Pan 8 - ENec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/panorama/pdf/mag8_… · 8 Burgenland, a gateway to eastern Europe 10 The new European Union Solidarity Fund 12 Andalusia against

Solidarityand cohesion

InterviewFrank Gaskell,President ofEuromontana

CooperationNorth West Europe

In focusThe new EuropeanUnion SolidarityFund

Discovering acandidate countrySlovenia

Discovering aregionBurgenland

In actionAndalusia againstthe ‘digital divide’

en

inforegiopanorama

8 December 2002

2 inforegio panorama • No 8

How would you define Euromontana’srole in a few words? Is your actionessentially technical or rather‘political’?

Euromontana is a Europeanassociation for cooperation betweenmountain regions. Our constitutionstates that our purpose is to promotethe economic, social, cultural andenvironmental interests of mountaindwellers and I think that this is anaccurate summary of our activity. Ournetwork embraces regional andnational organisations of mountainpeople from greater Europe, including:socio-professional organisations —agricultural and rural developmentcentres, economic development andenvironmental agencies, territorial

authorities, and research institutes.This multisectoral quality makesEuromontana particularly dynamicand flexible in responding to mountainchallenges and influences andreinforces our mission to promoteintegrated and sustainabledevelopment.

Although our unofficial motto mightbe ‘actions not words’ and we prideourselves on our technical andoperational capacity, we also takeevery opportunity to describe thefragility of mountain communities andto promote their invaluable economicand social potential. This of coursemeans that we do act politically. Thetechnical role is important because itreinforces the political role andprovides more immediate impact.

What is the main message that you putforward? How is it perceived in theMember States and at European level?

Our main message is very simple:Europe’s mountain areas are amongthe last reservoirs of diversity, notonly biodiversity but diversity ofculture, craft and local products. Inthis age of globalisation andstandardisation, mountaincommunities represent a precious but

fragile economic and social asset forEurope. It is therefore not just morallywrong to neglect mountain areas butalso economically irresponsible.

There are indications that thisargument is affecting both the MemberStates’ perception of mountain issuesand the European institutions’strategy. Along with islands andsparsely populated areas, mountainswere identified in the secondEuropean cohesion report as a regionalpolicy priority for the Union. Thissuccess is gratifying but we must stillreinforce our message constantlyduring this critical period leading upto enlargement and the associated 2006reforms of the EU regional andagricultural policies.

What are the specificities of Europeanmountainous regions?

While we have to acknowledge thatthere is a significant variation in theprosperity of mountain regions, allsuffer permanent commondisadvantages, imposed by thephysical impact of mountain features,such as fragmentation of communities,difficulties of access andcommunication, adverse agriculturalconditions. These often combine with

infor

Interview

Interreg III B‘North-west Europe’

4Events

6Editor: Thierry Daman, European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional Policy.

The contents of this magazine can be found in all 11 EU languages on our inforegio web site athttp://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/index_en.htm Hard copies on recycled paper are availablein five languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish). The texts in this publication are notlegally binding.

Journalism: Sophia Desillas, Elisabeth Helming, Jean-Luc Janot, Jean Lemaître, Eamon O’Hara / AEIDL.Photo credits (pages): Euromontana (1), Michel Maigre (7), TZE Eisenstadt GmbH (11), Nationalpark

Donau-Auen (12), Guadalinfo (14)Cover: CEDER Serranía de Ronda

Contents

GaskellPresident of Euromontana

Frank

regioSlovenia:Success story — Interviewwith Dr Tea Petrin,Slovenian Minister of theEconomy

8Burgenland, agateway to easternEurope

10The new EuropeanUnion SolidarityFund

12Andalusia against the‘digital divide’

14

other structural problems, such as lackof access to higher education anddepopulation. But we must alsorecognise the many special qualities ofmountain areas: rich environmentalresources, unique local products, and,most of all, resilient and resourcefulcommunities.

How important is the Europeandimension for the development ofmountain areas?

It would be unfair to Member States tosuggest that the European dimensionis paramount, but it is true that inmost European countries themountain perspective is a minorityissue. Combining and coordinatingthese separate mountain interests atEuropean level is therefore invaluablein ensuring true territorial cohesion.The existence of a clear Europeanmountain strategy can only assist inconcentrating Member States’attention on problems that mightotherwise be overlooked.

Are there ‘exemplary’ policies formountain areas at national level?Would they be transferable atEuropean level?

It is difficult to envisage the successfulapplication throughout Europe ofspecific policies developed by, andsuited to, one Member State. HoweverEuromontana feels that more generalapproaches developed locally canusefully be transferred. Theseexchanges are of the most significantvalue when they are focused onstrategic fields and on what weconsider to be the ‘comparativeadvantages’ of mountain areas.

For example the way quality productshave been successfully developed in

some mountain regions can providevaluable strategic information forother mountain areas. AsCommissioner Fischler’s mid-termreview of the CAP has clearlyacknowledged, quality foodproduction is an opportunity thatmust not be missed and it is our viewthat this opportunity is most clearlyavailable to mountain areas.

The need to investigate transferableexperiences in this field for mountainareas is only reinforced by this recentproposal. Euromontana is seeking tocatalyse exchanges at the Europeanlevel in several strategic fields and isabout to start a large project aimed atfulfilling the need for information forthe development of quality products inthe different mountain regions ofEurope.

How does Euromontana foresee thefuture of European regional policy?

We are optimistic. We are convincedthat Europe will recognise the strengthof our argument. Not only equity, butalso economic advantage dictates that atruly regional economic developmentpolicy respecting territorial — as wellsocial and economic — cohesion mustemerge from the 2006 reform. Theaccumulating evidence of a Europe-wide trend towards severe polarisationof economic activity will alsoconcentrate the attention of Europe’spolicy makers. The European Union’smountain communities with theirirreplaceable culture, skills andproducts, greatly enriched by theincoming mountain areas from easternEurope, will not be allowed to vanishand the whole of Europe will profitfrom the salvation of our mountains’future.

A voice for Europe’s mountains

In 1974, the Confederation of EuropeanAgriculture (CEA) set up a permanentworking group for ‘socioeconomicissues in mountain regions’. Called‘Euromontana’, the group comprisedagricultural representatives from thecountries of the Alps and Pyrenees andorganised a conference every twoyears.

In 1994, Euromontana decided toestablish new relations with the centraland east European countries and toinclude representatives of sectors otherthan agriculture, such as ruraldevelopment and the environment.

In 1995, Poland hosted in Cracow thefirst Euromontana conference everorganised in a central Europeancountry. The meeting was so successfulthat Euromontana decided to become alegal entity. The representatives of 14European regions or countries (Albania,Bulgaria, Scotland, Spanish BasqueCountry, France, Greece, Italy,Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia,Slovenia, Switzerland, Czech Republic)convening in Rome on 4 March 1996declared themselves the foundingmembers of the association.

Euromontana today represents 36organisations of all kinds in 15European countries (Portugal and otherregions have joined the foundingmembers).

Contact:Euromontana Rue Philippe le Bon 46,B-1000 BrusselsTel. (32-2) 280 42 83Fax (32-2) 280 42 85

E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.euromontana.org/default.htm

panorama•No 8inforegio 3


The NWE area of cooperation stretchesfrom Scotland to Switzerland and has apopulation of some 171 million people,accounting for nearly half of thepopulation of the European Union. Ofthe 13 Interreg III B transnationalprogrammes, this one has by far thelargest budget and is providing aunique opportunity to the towns andregions concerned to broaden theirhorizons and take advantage of theextremely enriching experience oftransnational cooperation.

Despite the economic prosperity north-west Europe has long enjoyed, manytowns and rural areas are still sufferingfrom the harmful, and sometimesdevastating, effects of industrial declineand also from the excessiveconcentration of certain activities in thelarge cities. Inequalities betweenregions, saturation of the maincommunication routes, deterioration ofnatural areas, ailing cityneighbourhoods and destructiveflooding are all problems that everydayundermine this regional entity, a drivingforce behind the building of Europe.

In the face of such realities, the NWEprogramme intends to take advantageof a certain number of assets in thecooperation area — excellent roads,railways and airports; a highly skilledlabour force, etc. — but at the sametime directly tackle the damagingeffects mentioned above.

Rethinking regional planningfor a more balanced andsustainable development

The NWE programme encouragestowns and regions to work together to

find common answers to theirrespective problems. These areproblems that, because of their nature,can only be solved effectively if dealtwith in a transnational way. With thisin mind, the Member States andregions participating in the programmehave identified five priorities:

• Priority 1: An attractive andcoherent system of urban centresand regionsStrike a better balance between largecities and medium-sized towns, and

between urban areas and rural areas.Bring urban growth under control.Fight against social exclusion. Bringback to life abandoned industrialareas.

• Priority 2: Internal and externalaccessibilityImprove connections betweennorth-western Europe and the restof the world by encouragingalternative means of transport (makeair, rail and sea transport moreinterchangeable) and strategies of

CooperationInterreg III B: ‘North-west Europe’

Transnational cooperation movesinto top gearWith an overall budget of EUR 650 million, of which EUR 330 million is ERDF co-funding, the ‘North-westEurope/NWE’ programme (2000–06) is setting its sights high.


sustainable mobility. Access to theinformation society is also beingencouraged in awareness andpromotional actions aimed at thegeneral public and businesses in a bidto bring them into closer contactwith advanced information andcommunication technologies.

• Priority 3: The management ofwater resources and the fightagainst damage caused by floodingImprove the integrated andsustainable management of watersystems and resources. Prevent andreduce damage caused by river andcoastal flooding.

• Priority 4: Other natural resourcesand cultural heritage Reduce theenvironmental impact of humanactivities by promoting networks ofgreen and ecological corridors. Fightagainst urban sprawl. Protect andimprove the environment andcultural heritage. Devise and testmainstream territorial developmentstrategies for coastal areas, protectedregions, sensitive areas and regionswith a rich biodiversity.

• Priority 5: Promotion of territorialintegration in the maritime areasof the NWE areaEncourage cooperation between theports of the NWE area, promoteshort-distance maritime transportbetween regions. Facilitate cooperationbetween maritime regions and inlandregions. Preserve fish reserves andprevent the risks of maritime pollutioncaused by human activity.

The authority managing the NWEprogramme is the region of Nord –Pas-de-Calais in France, which isbeing assisted by a joint technicalsecretariat located in Lille. Amonitoring committee and a paymentauthority are responsible for thetransnational implementation andmanagement of the programme.

Contact:Secrétariat Interreg III B ENOa/s Philippe Doucet, directeur duprogramme‘Les Cariatides’, 5ème étage, 24 Boulevard Carnot, F-59800 Lille. Tel. (33) 320 78 55 00Fax (33) 320 55 65 95E-mail: [email protected]

NWMA, precursor to the conceptof ‘transnational territorialplanning’

The predecessor of NWE, the InterregII C ‘NWMA’ programme has introduceda new way of viewing and managingthe Structural Funds.

The first generation of the north-westEurope programme, which in 1997 wasgiven the name of NWMA (NorthWestern Metropolitan Area), wassuccessful. If we take a quick look backat what was accomplished, ‘the resultsare extremely positive andencouraging’ says Angèle Martinez,head of the finance department at theNWE Secretariat. ‘NWMA hasintroduced a new way of viewing andmanaging the Structural Funds andmade the main players think in terms ofcommon benefits.’

Despite the numerous differences ingovernment, culture, legal systems andlanguage in the seven participatingcountries, NWMA materialised as anoperating structure that was virtuallyunique at the time: a joint technicalsecretariat and a monitoring committeeoperating in a purely transnational way.

‘The result of this success was a tenfoldincrease in the budget,’ notes AngèleMartinez. In total, NWMA co-funded noless than 45 projects involving 367organisations from all sectors.

The success of the transnationalconcept explored by NWMA alsoresulted in the compulsory introductionof the transnational operating methodin the 10 other Interreg C cooperationareas which had not opted for thisdecision-making set-up (at the time ofNWMA, the only other cooperationareas operating on the basis of atransnational decision-making modelwere the Baltic and the North Sea). Theother significant innovation introducedby NWMA was a much more flexible,original and efficient way of managingthe funds, with the result that virtuallythe entire budget committed was used.

NWE cooperation area

The area of transnational cooperation covered in theprogramme includes regions in eight countries:

• The entire territory of Belgium, Luxembourg,Ireland and the United Kingdom;

• 13 French regions: Nord – Pas-de-Calais, Picardie,Haute-Normandie, Île-de-France, Basse-Normandie,Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Lorraine, Bourgogne,Alsace, Franche-Comté, Bretagne, Pays de la Loire;

• 9 Dutch provinces: Overijssel, Gelderland, Flevoland,Utrecht, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Zeeland, Noord-Brabant, Limburg;

• 6 German Länder: Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen,Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Baden Württemberg, Bayern(Schwaben, Unter-, Mittel- und Oberfranken);

• 15 Swiss cantons: Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft,Aargau, Solothurn, Bern, Jura, Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden,Nidwalden, Luzern, Glarus, Zug, Zürich, Neuchâtel.


Mountain areas cover 30 % of Europe’s territory and arehome to 30 million people. This seminar, which wasorganised by the Directorates-General for Regional Policyand Agriculture as part of the International Year of theMountains, provided a first opportunity to evaluate theimpact of Community policy on these areas. Three parallelworkshops were held on the following themes: regionalpolicy and regional planning, the challenges of mountainfarming, and quality of life in mountain areas.

Summing up the work and debates of the two days, GuyCrauser, Director-General for Regional Policy, concludedthat the mountains could be approached from differentperspectives and that various courses of action werepossible. He noted that the Commission was now discussingthe support instruments to be put into place after 2006.These included:

• taking better account of the distinctive features of thedifferent mountain areas;

• combining policies between sectors and between levels ofresponsibility;

• optimising the use of the many instruments that alreadyexist;

• strengthening cooperation and promoting more exchangesof experiences between regions, particularly throughInterreg;

• taking advantage of the mountains’ own potential and thequality products found there.

Additional information on the seminar can be obtained onthe Inforegio web site:http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/newsroom/index_en.htm

As a connecting link between the Escaut river basin, theFrench network of inland waterways and the Sambre-Meuse-Rhine river area, the Central Canal was no longerable to cope with a new generation of boats. Work to widena 3.5 km section to meet European standards (1 350 t) wasbeing delayed by the complex problem of getting boatsthrough the area where the waters divide between the Meuseand Escaut basins, an 88 m drop over a very short distance.To overcome this obstacle, two major works of engineeringwere carried out:

• a gigantic lift allowing 1 350-tonne boats to cross a sectionof about 7 km in less than 2 hours, instead of the previous6 hours, and manage a drop of 73.15 m. The ship lift inStrépy-Thieu is 105 m high, 140 m long and 85 m wide,making it the largest structure of its kind ever built;

• an impressive tubular bridge (500 m long, 10 to 20 m deep,140 000 t load limit) which spans across a major roadnetwork, allowing boats to cross over the road vehiclesunderneath.

It took 20 years and some EUR 600 million to complete thecanal’s modernisation. Begun in 1982, the work was partlyhindered by financial problems. However, this all changedwhen the European Commission gave the project prioritystatus in its Master Plan for Inland Waterways ofCommunity Interest (1993) and when in 1996 the WalloonRegion commissioned a public-private partnership companyto oversee the work. This company was able to mobilisevarious sources of funding, including capital from theregion, grants from the European Union, long-term loansfrom the European Investment Bank, and private capital.

EventsCommunity policies andmountain areasOn 17 and 18 October, some 400 people from mountain regions in the European Union met in Brussels for aseminar aimed at examining the specific problems mountain areas encounter with regional development andhow the Structural Funds could better take these into account in the future.

Wallonia (Belgium)

In the land of flying boatsIn the Belgian province of Hainaut, the ambitious programme to modernise the central canal was completed inSeptember with the opening of two feats of engineering that are unique in the world: the ship lift in Strépy-Thieu and the tubular bridge in Sart.


The work, which required great technical feats, has nowbeen completed and the new wider section, which canhandle boats from across Europe, was inaugurated on 2September. The elimination of the bottleneck has openedup a new area of river navigation for boats of up to 1 350 t,connecting on the one hand the Parisian basin and theNord – Pas-de-Calais area (Dunkerque and Lille) and onthe other hand the Netherlands, Germany and the countriesof eastern Europe. In addition to being a tremendousshowcase for the future of environmentally-friendly meansof transport, the opening of the spectacular complex inStrépy-Thieu also provides a new tourist attraction, in linewith the development strategy of the Belgian Province ofHainaut implemented under the Objective 1 programme.

ContactRégion Wallonne, Ministère de l’Equipement et desTransports, Direction générale des Voies hydrauliques deMons (D 221),Rue Verte 11, B-7000 MonsTel. (32-65) 39 96 10Internet: http://voies-hydrauliques.wallonie.be(Central Canal): http://www.canal-du-centre.be

The Inforegio web site (http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/index_en.htm) contains a databasewith close to 500 examples of economic or socialdevelopment projects benefiting from the support ofthe Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund. Searchescan be conducted by country and by theme. An onlinequestionnaire also offers the possibility of submittingvarious information on interesting new projects forinclusion in the database. Please do not hesitate to letus know about your projects by going to the followingaddress:http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/projects/stories/index_en.cfm

Present your projects on theInforegio web site

With the Strépy-Thieu elevator, boats can clear a change in level of up to 88 m.

Bordering Austria in the north,Hungary in the north-east, Croatia inthe south-east and Italy and theAdriatic Sea in the west, this formerfederated republic of Yugoslavia,independent since 1991, is a country ofmodest size: 20 254 km2.

Mountainous and heavily forested,Slovenia can be divided into threenatural regions: ‘Gorenjsko’, the localname for the Alpine mountains,‘Notranjsko’ (‘the interior’)corresponding to the chalk plateaux ofKarst, and ‘Dolenjsko’, an area ofplains and hills. This last region iswhere most of the industrial activitiesand cities are located, including thecapital, Ljubljana (pop. 350 000). A46.6 km coastal strip along theAdriatic Sea provides Slovenia with amaritime outlet.

Return to prosperity

Slovenia has a variety of naturalresources (lead, zinc, mercury, coal, oiland timber) and its industry is verydiversified. Thanks to importanttrading routes between the Adriaticand central Europe that cross theSlovenian Alps, the country has longbenefited from the trade connectedwith this traffic. This explains its earlydevelopment and its relativelyprivileged economic situation today.

Before gaining independence, Sloveniawas the most prosperous of the sixrepublics of the former Yugoslavia.However, the loss of the Yugoslavmarkets and the prolonged war inBosnia-Herzegovina has had seriousrepercussions on the Slovenianeconomy. The public authorities havetaken measures to revive the economy,reforming the market and the banks.

They have encouraged theprivatisation of State enterprises, aprocess that is still underway.

Good infrastructures and skilled labourhave helped the country recover.Between 1994 and 1999, Slovenia hadan average growth rate of 4.2 % andunemployment was halved (7.3 % in1999). Inflation (200 % in 1992) hasbeen brought under control, even if itstill appears relatively high (7.9 % in2000). Per capita GDP reached 69 % ofthe EU-15 average in 2001, puttingSlovenia between Greece and Portugalin terms of its standard of living.

Industry accounts for 56 % ofSlovenia’s GDP. The main industrialsectors are electronics, electricalmachines, the processing of metals,metalworking, electrical appliancesand automobiles. The country exportsraw materials, semi-finished products,machines, electric engines, food,clothing, pharmaceutical products andcosmetics. The European Unionabsorbs 70 % of Slovenia’s exports.Tourism is also an important andsteadily growing source of income.

Accession

Since winning internationalrecognition in 1992, Slovenia hasbecome a member of numerousinternational organisations. It enteredinto accession negotiations with theEuropean Union in March 1998.

For the period 2000–06, Slovenia isbenefiting from the Phare programmeand also support under the ISPAprogramme to set up environmentaland transport infrastructure projects.It is also receiving financial aid underthe Sapard programme for pre-accession measures to promote

agriculture and rural development. Togive just an example, the total amountof financial aid available for Sloveniain 2000–02 was: EUR 6.5 million peryear (in addition to EUR 3.3 million in2001) under Phare; EUR 6.6 millionper year under Sapard; and betweenEUR 10.8 million and EUR 21.7million per year under ISPA.

Slovenia may also use national fundsto finance part of its participation inCommunity programmes, such as theframework programmes for researchand technological development andeducation and business programmes.In addition, Slovenia has access tosources of funding undermultinational and horizontalprogrammes related to theCommunity acquis.

Contact:Ministry of the EconomyKotnikova 5SLO-1000 LjubljanaTel. (386-1) 478 36 21Fax (386-1) 478 35 22Internet: www2.gov.si/mg/mgslo.nsf


Discoveringan applicant countrySlovenia

A success storyAlready successful in the days of the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia is the most prosperous of the 10 central andeast European countries applying for membership in the European Union and is also one of the closest tocompleting negotiations on accession to an enlarged Union.

Area

20 273 km2

Population (2000)

1 982 600 inhabitants

Density: 98 inhabitants/km2 (EU-15:118 inhabitants/km2)

Economy and employment

Per capita GDP (2001):EUR 16 000 (EU-15: EUR 23 200)

Per capita GDP index at PPP (2001):69 (EU-15: 100)

Unemployment rate (2001):5.7 % (EU-15: 7.4 %)


How do you explainthe traditionalsuccess of theSlovenian economy?

Over the pastdecade, theSlovenian economyhas not onlyexperienced

fundamental structural changes but has alsohad to adapt to an environment of sharplyincreased competition. The relativelysuccessful adaptation of Slovenianenterprises as well as the surge ofentrepreneurial activity taking advantage ofnew opportunities can be explained by thefavourable operating conditions. These are: astable macroeconomic environment, anoverall fiscal balance, a well-educated labourforce, rapid growth in higher education, lowcorporate taxation, an excellent geographicallocation and connections, moderntechnological infrastructure, extensive publicsupport for scientific research, access toquality health-care services, and acomprehensive social welfare system.

What are Slovenia’s main economic andsocial challenges and how are theyintegrated into the national regional policy?

Slovenia is aiming to become an active andsuccessful competitor in the globaleconomy, with competitive strengths basedon high value-added manufacturing andservices, quality, innovation, andentrepreneurship. The end goal is higheconomic growth, which in turn ensures astrong and prosperous country with a highquality of life and good social welfare.

To achieve this, the operational goals ofSlovenia’s economic policy are tostrengthen the development of the humanfactor and social cohesion, to improve theeconomic infrastructure and services, tosupport balanced regional development andto achieve Slovenia’s accession to the EU.The latter is perceived not only as a processof regional integration but also as animportant step forward in the globalisationof the Slovenian economy.

As a response to the globalisation andintegration process, Slovenian economicpolicy is following three basic strategicorientations. The first orientation is toincrease the flexibility and adaptability ofthe economy to help take advantage of

development opportunities and control therisk that comes with having an openeconomy subject to global economicchanges. The second orientation is to helpbusinesses adjust to a much larger internalmarket by encouraging more specialisation,promoting strategic partnerships andbuilding the capacity to acquire newknowledge. Finally, the third orientation isto cope with the social risks of globalisationand take responsibility for globalsustainable development.

In view of the above, the national regionalpolicy is oriented towards creating theconditions for strengthening the economicvitality of all regions. It is based on theprinciples of sustainable developmentwhere all the potential in a region is usedand where the resources and possibilities ofdevelopment for future generations are notdiminished. It is oriented towards thedevelopment of institutional support forindividuals, local communities and regionsto help them successfully and quickly adaptto new opportunities.

To cope with the problem of existinginequality in regional socioeconomicdevelopment, a proactive policy has beendevised and is currently being implementedto promote entrepreneurship andcompetitiveness, to encourage the creationand growth of businesses, to attractinvestment and to develop infrastructure.To complement regional developmentprogrammes, Slovenia has introduced policymeasures to support the development ofagriculture and the countryside, to protectthe country’s natural heritage and toregulate space and the environment.

What are Slovenia’s greatest expectations injoining the European Union?

By joining the EU, the economicopportunities available to Sloveniancompanies will increase considerably. Ofcourse, this will depend on the extent towhich we are able to turn theseopportunities to our advantage. Therefore,it is important to prepare the country sothat it can cope with the increasedcompetitive pressure of the single internalmarket. A lot has already been achieved inthis respect, particularly with the pre-accession support of the EU.

As far as regional policy is concerned, wewould like to receive fair treatment from

the EU when it implements its structuralpolicy in Slovenia. It is our view thatSlovenia should be compared to EUMember States with a similar level ofeconomic development, i.e., Portugal andGreece. Such treatment is necessary ifSlovenia is to achieve its goal of balancedregional development and to narrow theexisting development gap with the EUaverage.

What are the most difficult points left to benegotiated in Slovenia’s accession process?

So far (September 2002, ed.), Slovenia hastemporarily completed 28 chapters in theaccession negotiations (1). The chapters stillunder discussion concern agriculture andthe budget. On agriculture, the keyquestions relate to quotas and theentitlement of Slovenia’s farmers to directpayments. As far as the budget isconcerned, the issues still being discussedare Slovenia’s contribution to the EUbudget and the country’s net financialposition. We firmly believe that thediscussions with the Commission on aterritorial division ensuring balancedregional development will continue, so thatby the end of 2006, when Slovenia will havebecome a Member State of the Union, itsNUTS classification can be reviewed.

In terms of regional policy, what canSlovenia bring to the European Union and,reciprocally, what can the EU and its MemberStates bring to your country?

Different countries have differentexperiences with the implementation ofregional policies. The ‘Slovenian model’ ofpolycentric development could be ofinterest to some of the Member States withsimilar regional difficulties. We stronglyagree with the opinion — and this canalready be empirically tested — that ageographical concentration of economicactivities can very easily lead to acongestion of facilities, unemployment inthe surrounding areas and a real-estateboom in the centre. Similarly, the ‘goodpractices’ in balanced regional developmentof which the EU Member States haveexperience could be of great importance tous when devising our own regional policymeasures.

Interview with Dr Tea Petrin, Minister of theEconomy of Slovenia

(1) The negotiations for accession to the EuropeanUnion are divided into 31 ‘chapters’.

Lying in the far eastern corner ofAustria, Burgenland shares borderswith Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia.A unique feature, well known to thosefamiliar with the area, is the immensearid plain surrounding Lake Neusiedl.Previously belonging to Hungary, theregion became Austrian in 1921. It hasno major cities.

Its geographical location, whichdirectly connected it with the formerIron Curtain, hindered thedevelopment of Burgenland fordecades. Although more recently theregion has had a growth rate above theAustrian average, its GDP still remainswell below the national average.

The development of Austria’seasternmost Land also shows somemajor differences within the regionitself. In the north, around the regionalcapital of Eisenstadt (pop. 11 000),numerous small and medium-sizedcompanies, and also large industrialfirms, have set up several collectivestructures, like the industrial park inSiegendorf, the business park inMüllendorf and the TechnologicalCentre in Eisenstadt (see article).Around Lake Neusiedl, the north alsohas the largest continuous vineyard inAustria and the largest tourist area(‘Seewinkel’). In contrast, the

economy of central Burgenland isessentially based on agriculturewhereas the south, which has a largenumber of natural springs and spahealth centres, is an important part ofthe spa region of Burgenland-Styria.

Over 11 % of the working populationare employed in agriculture andforestry, sectors that alone account fornearly 8 % of the region’s added value,which is considerably higher that theAustrian average. The main processingsectors are metalworking, the agri-food industry and the leather andtextile industry. The building sectorand mining industry also play a veryimportant role in the regionaleconomy. The tertiary sector isgrowing steadily. It represents over60 % of economic activity and alsotestifies to the importance of thepublic sector to the region.

Because the main internationalcommunication routes to Hungary gothrough Burgenland, regional policyaims to transform the Land into ‘agateway to eastern Europe’ and a relayplatform for economic trade betweeneast and west. Burgenland thereforeoffers numerous possibilities tocompanies interested in doing businessin eastern Europe. In this respect, thecreation of the cross-border financial

activities park in Heiligenkreuz-Szentgotthard has opened upimportant new opportunities.

The Objective 1 programme has threemajor goals: to make Burgenland amodern region in central Europe, toprepare it for the Union’s enlargementand to reduce the differences withinthe region. This means improving theregion’s economic performance andmaking its firms more competitive.Therefore, strong emphasis is beingplaced on innovation, technologicaltransfers and the development ofbusiness networks.

Contact

Amt der BurgenländischenLandesregierungEU-VerwaltungsbehördeLandesamtsdirektionEuropaplatz 1A-7000 EisenstadtTel. (43-2682) 600-29 92Fax (43-2682) 600-29 94E-mail:[email protected]: www.rmb.at/To find out more about Burgenlandand the European Union:www.burgenland.at/default.asp?SAULEID=6&SAEULENHOME=00272642020028759558


Discoveringa regionBurgenland (Austria)

A gateway to eastern EuropeWith the enlargement of the European Union, Burgenland’s position along the east European border, which haslong penalised its development, has today become an asset.

Area

3 966 km2

Population

278 600 inhabitantsDensity: 70 hab./km2

(EU-15: 118 inhab./km2)

Economy and employment

Per capita GDP at PPP (1999): 71.4(EU-15: 100)

Unemployment rate (2001):8.2 % (EU-15: 7.4 %)

Structural Funds (2000–06)

Objective No 1 (EUR)EU Other public funds Private funds Total271 million 98.57 million 494.32 million 863.90 million


On the eastern edge of Austria,Burgenland was until now betterknown for its vineyards than for itsstate-of-the-art technology. TheObjective 1 programme has enabledthe region to diversify into advancedtechnologies.

European grants totalling EUR 7.2million have led to the creation of‘Technologie Zentrum Eisenstadt(TZE)’, which is home to multinationalfirms, SMEs and young start-upsspecialising in information technology.

The Technology Centre consists of aseries of ultramodern buildings androoms with all the digital and ITfacilities needed for activities based onadvanced communicationtechnologies. There are also variouscollective facilities, such as avideoconferencing room.

The choice of Eisenstadt was made onthe basis of an assessment of its key

assets: with a population of 450 000living within a radius of 45 km fromthe city and a labour pool of 75 000workers in the secondary and tertiarysectors, Burgenland’s main town was aperfect location for the project.

The figures speak for themselves: sincethe establishment of the TechnologyCentre in 1997, the economy of theEisenstadt basin has grown on averageby 3.6 % per annum and created anadditional 5 200 jobs. At the regionallevel, TZE has unquestionably madeBurgenland more competitive whileoffering numerous training and long-term employment opportunities. Thisis confirmed by the fact that theUniversity’s faculty of internationaleconomic relations is now preparing tomove to a building at the TZE.

The TZE’s success has led to thecreation elsewhere of four othercentres in Burgenland, which are

based on the same model butspecialised in other sectors, such asrenewable sources of energy inGüssing and electron optics inJennersdorf.

ContactErnst Horvath, TZE, TechnologieZentrum Eisenstadt GmbH, Marktstr. 3,A-7000 EisenstadtTel. (43-2682) 70 40Fax (43-2682) 704 91Internet: http://www.tze.at/

High tech BurgenlandEuropean aid turns Burgenland into technological centre.

Objective 1 Burgenland

Small projects will become bigIn addition to the large structural projects, the Objective 1 programme in Burgenland is also co-funding small-scale local projects in different sectors. Outlined below are some examples.

• Research & DevelopmentBased in Pinkafeld, the audiovisualcompany ‘Sunamic Visualisierungund Netzwerk GmbH’ has obtainedan Objective 1 grant to develop anoptical system providing bettercontrast in colours, therebyimproving outdoor LED videodisplays.

• Training on the jobA two-year certified training coursehas been set up in several IT firms in

Eisenstadt based on the ‘learning-by-doing’ model.

• Social inclusionIn southern Burgenland, the Bungisassociation is organising trainingprogrammes for the disabled and thelong-term unemployed.

• Local productsWith Objective 1 grants, the womenfarmers of the ‘Rural market of BadTatzmannsdorf’ will soon be able totransfer their market place to thetown’s main square.

• Fruit juiceA logistics centre equipped for thestorage, packing and labelling of fruitjuice has been set up in Stegersbach.

• Spa restaurantThanks to Objective 1 aid, arestaurant owner has been able toaccomplish his dream of opening hisown restaurant near a spring. Severalmicro-business projects are beinglinked in this way to water cures,another important sector for theregional economy.


The floods, the worst experienced in decades, ravagedcentral Europe in mid-August, claiming the lives of over 100people. Billions of euros worth of damage to infrastructureand property were caused and the clean-up andreconstruction efforts are expected to take months, if notyears.

In central Europe the countries worst affected wereGermany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. TheGerman province of Saxony was particularly badly hit andin Dresden the banks of the River Elbe gave way, causing atorrent that left some of the city’s palaces and historic sitessubmerged. Thousands of people were evacuated from thecity as well as from the neighbouring cities of Chemnitz andLeipzig.

In the Austrian town of Krems thousands more were forcedto seek refuge on the upper floors of their homes when theDanube burst its banks. In the Czech Republic, whichexperienced its worst floods in centuries, 40 000 residents of

Prague were forced to take shelter in emergencyaccommodation.

Slovakia was also badly affected, with widespread powercuts in the capital, Bratislava, and extensive damage to roadsand other transport infrastructure.

A new European Union Solidarity FundThe European Commission was quick to respond to thefloods and to express its solidarity with the victims. At ameeting on August 28, EU Commissioners announced aseries of measures, including Structural Fund transfers andadjustments, to assist the areas affected. In the absence of anexisting budgetary line to respond to such catastropheswithin the EU, the Commission also put forward a proposalfor the establishment of a new disaster relief fund.

A proposal for a regulation laying down the implementationmodalities of this new ‘European Union Solidarity Fund’

Devastating floods prompt new EUresponse to major disastersIn the aftermath of the floods that devastated parts of Europe this summer, the European Commission has proposedthe establishment of a new EU Solidarity Fund to ensure a speedier response to such catastrophes in the future.

In focus

Donau-Auen National Park (Austria):clearing the oxbows along the Danube to prevent flooding.


was adopted by the Commission on 18 September. The newFund will consist of a swift instrument, separate to theStructural Funds, to assist affected regions in the event ofmajor disasters.

The amount that could be mobilised by the Fund will beaccessible, if needed, to the EU Member States and countrieswith which accession negotiations are underway.

The Fund will be focused on giving immediate financialassistance to help the people, regions and countries return tonormal living as quickly as possible. Its scope will thereforebe limited to the most urgent needs. The medium to long-term reconstruction of infrastructure and businesses will beleft to other instruments.

The Fund will provide aid for activities such as:

• the immediate restoration of important infrastructure andservices such as energy, water supply and treatment,communication, transport, health and education;

• temporary accommodation for the victims and for therescue teams providing for first needs;

• safeguarding security infrastructure such as dams;

• the cleaning up of damaged natural areas.

Funding will be granted on request by the affected countryon the basis of an agreement between the EuropeanCommission and the beneficiary country. Theimplementation of the aid, in particular the selection ofindividual projects, will be the responsibility of the countryand the regions concerned. The fund is due to come intoforce in November 2002 — assuming that it is approved bythe Council and the Parliament.

Presenting the text of the proposal, EuropeanCommissioner for Regional Policy Michel Barnier stressedthat while ‘the European Union’s Solidarity Fund is theanswer for immediate relief action’, an improvement inprevention and risk management was also required. Heconfirmed that, ‘the prevention of risks will be one of thepriorities of the future European regional policy’.

Further details are available at:http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/index_en.htm

IRMA, to prevent flooding from the Rhineand the MeuseWithin the framework of Interreg II C, the Union has co-funded 153 risk-prevention projects in the regions of theRhine and Meuse rivers.

On two occasions, at an interval of thirteen months in 1993and 1995, the Rhine and Meuse broke their banks, resultingin very serious flooding. To deal with this recurringproblem, a transnational prevention programme, IRMA(‘Interreg Rhin-Meuse Activities’), was launched in 1997and subsidised by the ERDF under Interreg II C. IRMAstimulates cooperation and an integrated approach to theproblem of flooding by encouraging the exchange ofexperiences between the countries concerned by the Rhineand Meuse river basins: the Netherlands, Belgium, France,Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. Mobilising abudget of EUR 419 million, a third of which is provided bythe European Union, the IRMA programme has resulted in

153 projects focusing on three main areas of intervention:regional planning, water management and flood damageprevention.

Contact

IRMA programme SecretariatB.P. 30940 IPC 3652500 GX Den HaagNetherlandsTel. (31-70) 339 51 19Fax (31-70) 339 12 13E-mail: [email protected]: www.irma-programme.org

A more appropriate name thanGuadalinfo could not have beenfound! ‘Guada’ (Oued) in Arabicmeans river, and for centuries thesouthernmost part of Spain washeavily influenced by Muslimcivilisation. Guada refers to the idea ofsomething flowing... like information.However, something precious likeinformation is not always accessible toeveryone in the same way.

Andalusia already has a highproportion of Internet users (22.8 %of the population), slightly higher thanthe Spanish average of 21.2 %. But thisstatistic hides serious inequalities,especially in the case of the broadbandInternet access. Profound differencesexist in Andalusia between the urbancentres and the small isolated,disadvantaged villages in thecountryside or mountains. In thesesparsely populated areas, whereincome is generally low, privatetelecommunication operators do notwant to invest because it is not


In actionAndalusia against the ‘digital divide’

Making the Internet accessible to all…As part of the innovative actions of the ERDF, the government of the region of Andalusia (Spain) is setting up the‘Guadalinfo’ programme. The goal is to make broadband Internet accessible to all inhabitants, including thoseliving in the most remote areas. As part of an experiment, 25 public Internet centres are being set up asbridgeheads against the digital divide.

profitable. Only towns with morethan 65 000 inhabitants are cabled atpresent (the cable is one of thechannels for the ‘broadband’) andthere are no plans to change this in theshort term. If the market were left todecide, villages with populations of5 000 or less would not be connectedto the cable for another 20 years.

This situation is leading to the creationof a gap between the large towns andthe small villages, and this gap isgrowing, creating a genuine ‘digitaldivide’. The inability to connect tobroadband Internet triggers a chain ofdisadvantages in an era when access totraining, employment or servicesincreasingly depends on having thisdigital information. ‘Not having theInternet means in fact social exclusion.But it also stands in the way ofinnovation and puts the brakes on theeconomy,’ says Jose Carlos Alarcon,secretary general for the developmentof the information society of thegovernment of Andalusia.

25 centres

To make the broadband Internetaccessible to all in Andalusia, thepublic sector therefore needed to stepin and take action. That is precisely thespirit of the Guadalinfo programme,which is in line with the innovativeactions supported by the ERDF. Theidea behind Guadalinfo is to set up 25public centres in particularlydisadvantaged areas which facilitateaccess to the broadband Internet.Thanks to the efforts of thegovernment of Andalusia, the privatetelecommunications operators haveagreed to make the necessaryinvestments in these areas so that theyhave rapid and inexpensive access tothe Internet.

The 25 pilot centres will not limitthemselves to just providing the localinhabitants with the hardware andconnections. They will work asbridgeheads in favour of integratedlocal development.

Leaving room for innovation

Different projects will be launched inthese centres. The first one concerns‘geographical information’. The idea isto use the Internet to develop ‘online’services that are tailored to local needs.This means, for example, makingdetailed maps of villages, providinginformation on pharmacies on duty orthe dates when doctors in thecountryside have consultations. This‘micro-information’ will be animportant service for inhabitants ofthe villages and its management couldlead to the creation of new smallbusinesses. Therefore, by setting upthese centres, not only is the socialsituation of the local people being

improved but a stimulus is also beingprovided for economic activities.

Another project operating out of thepublic centres is the support ofdistance training to help certaincategories of the population in difficultsituations: young people, theunemployed and women. Financial aidwill be granted to companies capableof providing distance-trainingprogrammes (‘e-learning’) that meetthe needs of these target groups.

The ‘ASP’ (application serviceprovider) part of the programme is foranother type of service. In very smallvillages, many micro-businesses do nothave essential resources, such as anaccounting adviser or sales support.Here too, the Internet can assist if themicro-businesses are grouped togetherso that there is enough demand for theASP services offered.

Finally, Guadalinfo will encourage thecreation of ‘virtual communities’ basedon cooperation between several pilotcentres. These communities will shareinformation on a wide range of topicsof common interest such as, forexample, the collection of food for theThird World, the compilation andcataloguing of popular songs or evenrabbit hunting in the mountains.

Towards autonomy

Guadalinfo is being coordinated bythe government of Andalusia as part of

its ‘I@landalus’ plan of strategicinitiatives for the development of theinformation society. Following apublic call for tender, the 25 centresshould be selected by the end of 2002.The innovative action will last untilJune 2004. These centres in Andalusia(managed by public or private non-profit making associations) will receivea grant covering the cost of theirequipment, operating expenses andmanagement advice. But at the end oftwo years — this is one of theselection criteria — they will have toshow that they are autonomous.Guadalinfo is banking on the dynamiceffect of the networks and thesnowball effect the centres will have.The ambition is to offer the broadbandInternet by 2004 to most of themunicipalities with populations of lessthan 20 000. So will digital informationthen flow just as freely as the water ofa river?

Contact

Andres Garcia LoriteDirector of the GuadalinfoProgrammeConsejeria de la Presidencia, Junta deAndaluciaAvda de la Borbolla, nº 1,E-41071 SevillaTel. (34) 955 00 10 68 (30 10 68) Fax (34) 955 00 10 52 (30 10 52) E-mail:[email protected] Internet: www.guadalinfo.net

Facts and figures

• AndalusiaWith 7 million inhabitants, Andalusia is the most populated region in Spain. It is alsoone of the largest regions in Europe: 87 599 km2.

• eEurope 2005On 29 May 2002, the Commission adopted the action plan ‘eEurope 2005: aninformation society for all’.http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/action_plan/index_en.htm

• BudgetGuadalinfo (2002–03) has a budget of EUR 5.85 million. The ERDF is contributing EUR2.94 million, the government of Andalusia is contributing EUR 1.33 million, and theprivate sector is providing a further EUR 1.58 million.

Cooperation without frontiers33 exemplary Interreg projects

Available in the 11 official EUlanguages.

Recentpublications


ContactsEuropean Commission, Directorate-General for Regional PolicyUnit 01 ‘Information and Communication’Thierry Daman41, Avenue de Tervuren, B-1040, BrusselsFax (32-2) 296 60 03E-mail: [email protected]://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/regional_policy/index_en.htm

Commissioner Michel Barnier:http://europa.eu.int/comm/commissioners/barnier/index_en.htm

Information on European Union regional aid:http://europa.eu.int/comm/regional_policy/index_en.htm

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http://european-convention.eu.int/The Convention on the Future of Europe is bringing togetherrepresentatives of governments, national parliaments, the EuropeanParliament and the European Commission with a view to proposing aEuropean institutional framework that can cope with an evolvingworld, meet the expectations of the EU’s citizens and take intoaccount the enlargement of the Union. This 11-language web sitepresents the organisation of the Convention, the timetable of itswork, the documents and contributions, an index, etc. It has a forumfor free discussion that is open to all and a forum open to civil societyorganisations.

www.newtowns.netThis site is devoted to the ‘new towns’, most of which were created inthe 1970s to promote balanced territorial development. Established inApril 2001, the European new town platform (ENTP) currentlyrepresents towns in France, England, the Netherlands, Wales,Scotland, Northern Ireland, Finland, Sweden and Spain and is open toall the new towns in Europe. The action programme consists of severalInterreg III projects and includes the exchange of good practices withnew towns in Asia through the ASIA Urbs programme.

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Pan 8 - ENec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docgener/panorama/pdf/mag8_… · 8 Burgenland, a gateway to eastern Europe 10 The new European Union Solidarity Fund 12 Andalusia against