Opinion of the Assembly on Resolutions 23 and 38 (1962) of the European regional planning

Recommendation 368 (1963)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 10th May 1963 (8th Sitting) (see Doc. 1596, report of the Committee on Local Authorities). Text adopted by the Assembly on 10th May 1963 (8th Sitting).

The Assembly,

Having regard to Resolution 23 (1962) of the European Conference of Local Authorities on financial measures to promote local and regional economic and industrial expansion, and Resolution 38 (1962) of the Conference on European regional planning ;

Having regard to Article 1 (b), paragraph 2, of the Charter of the European Conference of Local Authorities ;

Having examined the opinion of the Economic Committee ;

Recalling its Recommendation 201 (1959) on the subject of underdeveloped areas in Europe and its Resolution 210 (1961) on European regional policy and local authorities ;

Welcoming the interest which the Conference has shown in problems of regional planning and in the financing of local economic and industrial expansion and noting the absolute identity of views of the Conference and the Assembly in this field,

A

Recommends that the Committee of Ministers should inform the Governments and, through them, the appropriate institutions, of the following principles, which have been approved by the Consultative Assembly and the Conference and so by the representatives of national parliaments and of the local authorities of member countries :

1 The harmonious geographical development of the activities involved in the endeavour to achieve optimum economic conditions is impossible in the absence of a regional planning policy ;

2 Such regional planning policy presupposes a study of the problems and an approach to their solution at European and regional levels, national interests having no a priori precedence over European or regional interests ;

3 A regional planning policy is inconceivable without organisation of the region - the geographical, economic and human framework within which the movement of man-power required by the planning policy can be carried out without "uprooting" ;

4 A democratic policy of regional planning presupposes, at every level, both in its conception and in its execution, a close association of the population concerned, and consequently of their most direct representatives, the regional and local authorities ;

5 A sound regional planning and development policy implies that local authorities should have utmost powers of initiative, be kept fully informed and be provided with the necessary financial resources ; in the pursuance of such policy the State and the intergovernmental and supranational institutions will have the essential task of coordinating its development and correcting distortions ;

B

Expresses its keen appreciation of the studies carried out by the Joint Committee on European Regional Planning, which are of a great value not only for the regional and local authorities of member countries, but also for the regional planning policy being embarked on in Europe today ;

Sees in these studies the outline of a large and important field of activities for European institutions ;

Is gratified by the fact that the Council of Europe took the initiative in this development ;

Requests the Committee of Ministers to consider whether it would be of advantage for the Joint Committee on European Regional Planning, composed so far of members of local authorities and Members of Parliament, to have the benefit of the participation of governmental experts, who might be appointed by the Social Committee ;

Considers that this measure would make it possible to co-ordinate satisfactorily, and for the benefit both of the bodies concerned and of the Council of Europe as a whole, the studies recently undertaken by the Social Committee and those being carried out by the Joint Committee on European Regional Planning ;

Considers that by virtue of the numerous correspondents it possesses in nearly all regions of member countries - thanks to the European Conference of Local Authorities and its members, and to the local and regional authorities themselves which those members represent - the Joint Committee on European Regional Planning is able to keep itself informed of local circumstances and experience, so that it can exercise the watching brief which the local authorities of Europe wish it to exercise, on their behalf, over the European institutions concerned ;

Agrees, however, with the Conference that the Committee can succeed only if adequate administrative assistance is available to enable it to collect and analyse the information it is in a position to receive ;

Considers that a regional documentation and study centre created either as proposed in Recommendation 201 (1959), with the participation of the other European institutions, or in view of the abstention of the latter, by the Committee of Ministers within the framework of the Council of Europe alone - would serve the needs of the Joint Committee on European Regional Planning and be of effective assistance to the European Conference of Local Authorities in its regional studies.