The Geography of European Integration The Emergence of the Region

The Perspective of Geography Geography is about place, or space (spatiality), considered within several different spatial contexts –Physical (rivers, mountains, soil types, climate types, etc.) –Economic (agriculture, industry) –Social (population, immigration, education, families) –Cultural (language, religion) –Political (bordered states and administrative units)

The Perspective (cont’d-1) European integration builds on, or recombines, these different spatial elements European integration radically reconfigures one of them: the political –From the political territorial unit of the nation- state, and the international relations system built on the nation-state, to “something else”

The Perspective (cont’d-2) From this radical reconfiguration of the political context, new geographical possibilities emerge –The Region and the Inter-region Geographical considerations loom large in particular domains of EC/EU activity: –Balance among the different spatial parts of unified Europe in terms of benefits and costs of integration: the key role of “Cohesion” –Transport and communications as major connecting mechanisms –Social and Environmental “fall-out” from integrating actions

Regions in the EU Concept of the Region (ref: Michael Keating, The New Regionalism in Western Europe) –Multiple ideas: sub-national, supra-national, cross- border –Multiple aspects: physical, economic, cultural, administrative, political Functional regions (convenient units of policy cooperation or implementation) Identity regions [strong feeling of “oneness” based on some characteristic(s), sometimes with aspiration to political autonomy] –A territorial concept, with “elusive” territorial identity

Regions in the EU (cont’d-1) Some examples of Regions –Mediterranean region (southern Europe) –Flemish, Basque, Scottish “regions” –The German Laender (formal units of government) –The French administrative regions (created by the central government)

Regions in the EU (cont’d-2) Regional implications of EC/EU actions –Regional disparities, especially from implementation of Single Market –Consensus of the scholarly literature: market integration exacerbates territorial disparities, making marginal regions even more marginal (M. Keating) –Problems specific to new, poorer members (eg Greece, Spain, Portugal in 1980s) –Complex emergence of both new opportunities and new challenges for regions

Regions in the EU(cont’d-3) Interaction with “the Social” –Disparities for Social Groups as well as for Regions, from same causes –Environmental policy as a favored site for Regional and Social initiatives

The EC/EU Story of the Regions Story of “the Funds”Funds –European Social Fund and European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (Treaty of Rome, 1958) –European Regional Development Fund (1975) Transfers of share of EC budget to poorest regions –Cohesion policy (1986 SEA, 1992 TEU and onward) Offset burden of single market for southern Member States and less favored regions

The Story of the Regions (cont’d-1) –Creation of Structural Funds ( ) Merger of: Social Fund, Regional Development Fund, Guidance Section of Agricultural Fund –A genuine regional policy made possible, with the Commission at the lead: Regional Policy DG –Creation of Cohesion Fund (TEU 1992) –Fisheries Guidance fund created and added to Structural Funds ( ) –Committee of the Regions (TEU 1992) Today’s allocation of funds ( ) –213B euros (1/3 of Community budget) 195B for Structural Funds 18B for Cohesion Funds

The Story of the Regions (cont’d-2) Regions and Regionalism with the EU –Broad shift in attitudes of regional interest groups From anti-European integration in 1970s to pro-European integration from mid-1980s EU regarded by “Regionalists” as beneficial for both material support (structural funds, etc.) and political mobilization of the region –Regional lobby organizations play growing role in shaping EU treaties and policies Example: key role of Assembly of European Regions (f. 1985) in shaping regional provisions of Maastricht Treaty

The Story of the Regions (cont’d-3) Regional lobbies (permanent) in Brussels –Committee of the Regions (CoR), created by TEU Maastricht Treaty 222 members elected by regional or municipal constituencies Right to consultation on matters within competence Issued 65 Opinions in first 2 years, half on own initiative Linked with Economic and Social Committee

The Story of the Regions (cont’d-4) Some interesting regional initiatives –“Four Motors of Europe”Four Motors of Europe Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ger), Catalonia (Sp), Rhone-Alpes (Fr), Lombardy (It) Single Market inspired, at high industry-high tech level Trans-European networks for research, innovation, and production, with emphasis on education, technology, and knowledge transfer

The Story of the Regions (cont’d-5) Interesting regional initiatives (cont’d) –“Interregio” programs of the CommissionInterregio Euroregions Origins in independent cross-border initiatives based on functional common interest –Example: Peripheral Maritime Regions-Atlantic Arc

Websites Europa Commission DGs Curia Maps Regions