMAT (and the Steering Committee for Regional Planning, CDAT) the financial, administrative and other means to enable research and policy formulation in the field of regional planning to be continued and intensified as an integral part of the next medium-term plan;

12. Instruct the Committee of Senior Officials accordingly to draw up an appropriate work programme, comprising the study of:

– the implications of new technologies and modern information and communication media for regional/spatial planning policies;
– arrangements for implementing transfrontier spatial planning, integrating sector policies such as environmental protection and infrastructure measures;
– the application of long-range forecasting research in spatial planning in order to identify the main challenges that have to be taken up within the framework of the work programme in view of the necessity to ensure balanced economic and social development.