1. Palace of the Parliament
17th Session of the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning (CEMAT) “Functional areas – capitalisation of local potential in territorial development policies over the European continent”
Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds
Bucharest
3 – 4 November 2017
Palace of the Parliament

2. MAIN POINTS Presentation structure
The process leading to the draft of the resolutions - The last CEMAT sessions - Research of the Functional Areas in the Member States of the Council of Europe
- Preparatory meetings
- Participatory approach for establishing the content of the resolutions
The content of the resolutions
- The importance of the theme for spatial planning
- Definition and diversity of functional areas in CoE Member States
- Priorities in using functional areas as instruments for development

3. The process leading to the draft of the resolutions
The last CEMAT sessions
Greece, Nafplion, 2014 “Territorial democracy”
Russian Federation, Moscow, 2010 “Future challenges: Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent in a Changing World”
Portugal, Lisbon, 2006
“Networks for sustainable spatial development of the European continent: Bridges over Europe”
Slovenia, Ljubljana, 2003
“Implementation of strategies and visions for sustainable spatial development of the European continent”
Germany, Hannover, 2000
“Adopting the 10 principles of sustainable European space development ”

4. The process leading to the draft of the resolutions
Greece, Nafplion, 2014 “Territorial democracy”
7 possible themes for work for future CEMAT sessions
all themes were considered in selecting the topic of functional areas
- democratic participation and good territorial governance in spatial planning policies, including through e-governance and e-democracy;
- territorial impacts of demography, migration, energy, transport, environment, landscape etc. policies of Member States and throughout the European continent;
- evaluation and monitoring of territorial processes;
- distribution of and access to general interest services;
- capacity-building in designing and implementing spatial planning policies through the exchange of know-how and the dissemination of good practice;
- cross-border and transnational dimension of spatial planning policies;
- spatial planning as a tool for improving the resilience of regions.

5. The process leading to the draft of the resolutions
Research of the Functional Areas in the Member States of the Council of Europe - This research aimed at identifying functional areas, corresponding management instruments, their suitable development and capitalization, as well as the establishment of a commonly-agreed definition;
- The study covered all 47 member states of the Council of Europe;
- Based on its results and recommendations, two Resolutions (Functional Areas – Capitalisation of Local Potential in Territorial Development Policies over the European Continent and The Future of CEMAT) were prepared;

6. The process leading to the draft of the resolutions
Research of the Functional Areas in the Member States of the Council of Europe
- Within the research, a questionnaire was sent to the 47 CoE Member States
- The purpose was to obtain:
an in-depth perspective on functional areas
a comprehensive image about each state
- The questionnaire on functional areas consisted of the following parts:
Part I - Definition and Identification of Functional Areas
Part II - Development and Capitalization of these areas
Part III - Management and Planning,
Part IV - Good Practice examples in the target countries.

7. The process leading to the draft of the resolutions
Preparatory meetings
- International technical conference (30th May 2017) in
Bucharest on the subject of functional areas
Participants: Council of Europe, European Commission,
ESPON, EUKN and delegates from sixteen European countries.
- Preparatory meeting, 17th October, Bucharest
held at the Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds
A first feedback on the draft resolutions was discussed
- Preparatory meeting, 2nd November, Bucharest
The final version of resolutions

8. The process leading to the draft of the resolutions
Participatory approach for establishing the content of the resolutions
The draft of the two resolutions was sent to all 47 Member States of the Council of Europe
We received feedback from Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Russian Federation and Slovenia
The current version of the resolutions was modified according to the comments expressed by the contributors, in order to reflect a common understanding throughout CoE Member States.

9. The content of the resolution on Functional Areas – Capitalisation of Local Potential in Territorial Development Policies over the European Continent
The importance of the theme for spatial planning
- In the Technical Conference organized in preparation of CEMAT on 30th May 2017 in Bucharest (Romania) there was a common agreement regarding the definition of FAs.
- The concept needs to be operationalized taking into account that:
FAs exceed the administrative boundaries of local/county/regional level
FAs have a specific natural/social potential
FAs are structured through common labor force basin/ territorial pattern/ activities/ public services/ common territorial management and implies a political/technical decision.
- Several categories of functional areas can coexist in the same territory, meeting multiple needs in different fields at the same time. Therefore, the planning process must take into account all the functional relationships in a particular territory.

10. The content of the resolutions
Diversity of functional areas in CoE Member States
- the territory of the European continent is characterized by a great diversity, including:
areas that aggregate around urban centers and concentrate systemic relationships
areas delineated according to geographic specificities or in relation to economic activities.
- Council of Europe Member States have established a wide range of functional areas according to:
different terms
various national strategic documents
diverse territorial scales
in correlation with their functional purpose

11. The content of the resolutions
Diversity of functional areas in CoE Member States
The main interrelations that help structure functional areas are grouped as follows:
1. Migration / commuting flows
2. Cooperation
3. Economic relationships
4. Capitalization / protection of environmental amenities
Functional areas vs potential functional areas
Cooperation
Fomalised management/governance structures.
3. Mobility of people, goods and information.

12. The content of the resolutions
Priorities in using functional areas as instruments for development
Identifying and defining functional areas
B. Identifying and using endogenous potential
C. Providing support for the development of functional areas
D. Ensuring Territorial Governance based on cooperation

13. Instead of conclusions,
further questions on the role of functional areas in spatial planning
How can functional areas act as an efficient instrument for the creation and implementation of spatial development policies?
What is the most suitable framework for sharing knowledge and best practices related to functional areas?
Taking into account the great diversity of functional areas across CoE Member States, can we find common principles to guide the delineation and development of FAs?

14. Thank you for your attention
Ministry of Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds
“Functional areas – capitalisation of local potential in territorial development policies over the European continent”