Sonik: Article 174 has to be translated into concrete action
Boguslaw Sonik who is a member of the EPP Group in the European Parliament as a member of the Polish delegation, is the President of the intergroup “Mountains, Islands, Sparsely Populated Regions: Group 174”. Mr Sonik is also Vice-Chair of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee.
Enrico Mayrhofer:
What can regions with serious and permanent natural handicaps expect from the negotiations on the new budget programming period 2014-2020?
Boguslaw Sonik:
We live in a very delicate time, indeed, the 2014-2020 budget is on the discussion table and the future of cohesion rests on these negotiations.
Territories with serious and permanent disadvantages, in particular islands, mountains and northernmost regions with low population density, fought to obtain an article (Art. 174) in the Lisbon Treaty which aims at reducing their handicaps. We now need to make this article happen and turn it into concrete action.
How can these territories be enhanced?
Read the entire interview of Boguslaw Sonik 
The CPMR's logbook
As the maritime days took place in Gijón, from 18 to 21 May 2010, the CPMR maintains the key role that regional authorities have in the implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP), with a view to the next programming period, post 2013.
Several policy areas were at the heart of the discussions
of the maritime regions present in Gijón for this annual
celebration.
First of all, the sustainable development aspect: several initiatives are currently being proposed by the European Commission to ensure public management of maritime areas that can reconcile economic activities, employment and the protection of eco-systems. With regard to this, the CPMR calls for “Maritime Spatial Planning” to be based on the principles of good multi-level governance.
The macro-regional aspect is also fundamental for the CPMR as the only organisation divided into Geographical Commissions. The decision to launch a strategy for the Baltic Sea set a trend: further to the similar decision made by the Council in June 2009 for the Danube region, a large number of actors, in numerous other European areas, started lobbying for their own macro-regional strategy. The CPMR organised a workshop in Gijón, comparing the notions of sea basins and macro-regions. Over the next few years, the CPMR will clarify the way in which the maritime basins can find their place in these future large territorial blocs.
Another question on the table concerns training: the Blue Book on integrated maritime policy gave high priority to maritime employment issues. Unfortunately, the CPMR believes that the effective achievements of the EU 2008/2009 maritime action plan to date have fallen short of what might have been hoped for, even though the Commissioner for Maritime Affairs, Maria Damanaki, has made maritime jobs one of the priorities of her term of office. With regard to this, the maritime regions are proposing to launch a kind of “Maritime Erasmus” which will make maritime courses more attractive and will contribute to the consolidation of European maritime identity.
Read more on the CPMR's logbook
Agriculture and rural development are at a crossroads in Europe
Why European Regions must be involved in the debate immediately!
According to the Eurobarometer, the vast majority of public opinion believes that the European Union must be involved in agricultural matters even though few of them can explain why.
This interest goes way beyond the discussions – at times too limited in scope – that take place in Brussels quarters. Citizens – in their capacity as consumers – are increasingly involved in matters such as food safety or the exceedingly variable prices that are paid to farmers, which sometimes have tragic consequences, as we witnessed in the dairy sector in the past and are witnessing currently for wheat.
What about European institutions?
Read the entire article on Agriculture
Integrated Maritime Policy
Europolitics released a special dossier on Integrated maritime Policy:
"Integrated Maritime Policy : Where things stand.".
Please download it on Europolitics' home page (below on the right).
Download Europolitics' special dossier on Integrated Maritime Policy
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW