THE FINANCIAL CRISIS AND CLIMATE CHANGE MUST BE TACKLED TOGETHER

Claudio Martini, President of the Tuscany Region and of the CPMR, underlined the relationship between the current financial crisis and climate change during the “World Summit of Regions on Climate Change” held in St Malo on 29-30 October 2008.

EM: President Martini, the first “World Summit of Regions on Climate Change” has just come to a close. What was discussed?

CM: First of all, we exchanged experiences of our own endeavours at local level to tackle the negative consequences of climate change which are clearly evident from an environmental, social and economic point of view. Our exchange was extremely fruitful because Regions showed they have useful experience in terms of taxation, transport planning and urban planning. This is proof that we all have the will to change our production and social models in order to promote a different environmental approach in the future...

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MICHEL BARNIER APPROVES THE CPMR’S TERRITORIAL-BASED TREATMENT

Michel Barnier, French Minister for Agriculture concluded the seminar in Nantes on “The Future of European Agricultural and Food Policy" by thanking the CPMR for its forward thinking, anticipation, and provocation abilities.

“2009 will be a special year due to the renewal of the European Parliament and the European Commission,” stated the French former European Commissioner, “If we do not open the debate on major EU policies now, we risk losing a year and tainting the political debate with the debate on the budget. In a democracy, the political debate must always precede the budgetary debate…”

For this reason, Michel Barnier invited the CPMR to start concentrating its efforts either on regional policy or on agricultural policy. These two policies are once more due to come up against the same opponents who hoped to undermine them in the name of a vision of Europe as a free trade area and no more. “The opponents of the CAP are the same as those who oppose regional policy: they are those who wish to reduce the EU budget, which is already not very high,” stated the Minister.

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OUR MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT WILL SOON CHANGE SAY JOUYET AND HULOT

Jean-Pierre Jouyet attended the World Summit of Regions on Climate Change on 29 October 2008 in St Malo where he spoke on behalf of the six-month French Presidency.

The French State Secretary for European Affairs agreed with the ecology campaigner Nicolas Hulot, a highly popular figure in France, when he affirmed during the proceedings that we are witnessing the end of an economic development model.

EM: Mr Jouyet, do you think that the Regions can have a role in tackling climate change?

JPJ: I believe that the fight against climate change is an important sign of all stakeholders, including the Regions, rallying around what will be the big cause of 2009 with the Copenhagen conference. As I said during the COR Open Days, I believe that in a period where we are faced with global challenges, we all need to work together, and with the Regions too. This is above all a factor in supporting economic activity. When you work with the Regions on sustainable development you look at promoting research and innovation and introducing environmentally-friendly facilities, which in turn means contributing towards supporting a sustainable economic activity that we truly need.

EM: In your speech you said that Europe must lead by example on the climate issue. For what reasons?

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THE UN OPENS UP TO THE REGIONS

Cécile Molinier, Director of the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Office in Geneva took part in the opening session of the World Summit of Regions on Climate Change in Saint-Malo on 29 October 2008 and in her speech underlined the importance of the Regions for an Intergovernmental Organisation like the UN.

EM: Why are the Regions so important in the fight against global warming?

CM: “I think there needs to be awareness of the fact that the action plan to combat the negative effects of climate change is drafted and rolled out essentially at regional level. Of course, the national level is important, and the United Nations is and will continue to be an Intergovernmental Organisation, but 75 to 80% of this action plan is delivered by the Regions. It is also in the Regions that decisions are made especially in terms of infrastructures and transport, which have a direct impact on climate change.”

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4TH MARITIME AND COASTAL ECONOMY CONGRESS
2 and 3 December 2008, Le Havre (FR)

The adoption of the Blue Book “An integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union” showed a recognition of the
importance of the sea for Europe. The stated aim was to bring an end to compartmentalized policy making by considering that maritime affairs have the sea as a common factor and therefore need a global and unified approach. To transform this goal into a reality, however, concrete answers are still to be found.

The 4th Conference on the Maritime Economy, organised by Les Echos and le marin, in association with The Cluster Maritime Français and The Institut Français de la Mer, will bring together all the major players in the maritime sector to discuss these challenges and debate what can be done to help the sea play a major role in sustainable and economically viable development.

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