17th Session of the Council of Europe Conference of

Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning

(CEMAT)

“Functional areas – capitalisation of local potential in territorial

development policies over the European continent”

Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds

Bucharest

3 – 4 November 2017

Palace of the Parliament

MAIN POINTS

Presentation structure

The process leading to the draft of the resolutions

- The last CEMAT sessions

- Research of the Functional Areas in the Member States of the Council of Europe

- Preparatory meetings

- Participatory approach for establishing the content of the resolutions

The content of the resolutions

- The importance of the theme for spatial planning

- Definition and diversity of functional areas in CoE Member States

- Priorities in using functional areas as instruments for development

The last CEMAT sessions

The process leading to the draft of the resolutions

Greece, Nafplion, 2014“Territorial democracy”

Russian Federation, Moscow, 2010“Future challenges: Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent in a Changing World”

Portugal, Lisbon, 2006“Networks for sustainable spatial development of the European continent: Bridges over Europe”

Slovenia, Ljubljana, 2003“Implementation of strategies and visions for sustainable spatial development of the European continent”

Germany, Hannover, 2000“Adopting the 10 principles of sustainable European space development ”

Greece, Nafplion, 2014 “Territorial democracy”

The process leading to the draft of the resolutions

7 possible themes for work for future CEMAT sessions

all themes were considered in selecting the topic of functional areas

- democratic participation and good territorial governance in spatial planning

policies, including through e-governance and e-democracy;

- territorial impacts of demography, migration, energy, transport, environment,

landscape etc. policies of Member States and throughout the European continent;

- evaluation and monitoring of territorial processes;

- distribution of and access to general interest services;

- capacity-building in designing and implementing spatial planning policies

through the exchange of know-how and the dissemination of good practice;

- cross-border and transnational dimension of spatial planning policies;

- spatial planning as a tool for improving the resilience of regions.

Research of the Functional Areas in the Member States of the Council of

Europe

- This research aimed at identifying functional areas, corresponding

management instruments, their suitable development and capitalization, as

well as the establishment of a commonly-agreed definition;

- The study covered all 47 member states of the Council of Europe;

- Based on its results and recommendations, two Resolutions (Functional Areas –

Capitalisation of Local Potential in Territorial Development Policies over the European

Continent and The Future of CEMAT) were prepared;

The process leading to the draft of the resolutions

Research of the Functional Areas in the Member States of the Council of Europe

The process leading to the draft of the resolutions

- Within the research, a questionnaire was sent to the 47 CoE Member States- The purpose was to obtain:• an in-depth perspective on

functional areas • a comprehensive image about each

state

- The questionnaire on functional areas consisted of the following parts:

Part I - Definition and Identification of Functional AreasPart II - Development and Capitalization of these areasPart III - Management and Planning, Part IV - Good Practice examples in the target countries.

Preparatory meetings

- International technical conference (30th May 2017) in Bucharest on the subject of functional areas

Participants: Council of Europe, European Commission, ESPON, EUKN and delegates from sixteen European countries.

The process leading to the draft of the resolutions

- Preparatory meeting, 17th October, Bucharest held at the Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds

A first feedback on the draft resolutions was discussed

- Preparatory meeting, 2nd November, Bucharest

The final version of resolutions

Participatory approach for establishing the content of the resolutions

- The draft of the two resolutions was sent to all 47 Member States of the

Council of Europe

- We received feedback from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany,

Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Russian Federation and Slovenia

- The current version of the resolutions was modified according to the

comments expressed by the contributors, in order to reflect a common

understanding throughout CoE Member States.

The process leading to the draft of the resolutions

The importance of the theme for spatial planning

- In the Technical Conference organized in preparation of CEMAT on 30th May 2017 in Bucharest (Romania) there was a common agreement regarding the definition of FAs.

- The concept needs to be operationalized taking into account that:• FAs exceed the administrative boundaries of local/county/regional level• FAs have a specific natural/social potential• FAs are structured through common labor force basin/ territorial pattern/

activities/ public services/ common territorial management and implies a political/technical decision.

- Several categories of functional areas can coexist in the same territory, meeting multiple needs in different fields at the same time. Therefore, the planning process must take into account all the functional relationships in a particular territory.

The content of the resolution on Functional Areas – Capitalisation

of Local Potential in Territorial Development Policies over the

European Continent

Diversity of functional areas in CoE Member States

- the territory of the European continent is characterized by a great diversity, including:• areas that aggregate around urban centers and

concentrate systemic relationships• areas delineated according to geographic specificities or in

relation to economic activities.

The content of the resolutions

- Council of Europe Member States have established a wide range of functional areasaccording to:• different terms• various national strategic documents• diverse territorial scales• in correlation with their functional purpose

Diversity of functional areas in CoE Member States

The main interrelations that help structure functional areas are grouped as follows:

1.Migration / commuting flows2.Cooperation3.Economic relationships4.Capitalization / protection of environmental amenities

The content of the resolutions

Functional areas vs potential functional areas1.Cooperation 2.Fomalised management/governance structures.3. Mobility of people, goods and information.

Priorities in using functional areas as instruments for development

A. Identifying and defining functional areas

B. Identifying and using endogenous potential

C. Providing support for the development of functional areas

D. Ensuring Territorial Governance based on cooperation

The content of the resolutions

• How can functional areas act as an efficient instrument for the creation and

implementation of spatial development policies?

• What is the most suitable framework for sharing knowledge and best

practices related to functional areas?

• Taking into account the great diversity of functional areas across CoE

Member States, can we find common principles to guide the delineation and

development of FAs?

Instead of conclusions,

further questions on the role of functional areas in spatial planning

Thank you for your attention

Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Fundswww.mdrap.ro

“Functional areas – capitalisation of local potential in territorial development policies over the European continent”