THE TERRITORIAL DIMENSION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

PART I

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS

RESPONSIBLE FOR SPATIAL/REGIONAL PLANNING - CEMAT
Page 3

PART II

THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION

Page 26

“We are committed to improving the quality of life for citizens. The Council of Europe shall therefore, on
the basis of the existing instruments, further develop and support integrated policies in the fields of ...
landscape, spatial planning ..., in a sustainable development perspective”.

Action Plan adopted by Council of Europe Heads of State and Government at their Third Summit in Warsaw on
17 May 2005 – Section on “Promoting sustainable development”

http://www.coe.int/CEMAT
http://www.coe.int/CEMAT/fr
http://www.coe.int/EuropeanLandscapeConvention
http://www.coe.int/Conventioneuropeennedupaysage

Maguelonne DEJEANT-PONS
Council of Europe
maguelonne.dejeant-pons@coe.int
 PART I

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS

RESPONSIBLE FOR SPATIAL/REGIONAL PLANNING – CEMAT:

The territorial dimension of human rights and democracy

“The Territory is a complex system, comprising not only urbanised, rural and other
spaces, eg industrial land, but nature as a whole and the environment surrounding
humankind. It is the bearing ground and indispensable framework of human dwelling
and activity, and therefore the basis of sustainable development. The spatial
development approach is an essential method in achieving the sustainable development
objective.”

Ljubljana Declaration on the territorial dimension of spatial development, 13th CEMAT

The Council of Europe actively promotes sustainable development in line with Recommendation
Rec (2002) 1 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the Guiding Principles for Sustainable
Spatial Development of the European Continent, which were adopted initially by the Council of Europe
Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT).

This involves establishing a new integrated spatial development policy which fosters social, economic and
territorial cohesion, the preservation of nature and the cultural heritage, an improved living environment
and more balanced competitiveness of territory. In this connection, standard-setting work concerning the
natural, cultural and landscape heritage – ie both nature and the work of humankind – has been in progress
for over 50 years. Five conventions have been adopted in this field by the Council of Europe to date. In
chronological order, they are as follows:

– the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage, opened for signature
in London on 6 May 1969, revised in Valletta on 16 January 1992;
– the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, opened for
signature in Bern on 19 September 1979;
– the Convention for the Protection of the Architectural Heritage of Europe, opened for signature in
Grenada on 3 October 1985;
– the European Landscape Convention, opened for signature in Florence on 20 October 2000;
– the Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society, opened for signature in
Faro on 27 October 2007.

The many resolutions and recommendations issued by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of
Europe to the Organisation’s member states have also guided European policies in this area and have
played a part in preparing, interpreting or expanding the international conventions.

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The Council of Europe’s activities relating to spatial planning began in 1970 in Bonn with the first
European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional Planning. They originated in concerns raised
from the early 1960s by the then Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, which were reflected in
the presentation in May 1968 of a historic report on “Regional planning – A European problem”.

The Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional/Spatial Planning (CEMAT)
brings together representatives of the 47 Council’s member states in pursuit of a shared objective:
sustainable spatial development of the European continent. The CEMAT’s Moscow Declaration on
“Future challenges: sustainable spatial development of the European continent in a changing world”,
adopted on 9 July 2010, emphasises that “the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for
Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT) of the Council of Europe, bringing together European Union and
non-European Union member states, is a unique forum for discussion on the future of the European
continent and for promoting cooperation and partnerships with regard to new, emerging challenges and
to all territorial developments generated by structural changes”.

The CEMAT is the only framework for pan-European co-operation on spatial development policies within
which members and non-members of the European Union can gather on an equal footing at the level of
Greater Europe. The CEMAT is a forum for considering issues of sustainable spatial development and a
platform for exchanging experiences, promotion of transfrontier, interregional and transnational
cooperation, for deciding on European policies on territorial development and disseminating information.

Fifteen CEMAT specialised ministerial conferences, prepared by the CEMAT Committee of Senior
Officials at the request of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe following an invitation
from one of its member states, have been organised to date by the Council of Europe on the following
subjects:

– “Foundations of a European regional planning policy” (Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn,

1970);
– “Objectives of a European regional planning policy” (France, La Grande Motte, 1973);
– “Urbanisation and regional planning” (Italy, Bari, 1976); “Planning of rural areas in Europe”
(Austria, Vienna, 1978);
– “Achievements and prospects for regional planning in Europe” (United Kingdom, London, 1980);
– “Prospects of development and spatial planning in maritime regions” (Spain, Torremolinos,
1983);
– “The evolution of the decision-making process in regional spatial planning” (Netherlands, The
Hague, 1985);
– “Rational use of land: basis or limiting factor of our development” (Switzerland, Lausanne, 1988);
– “Instruments for achieving rational use of land” (Turkey, Ankara, 1991);
– “Strategy for sustainable regional and spatial development in Europe beyond the year 2000”
(Norway, Oslo, 1994);
– “Sustainable regional and spatial planning in Europe and the protection of water resources”
(Cyprus, Limassol, 1997);
– “Joint spatial planning and sustainable development strategy for Europe” (Germany, Hanover,
2000);
– “Implementation of strategies and visions for sustainable spatial development of the European
continent”, (Slovenia, Ljubljana, 2003);
– “Networks for sustainable spatial development of the European continent: Bridges over Europe”
(Portugal, Lisbon, 2006);
– “Future challenges: Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent in a Changing
World” (Russian Federation, Moscow, 2010).

The activities conducted since then have seen the adoption of several basic documents which have shaped
European governments’ spatial development policies:

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– the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter, adopted at the 6th Session of the CEMAT in
Torremolinos in 1983 and incorporated in Recommendation (84) 2 of the Committee of Ministers
to Member States on the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter;
– the European Regional Planning Strategy presented at the 8th Session of the CEMAT in Lausanne
in 1988;
– the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent, adopted at
the 12th Session of the CEMAT in Hanover in 2000 and incorporated in
Recommendation (2002) 1 by the Committee of Ministers to Member States on the Guiding
Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent (GPSSDEC-CEMAT).

The various activities have been conducted in close liaison with the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

1. The concept of spatial/regional planning

According to the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter:

“Regional/spatial planning gives geographical expression to the economic, social, cultural and
ecological policies of society. It is at the same time a scientific discipline, an administrative
technique and a policy developed as an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach directed
towards a balanced regional development and the physical organisation of space according to an
overall strategy”.

The Charter refers to the European dimension and the specific characteristics of regional/spatial planning:

Its European dimension: Regional/spatial planning contributes to a better spatial organisation in Europe
and to finding solutions to problems which go beyond the national framework, and thus aims to create a
feeling of common identity, bearing in mind North/South and East/West relations.

Its characteristics: Humankind and its well-being as well as its interaction with the environment are the
central concern of regional/spatial planning, whose aims are to provide each individual with an
environment and quality of life conducive to the development of his/her personality in surroundings
planned on a human scale.

Regional/spatial planning should be democratic, comprehensive, functional and oriented towards the
longer term:

– Democratic: it should be conducted in such a way as to ensure the participation of the people
concerned and their political representatives;
– Comprehensive: it should ensure the co-ordination of the various sectoral policies and integrate
them in an overall approach;
– Functional: it needs to take account of the existence of regional consciousness based on common
values, culture and interests sometimes crossing administrative and territorial boundaries, while
taking account of the institutional arrangements of the different countries;
– Long-term oriented: it should analyse and take into consideration the long-term trends and
developments of economic, social, cultural, ecological and environmental phenomena and
interventions.

Its operation: Regional/spatial planning should take into consideration the existence of a multitude of
individual and institutional decision-makers who influence the organisation of space, the uncertainty of all
forecasting studies, market pressures, special features of administrative systems and different socio-
economic and environmental conditions. It must, however, strive to reconcile these influences in the most
harmonious way possible.

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The fundamental objectives identified in the Charter are as follows:

– Balanced socio-economic development of the regions;

– Improvement of the quality of life;
– Responsible management of natural resources and protection of the environment;
– Rational use of land.

Implementation of regional/spatial planning objectives: The achievement of regional/spatial planning

objectives is essentially a political matter. Many private and public agencies contribute by their actions to
developing and changing the organisation of space. Regional/spatial planning reflects the desire for
interdisciplinary integration and co-ordination and for co-operation between the authorities involved. It
also requires public participation.

2. The Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent

Recommendation Rec (2002) 1 of the Committee of Ministers states that the Guiding Principles for
Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent are the following:

– a major contribution towards implementation of the strategy of social cohesion adopted at the
Second Summit of Heads of State and Government of Council of Europe member states in 1997;
– a policy framework document which takes into account the relevant activities of the Council of
Europe and its bodies, and in particular the work of its Parliamentary Assembly and its Congress of Local
and Regional Authorities, in the area of continental spatial development policy and which could contribute
to strengthening the European integration process by means of transfrontier, inter-regional and
transnational co-operation;
– a coherent strategy for the integrated and regionally balanced development of our continent,
which, while based on the principles of subsidiarity and reciprocity, strengthens competitiveness, co-
operation and solidarity among local and regional authorities across borders, thereby making a
contribution to democratic stability in Europe.

The Committee of Ministers recommends that member states should use the Guiding Principles as a basis
for planning and spatial development measures, implement them in spatial development projects as
appropriate and continue establishing administrative bodies at regional and governmental levels in order to
facilitate better spatial integration of the various regions of Europe.

The Guiding Principles have six chapters and refer to the main European legal instruments of relevance to
spatial planning.

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 Content of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development
of the European Continent

I. Contribution of the guiding principles to the implementation of the social cohesion policy of the
Council of Europe
II. Spatial development policies in Europe: new continent-wide challenges and prospects
1. Intercontinental relationships as strategic elements for European spatial development
policy
2. The multiplicity of cultures
3. Large European regions as a basis for mutual support and co-operation
4. Integration of the old and new member states
III. Specific role of the private sector in spatial development
IV. Principles of a planning policy for sustainable development in Europe
1. Promoting territorial cohesion through a more balanced social and economic
development of regions and improved competitiveness
2. Encouraging development generated by urban functions and improving the relationship
between the town and the countryside
3. Promoting more balanced accessibility
4. Developing access to information and knowledge
5. Reducing environmental damage
6. Enhancing and protecting natural resources and the natural heritage
7. Enhancing the cultural heritage as a factor for development
8. Developing energy resources while maintaining safety
9. Encouraging high quality, sustainable tourism
10. Limitation of the impact of natural disasters
V. Spatial development measures for different types of European regions
1. Landscapes
2. Urban areas
3. Rural areas
4. Mountains
5. Coastal and island regions
6. Eurocorridors
7. Flood plains and water meadows
8. Redundant industrial and military sites
9. Border regions
VI. Strengthening of co-operation between the member states of the Council of Europe and
participation of regions, municipalities and citizens
1. Possibilities of conceiving a development-oriented spatial planning
2. Developing Europe-wide co-operation activities on the basis of the guiding principles
3. Horizontal co-operation
4. Vertical co-operation
5. Broadly-based participation of society in the spatial planning process

The main European legal instruments listed below, of relevance to spatial planning, are the following:

– European Cultural Convention (Paris, France, 19 December 1954);

– Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern, Switzerland,
19 September 1979);
– European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities
or Authorities (Madrid, Spain, 2 May 1980) and its additional protocols;
– Florence Charter on the protection of historic parks and gardens (Icomos-Ifla, 1981);

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– European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter (Torremolinos, Spain, 20 May 1983);
– Convention on the Conservation of the Architectural Heritage of Europe (Grenada, Spain,
3 October 1985);
– European Charter of Local Self-Government (Strasbourg, France, 15 October 1985);
– Convention on the Protection of the Alps (Salzburg, Austria, 1991);
– European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (revised) (Valletta,
Malta, 16 January 1992);
– draft European Charter of Regional Self-Government, 5 June 1997;
– Baltic Agenda 21 (Nyborg, Denmark, June 1998);
– European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) (Potsdam, Germany, May 1999);
– European Landscape Convention (Florence, Italy, 20 October 2000).

In accordance with the concept of sustainability, the Guiding Principles take into account the needs of all
the inhabitants of Europe’s regions, without compromising the fundamental rights and development
prospects of future generations. They aim in particular at bringing the economic and social requirements
to be met by the territory into harmony with its ecological and cultural functions and therefore
contributing to long-term, large-scale and balanced spatial development. Their implementation therefore
requires close co-operation between spatial planning and sectoral policies, which, through the measures
they involve, influence the spatial structures in Europe.

The Guiding Principles also take account of international co-operation at world level, as co-ordinated by
the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. The Council of Europe presented the
Guiding Principles at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in
2002 as a contribution to the UN Agenda 21 programme adopted in Rio de Janeiro and to the develop an
intercontinental dialogue. The Committee of Senior Officials of the CEMAT prepared a “Message from
the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning (CEMAT) CSO to
Rio+20 International UN Conference on Sustainable Development” held on 20-22 June 2012.

3. Implementation of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the

European Continent: outcome of the last ministerial conferences

The 13th Session of the European Conference of Ministers responsible for Regional/Spatial Planning
(Ljubljana, Slovenia, 16-17 September 2003) was a milestone in the implementation of the strategies and
perspectives for the sustainable spatial development of the European continent1. The Ljubljana
Declaration on the territorial dimension of spatial development is of crucial importance as regards what
may be described as the human right to sustainable development. With a view to the management of the
major challenges for sustainable spatial development of the European continent, it states that the relevant
policies should be further improved in order to support the balanced polycentric development of the
European continent and the formation of functional urban regions, including networks of small and
medium-sized towns and rural settlements.

The Declaration states: “Sustainable development is not just an environmental issue. Three aspects of
sustainable development have been agreed upon: economic sustainability, environmental sustainability
and social sustainability. The first implies economic growth and development, the second includes
ecosystem integrity and attention to carrying capacity and biodiversity, whilst the latter includes values
such as equity, empowerment, accessibility and participation. In addition to these three components, the
Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent introduced a fourth
dimension: that of cultural sustainability”.

The Declaration also provides that the Ministers of the Member States of the Council of Europe
responsible for Regional/Spatial Planning commit themselves to report every three years to the Committee

1
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/Landscape/Publications/13eConf_en.pdf
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of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the implementation of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable
Spatial Development of the European Continent. A method for standardising monitoring of the
implementation of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent
has been drawn up with a view to assessing the spatial development policies of the Council of Europe’s
member states.

The Ministerial Conference also:

– adopted resolutions concerning sustainable development: Resolution No. 1 on public-private

partnerships in spatial development policy, Resolution No. 2 on the training of authorities
responsible for sustainable development and Resolution No. 3 concerning the prevention of floods
and better co-ordination of all activities designed to minimise the risks and the consequences of
disastrous floods;
– took note of the work carried out with a view to the sustainable spatial development of the
Tisza/Tisa river basin, as reflected in the signature of the Initiative on the Sustainable Spatial
Development of the Tisza/Tisa River Basin by the Ministers responsible for Regional/Spatial
Planning of Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, the Slovak Republic and Ukraine and the
adoption of the Declaration on co-operation concerning the Tisza/Tisa river basin by the same
states at the conference;
– took note of the “European Rural Heritage Observation Guide – CEMAT”2.

The 14th Session of the CEMAT was organised on the theme of “Networks for sustainable spatial
development of the European continent: bridges over Europe” (Lisbon, Portugal, 2006)3. The
following texts geared towards sustainable development were adopted:

– Lisbon Declaration on “Networks for sustainable spatial development of the European continent:
Bridges over Europe”;
– Resolution No. 1 on “Polycentric development: promoting competitiveness, enhancing cohesion”;
– Resolution No. 2 on “Territorial governance: empowerment through enhanced co-ordination”;
– Resolution No. 3 on “The Territorial Agenda of the European Union and its relation to CEMAT”;
– Spatial Development Glossary on key expressions used in spatial development policies in Europe.

The 15th Session of the CEMAT was organised on the theme of “Challenges of the Future: Sustainable
Spatial Development of the European Continent in a Changing World” (Moscow, Russian Federation,
8-9 July 2010)4.

The Ministers adopted important texts showing how spatial planning policies is becoming a crucial part of
governments’ political agenda:

– Moscow Declaration on “Future challenges: sustainable territorial development of the European

continent in a changing world”;
– Resolution No. 1 on “The contribution of essential services to the sustainable spatial development
of the European continent”;
– Resolution No. 2 on “The pan-European charter for the rural heritage: Promoting sustainable
spatial development”;
– Resolution No. 3 on “The organisation of the 16th Session of the Council of Europe Conference
of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning”.

2
The Guide take account of all cultural, natural and landscape aspects of the rural heritage, both tangible and
intangible, in their full diversity as factors in and driving forces for development.
3
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/Landscape/Publications/14eConf_bil.pdf
4
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/Landscape/Publications/ACTES_MOSCOW.pdf
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The following documents were also examined:

– National Reports of the 15th CEMAT;

– Synthesis of the National Reports of the 15th CEMAT;
– Report of activities CEMAT 2006-2010, including the Conclusions of international Seminars and
Conferences CEMAT 2006-2010 ;
– “ CEMAT Spatial Development Glossary”;
– CEMAT Pan-european Compendium of national policies for spatial planning.

The Resolution No. 3 acknowledges the kind invitation extended by the Government of Greece to host the
16th Session of the CEMAT in 2013 and by the Government of Romania to host the 17th Session of the
CEMAT in 2016.

According to the Council of Europe priorities concerning human rights and democracy, Greece proposed
as theme of the 16th Session of the CEMAT to be held in 2014: “Territorial democracy : the role of
public participation in the process of sustainable territorial development of the European Continent”.

The working programme of the Committee of Senior Officials will implement the provisions of
Recommendation Rec(2002)1 of the Committee of Ministers to Member States on the CEMAT Guiding
Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent which states in paragraph VI. 5
on “Broadly-based participation of society in the spatial planning process”:

“As early as 1983 the European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter drew attention to the need for active
public participation in the spatial planning process. The intervening years have confirmed this need.
Apart from such participation in local, regional and supraregional projects, the involvement of European
society and socio-economic actors, for example through non-governmental organisations, has become
necessary. Their involvement at an early stage of the process makes a significant contribution not only to
increasing the planning process’s chances of success but also to avoiding unproductive investments.
Societal consensus is very important, not only for the success of local and regional initiatives; it also
creates a dynamic environment for outside investors and economic actors. The involvement of the
younger generation in the planning process increases the chances of interesting the public in the long-
term planning of their home region and in efficient and innovative participation. This is essential in
gaining wider acceptance of the ‘European idea’”.

The above mentioned Resolution n° 3 underlines also that “sustainable spatial development,
spatial/regional planning and territorial cohesion cannot be promoted and implemented without an active
involvement of national, regional and local authorities, economic and social partners and the civil
society”.

4. Main results

Since its foundation in 1970, the CEMAT specialised ministerial conference has played a significant role
in promoting efficient spatial development policies throughout Europe, in line with major changes in the
general context.

The basic texts adopted by the CEMAT ministerial conferences (Cf. Council of Europe Conference of
Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT) – Basic texts 1970-2010, Council of
Europe Publishing 2010, Territory and Landscape Series, 2010, No 3), represent policy reference
documents for numerous spatial development measures and initiatives on the European continent, and in
particular for transnational co-operation.

The Committee of Ministers has recommended that the Council of Europe member states use the CEMAT
Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent as a reference
document for spatial planning and development measures. It recommended to implement them in spatial
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development projects as appropriate, and continue establishing regional governmental and administrative
bodies in order to facilitate better spatial integration of the various regions of Europe (adopted at the 12th
CEMAT Session in Hanover in 2000, they were incorporated into Recommendation Rec(2002)1 of the
Committee of Ministers).

The CEMAT has had an unquestionable impact on the improvement of spatial development legislation,
policies, procedures, practices and tools in numerous countries. A particularly valuable and influential
achievement of the CEMAT has been the joint formulation and political adoption of common forward-
looking spatial development doctrines. The CEMAT has advocated the subsidiarity and reciprocity
principles with a view to actively involving regions and municipalities in spatial development policies,
and also as a means of preserving the unity in diversity bequeathed to Europe by its history and
geography. The CEMAT has continued to demonstrate that well-conceived – based on a balanced and
harmonious relationship between social and cultural needs, economic activity and the environment – and
efficiently implemented spatial development policies are essential to ensure sustainable development in
the long-term and to enhance landscapes as an essential component of people’s surroundings. Activities to
raise awareness, exchange good practices and jointly explore future trends have marked the course of its
forty two years of activity. Work on implementation of the European Landscape Convention is therefore
closely linked to the activities of the CEMAT.

The CEMAT has promoted on-the-ground initiatives fostering international co-operation at pan-European
level, such as the Initiative on the Sustainable Spatial Development of the Tisza/Tisa River Basin,
involving Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and the Slovak Republic; the CEMAT Model Region
programme associating Armenia, Georgia and Germany; or the co-operation in spatial development policy
between Germany and the Russian Federation. Investment in research and strategic planning from
countries such as Germany, Norway and others contributes to building co-operation at Europe-wide level.
The CEMAT has thus promoted spatial integration across national borders through numerous co-operation
activities at all levels. The “CEMAT spatial development glossary” (Council of Europe Publishing 2007,
No 2), translated into several languages of the Council of Europe member states, has helped to clarify a
number of concepts and expressions commonly used in the context of spatial development policies at pan-
European level.

In keeping with the cross-sectoral approach to sustainable development, the Council of Europe organised
the following CEMAT seminars and symposiums between 2001 and 20105 under the work programme of
the CEMAT Committee of Senior Officials:

– “Integration of the greater European spaces”, Thessaloniki, Greece, 25-26 June 2001;
– “Landscape heritage, spatial planning and sustainable development”, Lisbon, Portugal,
26-27 November 2001;
– “The role of local and regional authorities in transnational co-operation in the field of
regional/spatial development”, Dresden, Germany, 15-16 May 2002 (in co-operation with the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe);
– “Spatial planning for the sustainable development of particular types of European areas:
mountains, coastal zones, rural zones, flood-plains and alluvial valleys”, Sofia, Bulgaria, 23-24 October
2002;
– “Sustainable spatial development: strengthening intersectoral relations”, Budapest, Hungary,
26-27 March 2003 (in co-operation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research –
UNITAR);
– “Natural disasters and sustainable spatial development: prevention of floods”, Wrocław,
Poland, 30 June 2003;

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The documents and proceedings of the meetings are published in the Council of Europe’s “Spatial Planning and
Landscape” and “Territorial and Landscape” Council of Europe series and are available on the Council of Europe
CEMAT Website: http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/Landscape/Publications_en.asp.
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– “Spatial development governance: institutional co-operation network”, Yerevan, 28-29 October
2004;
– “The role of training in the implementation of the policy of sustainable spatial development at
local and regional levels in Europe”, Strasbourg, 15 March 2004 (in co-operation with the European
Network of Training Organisations for Local and Regional Authorities (ENTO), the Committee on
Sustainable Development of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
and the Union of Local Authority Chief Executives of Europe (UDITE));
– “Urban management in networking Europe”, Ljubljana, Slovenia, 17-18 November 2005;
– “Sharing responsibility for our region: redefining the public interest for territorial
development”, Bratislava, Slovak Republic, 22-23 May 2006 (organised in co-operation with the
authorities of the Slovak Republic and the UN Economic Commission for Europe as part of the CEMAT
activities);
– “The accessibility and attractiveness of rural and landlocked areas: sustainable transport and
services of general interest”, Andorra la Vella, Andorra, 25-26 October 2007;
– “Challenges and strategies for metropolises and metropolitan regions, in a context of growing
globalisation with regard to economic, social, environmental and cultural development”, St Petersburg,
Russian Federation, 26-27 June 2008;
– “The spatial dimension of human rights: for a new culture of territory”, Yerevan, Armenia, 13-
14 October 2008;
– “A comprehensive approach to balanced sustainable spatial development of the European
Continent”, Kyiv, Ukraine, 11 June 2009
– “Visions for the future of Europe on territorial democracy: landscape as a new strategy for
spatial planning”, Greece, 1-2 October 2012

5. Council of Europe’s fundamental values

The CEMAT seeks to promote the Council of Europe’s fundamental values, as evidenced in particular by
Resolution No. 1 on “The contribution of essential services to the sustainable spatial development of the
European Continent” and Resolution No. 2 on “The Pan-European Charter of rural heritage: for a
sustainable territorial development” adopted on 9 July 2010 at the 15th CEMAT Session in Moscow. It
contributes in a concrete and positive way to the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of
law and to study of the major problems facing modern society:
Democracy: Public participation and involvement are a crucial element of the CEMAT’s basic texts. The
European Regional/Spatial Planning Charter (Recommendation Rec(84)2) states that spatial planning
must be democratic: “it should be conducted in such a way as to ensure the participation of the people
concerned and their political representatives”. The support, involvement and good will of the public are
crucial if we are to preserve, manage and develop the land in a way that is sustainable.

Human rights and responsibilities: In the 21st century, it is important to recognise that human rights as
defined in the 1950s in the wake of the second world war are opening up to new concerns, taking into
account the “territorial dimension of human rights”. It is also important to consider our new
responsibilities in terms of looking after territories viewed as living environments and, by definition, finite
resources, for the benefit of future generations.

Rule of law: The CEMAT’s basic texts represent policy reference documents for numerous spatial
development measures and initiatives on the European continent, and in particular for transnational
co-operation. Many states and regions in Europe have already introduced new, or expanded existing,
legislation in order to incorporate the provisions laid down in the “European Regional/Spatial Planning
Charter” (Recommendation Rec(84)2) and the “Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development
of the European Continent” (Recommendation Rec(2002)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member
states). The above-mentioned Moscow Declaration considered the need to adapt the Guiding Principles to
the new territorial challenges.

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The major problems facing society: At the Third Council of Europe Summit in 2005, the Heads of State
and Government of the Organisation’s member states pledged to improve “quality of life for citizens”. In
the section of the Action Plan on “promoting sustainable development”, they recognised that the Council
of Europe would, on the basis of the existing instruments, further develop and support integrated policies
in the field of environment, landscape and spatial planning, in a spatial development perspective. The
CEMAT sets out to secure precisely this quality of life for citizens in line with the provisions of
Recommendation Rec(84)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the European
Regional/Spatial Planning Charter. The quality of a given area is neither irrelevant nor unimportant.
Quality of territory plays a part in the life and quality of life of the population and contributes to territorial
attractiveness. Territory is where all four pillars - environmental, social, cultural and economic - of
sustainable development converge.

Conclusion

The Declaration adopted at the 15th CEMAT Session in Moscow states that “in this year of economic and
social challenges, the priorities of the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of
Europe (May-November 2010) focused on achieving greater territorial cohesion are fully in line with the
CEMAT commitments towards sustainable territorial development of the European Continent”, and calls
on:
“- the member states, the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to
consider not only the importance of the work carried out by CEMAT over the past forty years in
promoting territorial development on a pan-European level while supporting human rights and
democracy, but also its present strategic activities on crucial issues in a rapidly changing and challenging
context, and therefore to maintain their support by providing CEMAT with sufficient resources as
mentioned in the Annex to the final Declaration of the Third Summit of Heads of States and Governments
(2005);
- the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities and the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe to provide appropriate support to
CEMAT’s policy recommendations in order to facilitate and strengthen their implementation by
mobilising wider circles of public authorities and stakeholders of civil society”.

The Declaration considers that the overarching objective of territorial cohesion, as promoted by the
Guiding Principles, should be interpreted primarily as a basic territorial dimension of human rights. It
represents a fundamental value of European society that can reconcile European citizens and their daily
aspirations in terms of human dignity, equity and security, and good living, working and cultural
environments, with the unavoidable transformations in production systems and in the international and
interregional division of labour, with changes in natural conditions such as climate change, and with the
move towards a more multicultural society. The Declaration notes that territorial cohesion is the most
comprehensive and ambitious objective which territorial development policies, in conjunction with other
public policies, must strive to achieve.

Climate change, population ageing and social polarisation call for appropriate and efficient territorial
policy responses. These new challenges call for urgent policy responses, especially on the part of
territorial development policies, in conjunction with other public policies. The quality and efficiency of
territorial governance are key factors in responding successfully to new challenges.

* * *

12
 APPENDICES

LJUBLJANA DECLARATION ON

“THE TERRITORIAL DIMENSION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT”

adopted by the Ministers responsible for Regional Planning at the 13th Session of the European Conference of
Ministers responsible for Regional Planning (CEMAT), in Ljubljana, on 17 September 2003

We, the Ministers of the Member States of the Council of Europe attending the 13th Session of the European
Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning in Ljubljana on 16 and 17 September 2003, having
examined the document on the basis for this Declaration(and considering:

– the devotion of the Council of Europe to the protection and promotion of human rights, to the rule of law
and to pluralist democracy, put into concrete form by various European Conventions and Charters,
– the commitment of the Council of Europe and particularly of CEMAT to the goal of sustainable
development, reconfirmed through the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the
European Continent, adopted by the 12th Session of the CEMAT in 2000 and recommended in 2002 to the
Member States by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (Rec (2002) 1),
– the ever-present environmental and other problems, related to spatial development, particularly those
connected with the economic and social cohesion and sustainable and balanced development of Europe,
– the particular geographical situation of our common Europe, presenting a variety of opportunities which can
be realised through adequate policies and their accountable implementation in agreement, co-operation and
solidarity between the people and authorities of our states, regions and local communities,
– the ongoing processes of European integration – accession of new Member States to the Council of Europe
and the greatest enlargement of the European Union since its foundation – which are important steps in the
building of Europe-wide cohesion,
– our readiness to continue to promote an integrated approach to territorial cohesion through a more balanced
social and economic development of regions and improved competitiveness, which respects the diversity
and uniqueness of Europe,
– our will that Europe contributes also to the sustainable development of its geographical neighbourhood in
the East and South and at the global level,
– the role of local and regional authorities of Europe in the implementation of the principles of sustainability,

adopt the following Declaration:

1. The concept of sustainable development has steadily risen in status throughout the 1990s and into the 21st Century,
in particular since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and was confirmed by the Johannesburg World Summit as an
inescapable development paradigm and as a central element of the international agenda. But the still differing
interpretations of sustainable development and ways through which this goal could be achieved reflect a variety of
aspirations or visions.

2. Sustainable development is not just an environmental issue. Three aspects of sustainable development have been
agreed upon: economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and social sustainability. The first implies
economic growth and development, the second includes ecosystem integrity and attention to carrying capacity and
biodiversity, whilst the latter includes values such as equity, empowerment, accessibility and participation. In
addition to these three components, the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European
Continent introduced a fourth dimension: that of cultural sustainability.

3. The Territory is a complex system, comprising not only urbanised, rural and other spaces, e.g. industrial land, but
nature as a whole and the environment surrounding mankind. It is the bearing ground and indispensable framework
of human dwelling and activity, and therefore the basis of sustainable development.

4. Inconsistent development policies cause risks, uncontrolled land speculation and unsustainable development. They
are hazardous to the environment and to people themselves, as has been proven several times through human
casualties and devastation caused by the disasters which have recently struck Europe – ranging from earthquakes and

13
volcanic eruptions, droughts and floods, to great fires and black tides. Sustainable spatial development prevents or
substantially diminishes these risks.

5. Numerous processes are challenging the sustainability of our common European future. These challenges are in
particular related to:

– the disparities in economic and social development between Europe and some of its neighbours and among
European regions, sometimes coinciding with administrative borders, and within regions, enhancing the risk
of various-speed development;
– the accentuation of social inequalities, the extent of poverty and uneven accessibility to essential goods and
services, generating marginalisation and exclusion;
– the deterioration of the environment, the degradation of settled areas and the malfunction of physical and
social infrastructure and services in considerable parts of Europe because of economic decline or war,
causing i.a. unwanted migration, including of refugees;
– the intensification of transport flows, the congestion of road traffic and the related deterioration of the
environment;
– the more frequent occurrence of natural and man-made hazards, partly caused by climatic changes,
endangering human life and generating severe damage;
– the loss of vitality and quality of life in numerous rural areas, including depopulation, transformation and
loss of the traditional rural landscapes and way of life, natural resources and rural heritage;
– the necessity to revitalise cities and to contain urban sprawl and to reduce the threat to cultural identity and
collective traditions of European living, settlement types and heritage.

6. To manage adequately the major challenges for sustainable spatial development of the European Continent,
relevant policies must be further improved, in order to:

– reduce disparities, particularly through a more balanced and effective territorial location of activities,
infrastructure and services in order to improve their accessibility;
– support the balanced polycentric development of the European Continent and the formation of functional
urban regions, including the networks of small and medium-sized towns and of rural settlements;
– provide measures for the revitalisation of declining settlements and for the redevelopment of brownfield
sites in order to contain land consumption, to reduce social deprivation and unemployment and to improve
the quality of urban life;
– increase the efficiency of transport and energy networks and minimise their adverse impacts, particularly
through the fostering of public passenger transport and multi-modal solutions of cargo flows;
– prevent and reduce the potential damages of natural hazards, particularly by making settlement patterns and
structure less vulnerable;
– protect and improve the natural and the built environment, particularly where already polluted or degraded
or under threat of becoming such;
– reduce the intensification, industrialisation and the dependence upon chemistry of agricultural practice, and
through spatial development policy allowing for diversified economic activity create new market
opportunities for rural populations;
– achieve a balance between preserving the existing cultural heritage, attracting new investments and
supporting existing living and working communities in urban and rural areas;
– increase public participation in spatial development approaches and in conceiving and implementing spatial
development policies.

7. Accordingly, since the adoption of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European
Continent at its 12th Session in 2000, CEMAT has been contributing to improvement of spatial development
approach through the intensification of scientific and political discourse upon the most

outstanding topics and questions of balanced and sustainable development of Europe. It has been organizing venues,
bringing to important conclusions and guidelines, monitoring good examples of sustainable policies and following
successful cases of transeuropean co-operation, as shown in the documents of its 13th Session in 2003.

8. But in order to achieve sustainability, spatial development policies should reach a substantially stronger
transsectoral dimension. The spatial development approach involves co-operation of various sectors of activity,
various levels of authorities, and various stakeholders. Therefore it is an important policy implementation tool,
14
providing widely acceptable solutions. It allows for all public policies with territorial impacts to be scrutinised and
assessed so as to strengthen and increase their synergies and the sustainability of their outcomes. But sectoral
policies should fully integrate the dimension of sustainability themselves, particularly the central ones, e.g.:
transport, energy, agricultural and other.

9. Territorial impacts of development are wider than national, regional, local or any other administratively
determined borders. Therefore transeuropean co-operation in the field of spatial planning, involving all levels of
authorities, is indispensable and should be widely enhanced.

10. The enlargement of the European Union is a unique opportunity, but at the same time an ultimate necessity for
the intensification of transeuropean co-operation in the field of spatial development. This is enacted through the co-
operation of authorities of the old and the new Member States of the European Union and of other States – members
of the Council of Europe for example – and for setting up of co-operation in this field between Europeans and their
neighbours on adjacent Continents. New initiatives and funds have to be provided to enhance such co-operation, seen
as an investment with far-reaching benefits, not only for the cohesion and balanced development of Europe, but also
for its perspective in the globalising world.

11. Effective spatial development requires active participation and adaptation based on regional differences and local
needs. The regional level of government strengthens development initiatives, and optimises their results through
interregional co-operation. Within the framework of their tasks, local authorities can co-operate with each other, with
authorities from their own country and, if the Law allows, with those from other States. For matters which concern
them, but which do not fall within their realm of power or responsibility, local and regional authorities should be
involved or consulted as far as possible when decisions are taken.

12. Spatial development policies and spatial planning provide important tools for local and regional authorities. The
interaction of political bodies, organs and parties, non-government organisations, professional and other unions and
citizens in spatial development decision-making constitutes an important factor of local and regional democracy.
Local and regional authorities have competence in spatial planning and spatial development policy at their scale, they
can have an important role in transeuropean co-operation and can be very efficient in the implementation of spatial
development policy at local and regional level.

We, the Ministers of the Member States of the Council of Europe responsible for Regional/Spatial Planning,
considering the universal importance of sustainable development, aware of the challenges to sustainability and
recognising the importance of the ongoing European integrations:

– stress that the spatial development approach is an essential method of achieving the sustainable
development objective;
– commit ourselves to create synergies of activities in order to guarantee the sustainable development of the
European Continent, and to report each three years to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
on the implementation of the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European
Continent;
– entrust the Committee of Senior Officials of CEMAT to define the structure of our reporting and the
indicators of the follow-up, and establish an assessment of the progress in the implementation of the
Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent;
– invite the member states of the Council of Europe to support and enhance the role of spatial planning in
their development policies, to promote the horizontal and vertical co-operation within the States and on
transeuropean level, and to co-operate in the framework of ESPON;
– convey the appeal to the Committee of Ministers, to the Parliamentary Assembly, to the Congress of Local
and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, as well as to the European Union, to support the role of
the spatial development approach at trans-European level as an efficient way towards sustainability;
– invite the European Union and the Council of Europe to enhance their co-operation in the field of spatial
development and ask the European Commission to define tools which on the basis of experience of Interreg,
Phare, Tacis, Cards and Meda programmes would facilitate transeuropean co-operation between European,
and neighbouring countries in the field of spatial development in order to prevent divisions caused by
unbalanced development;
– invite the Committee of Ministers to take into consideration the sustainable spatial development in the
framework of the Third Council of Europe summit.

15
 LISBON DECLARATION ON

“NETWORKS FOR SUSTAINABLE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT OF

THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT: BRIDGES OVER EUROPE”

Adopted by the Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning at the 14th Session of the European Conference
of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT), in Lisbon, on 27 October 2006

We, the Ministers of the Member States of the Council of Europe attending the 14th Session of the European
Conference of Ministers Responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning in Lisbon on 27 October 2006, considering:

– the commitment of the Council of Europe to the promotion of human rights, pluralist democracy and sustainable
socio-economic development, put into concrete form by various European Conventions and Charters,

– the commitment of the Council of Europe to sustainable development, as stated by the Heads of State and
Government of Council of Europe Member States at the Third Summit (Warsaw on 17 May 2005), and particularly
of CEMAT to the specific goal of sustainable territorial development, reconfirmed through the Guiding Principles
for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent, adopted by the 12th Session of the CEMAT in 2000
and recommended to the Member States by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe through Rec.
(2002) 1, as well as by the Ljubljana Declaration on the territorial dimension of sustainable development,

Having regard to the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) agreed at the Informal Meeting of
Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning of European Union Member States at Potsdam in May 1999,

Taking note of the Territorial Agenda of the EU being elaborated by EU Member States and to be agreed upon by
EU Spatial Development Ministers at their Informal Ministerial to be held in Leipzig on 24 / 25 May 2007,

Following the premises and objectives suggested in the work programme of the Committee of Senior Officials, for
the period 2004-2006, highlighting the theme “Networks for sustainable territorial development: bridges over
Europe”, and its priority topics,

– the high relevance and recognition of both the polycentricity and governance principles and postulates, in the
building of increasingly consolidated and dynamic balanced socio-spatial development and territorial cohesion
frameworks amongst the European territories and societies,

– the particular geographical situation of our common Europe, presenting a variety of opportunities which can be
realized through adequate policies and their accountable implementation in agreement, cooperation and solidarity
between the people and authorities of our states, regions and local communities,

– our readiness to continue to promote an integrated approach to territorial cohesion and territorial integration
through a more balanced social and economic development of regions and improved cohesion and competitiveness,
which respects the diversity and uniqueness of Europe, and the identities of its people,

– the role of local and regional authorities of Europe in the implementation of the principles of
sustainability,

– the ongoing processes of European integration – accession of new Member States to the Council of Europe and the
greatest enlargement of the European Union since its foundation – which are important steps in the building of
Europe-wide cohesion.

Adopt the following Declaration:

The growing importance of networks

Networks, consisting of a number of nodes and their respective direct or indirect relations, are a fundamental element
of contemporary societies and a crucial tool to the establishment of new bridges over Europe by supporting an
enduring interdependence among different agents and territories.

16
Every network node detains a limited number of resources and is dependent on the resources detained by other
nodes. It is the quality of resources (namely people and organisations) of each node and the quality of interaction and
of resources sharing that determines the role and efficiency of a network. This is particularly relevant in the
contemporary knowledge society, where coordination of resources devoted to R&D and the diffusion of information
and knowledge is critical to creativity, innovation and competitiveness. In this sense, networks are a crucial tool for
achieving the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy.

Constructing the future of Europe presumes the strengthening of interactions and interchanges at a regional, national
and European level as well as with even more global territories having in consideration that dynamic networks
requires external links to other networks and systems. It is necessary to devise and build networks as “bridges” for
the sustainable spatial and socio-economic development of the European continent. Sustainable development is
better achieved by boosting interactions among the different systems and strong networks may help to promote
sustainability.
Virtual networks, namely cooperation networks, need infrastructural networks that support communication and
interchange. In particular, transport (including inland waterways and motorways of the sea) and information and
communication technologies (ICT) are crucial to the integration of European territory. The European Union report,
Networks for Peace and Development, on the extension of the major trans-European transport axes to the
neighbouring countries and regions is an important step towards good pan-European connections.

Networks are tools for better governance: sharing knowledge and best practices, benchmarking and collective
constant learning, engagement, monitoring and accountability are a new way of promoting a competitive adaptation
to the challenges of globalization and territorial cohesion.

Identifying priorities for cooperation and networking

Cities and regional development poles are the primary nodes of national and trans-national exchange and of
distribution of goods and commodities and are the hotbeds for the production of knowledge, culture, information,
and innovation. City networks play an irreplaceable role in disseminating good practices and developing and testing
new ideas on the dynamics of sustainability, competitiveness, polycentric development and social integration. Urban
cooperation and urban networks, such as the recent European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN), need to be
strengthened. Council of Europe Member States should build on this experience to disseminate information and
target-oriented knowledge to better inform urban policies.

There are new roles for cities and regions in a global and knowledge economy that justify the need for more thematic
networking among European cities. Local action for innovation, employment and economic growth, sustainable
mobility, urban regeneration, integration of migrants, are some examples of areas where urban networks can be a
particularly efficient way of gathering new knowledge and information. One must stress the contribution of the
URBACT Community Initiative Programme and INTERREG III Community Initiative and hope that the future
programmes in the framework of the objective European Territorial Cooperation shall continue to emphasize the
thematic cooperation among European cities.

The existing diversity of cultures and territorial identities represents an invaluable potential for territorial
development. Networks of civil organisations and various social groups, as well as social networks evolving in the
course of and resulting from societal processes and migration flows represent a complex web of the social dimension
of spatial relations. Cultural and civic networks, not only those which promote the enhancement of European built
heritage but also those that support exchanges to promote creativity and innovation must also be more widely
encouraged in the future within the European territory.
Creating and benefiting from nature conservation areas, even if with diverse levels of protection and legal
frameworks, is strategic for Europe’s identity and sustainability. Strengthening pan-European ecological networks
represents the building of green bridges which should be promoted not only in terms of conservation and
biodiversity, but also of landscape character.

Landscapes, in particular cultural ones, being a significant part of European natural and cultural heritage, contribute
to the European identity and development potential. Their diversity and quality should provide the basis for a
European landscape network in the framework of the European Landscape Convention.

All European countries face the challenge of integrated rural development. Rural areas are usually spaces of low
density and ageing population and a weak urban network, besides being, sometimes, remote areas. The low density
of economic and social actors emphasizes the strategic role of networking and cooperation. The concept of the “rural

17
development pole” may be suitable for organizing cooperation in rural areas with one or more small towns, using
their endogenous potentials in different ways. The experience accumulated by the EU Leader initiative should be
analyzed, as it may be the basis for an European knowledge network on rural development action.

It is fundamental to enhance the capacity to produce, assimilate and disseminate knowledge on issues of integrated
spatial planning and development. Member States should analyze and improve methodological aspects, management,
follow-up and evaluation procedures of projects, plans and policy measures and set-up appropriate knowledge
dissemination and training strategy. Capitalizing on existing European experiences, such as Espon, Member States
should participate actively in the construction of pan- European networks, so as to generate public policies that
contribute to a more balanced and integrated development.

The ongoing discussion on maritime issues in Europe should be taken into consideration. Spatial planning on the Sea
and an integrated coastal zone management, particularly with regard to motorways of the sea and the diverse usage
of maritime areas can play a significant role in developing networks over Europe.

Contribution of networks to sustainable spatial development

Pan-European networks can strengthen competitiveness and innovation, while promoting territorial cohesion but
should not be regarded as a panacea to solve the lack of territorial cohesion, unsustainable development and
territorial disparities. The asymmetrical nature of networks should be overcome by highlighting the role of
cooperation between peripheral areas and enhancing networks as instruments in the dissemination of knowledge.
Member States should take into consideration the various scales at which networks operate and how these
overlapping scales can interact. The trans-national level is the scale where more creative patterns and cooperation
experiences at the territorial level can occur. Cross-border networks are feasible networks that can be achieved by
embedding strategic cooperation between cities and regions and the building of social, economic, ecological or
cultural networks. Spatial development policies should take this into consideration in their design and
implementation.

Although internet is a powerful tool to support networking and its generalized access must be a priority objective,
networking is interaction among people, organisations and territories. Attention must be given not to substitute a
web-site for a real and effective network.

From all that has been mentioned above, we, the Ministers responsible for Spatial/RegionalPlanning ofthe Member
States of the Council of Europe:

Highlight that:

– The European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT) of the Council of
Europe is the only European forum uniting EU and non-EU Member States with the aim of sustainable spatial and
socio-economic development of the European Continent.

– The European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT) provides a framework
to support multiple initiatives favourable to the emergence of national and transnational strategies for the sustainable
spatial and socio-economic development of the European continent.

– CEMAT should devise supra-national spatial planning strategies with a focus on an integrated approach and
coordination of sector policies with a spatial impact, based on the experience of the Pan-European Network of
CEMAT Regions of Innovation and on the cooperation of the different Member States in the framework of the
IINTERREG Community Initiative. These strategies should provide for the on-going complementarities between
CEMAT and EU cooperation initiatives, not creating a duplication of initiatives.

– CEMAT has a fundamental role in the development, strengthening and diversifying the European dimension of
cooperation networks that are crucial to its sustainable spatial development and territorial cohesion.

– It is fundamental to overcome the asymmetrical nature of these networks, highlighting the role of cooperation not
only among central areas, but also among peripheral ones, and between both of them, in order to promote territorial
cohesion and boost competitiveness, innovation and creativity in Europe

18
– It is fundamental to secure coordination and co-operation among different networking Member States and its
authorities at national, regional and local level, from key public policies on spatial development or with impact on
different levels of action. Such coordination may act as a driving force towards benchmarking processes. Territorial
thematic networks should operate as networks for stimulating constant learning processes in the fields of spatial
development and boost innovation processes in the different countries.

– It is necessary to promote the creation of specific “network creation environments” at several levels of action, and
with different sectors of administration and society, which can mobilize network creation processes and thus
stimulate more efficient and wide-ranging constant learning processes. In the framework of CEMAT and the
European territorial cooperation and the New Neighbourhood Policy, Member States shall act to increase pan-
European networking and cooperation.

– The development of networks need an increasing attention to people and organisations in order to improve the
capacity to interact, to assimilate and to absorb external knowledge in the different Member States.

– Research in the field of territorial development is necessary to base adequate territorial policies, but should not be
duplicated. Increased co-operation and participation in the framework of existing research networks, such as the
European Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON), is important to improve territorial knowledge at the
European level.

– The Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent (CEMAT Guiding
Principles) provide a framework for the evaluation of important projects and measures from the perspective of spatial
planning policy as well as for the development of an agenda of cooperation between CEMAT and the EU aiming at
the development of new forms of territorial governance through the development of networks for European
Continent as a whole.

Appeal to:

– The Member States of the Council of Europe to strengthen, diversify and implement co-operation networks in the
field of territorial development, thus creating synergies for sustainable spatial and socioeconomic development of the
European continent.

– The Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the
Council of Europe, as well as the European Union, to support the strengthening of the network approach at trans-
European level as an efficient way to foster sustainable spatial and socioeconomic development and create bridges
over Europe.
– The Council of Europe and the European Union to consider the enlargement of the final recommendations of the
report “A sole ambition for the European continent” to include the increase in cooperation in issues of spatial
development,

– The Council of Europe and the European Union to enhance their co-operation in the field of spatial development
by defining tools which would facilitate territorial trans-European co-operation between EU and non-EU Member
States as well as with Neighbouring Countries, in order to prevent unbalanced and unsustainable development of the
European continent.

Commit themselves within their means and competences to:

– Continue to implement the CEMAT Guiding Principles, within the framework of our competences;

– Continue to work towards the promotion of the territorial dimension of sustainable development, according to the
Ljubljana Declaration, adopted at the 13th CEMAT;

– Create conditions, at national and trans-national level, for promoting and strengthening networks of territorial
cooperation in the framework of CEMAT, for the sustainable spatial and socio-economic development of the whole
European continent.

19
 CEMAT MOSCOW DECLARATION

ON “FUTURE CHALLENGES: SUSTAINABLE TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT OF

THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT IN A CHANGING WORLD”

adopted by the Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning at the 15th Plenary Session of the Council of
Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT) in Moscow, Russian
Federation, on 9 July 2010

We, the Ministers of the Member States of the Council of Europe, attending the 15th Plenary Session of the
European Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning, which also celebrates the 40th
anniversary of the CEMAT, in Moscow, Russian Federation, on 8 and 9 July 2010,

considering:

- the commitment of the Council of Europe to the promotion of human rights and pluralist democracy, as
embodied in various European conventions and charters, and the fact that CEMAT has given priority to
promoting the territorial dimension of human rights and democracy, especially through stronger territorial
cohesion and democratic approaches based on the increased involvement of regional and local authorities and
civil society in territorial development processes;

- the considerable changes which have occurred over the past 40 years in the demands made on territorial
development policies, caused by shifting contextual factors, emerging challenges and evolving societal values;
the key role played by CEMAT over these four decades in promoting efficient territorial development activities
at all levels, including across borders, in order to increase the well-being of European citizens and the quality
and attractiveness of the European territory, as well as the need to provide CEMAT, on this memorable
occasion, with an increased impetus adapted to the new context;

- the commitment of the Council of Europe to sustainable development, as recognised by the final Declaration of
the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government (2005), the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary
Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Conference of INGOs, and expressed by the
CEMAT, through the “Guiding Principles for the Sustainable Development of the European Continent” (2000)
and the related Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member states of the Council of Europe
(2002), the Ljubljana Declaration on “The territorial dimension of sustainable development” (2003) and the
Lisbon Declaration on “Networks for sustainable spatial development of the European Continent: Bridges over
Europe” (2006);

- that in this year of economic and social challenges, the priorities of the Chairmanship of the Committee of
Ministers of the Council of Europe (May-November 2010) focused on achieving greater territorial cohesion are
fully in line with the CEMAT commitments towards sustainable territorial development of the European
Continent;

Having regard to the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) and the Territorial Agenda of the European
Union and its First Action Programme agreed upon by the EU Spatial Development Ministers at their Informal
Ministerial Meetings in Potsdam in 1999, in Leipzig and in Ponta Delgada in 2007;

Following the principles and objectives suggested in the work programme of the Committee of Senior Officials for
the period 2007-2010, highlighting the theme “Future challenges: sustainable territorial development of the European
continent in a changing world”;

Adopt the following Declaration:

1. Milestones in the history of CEMAT

CEMAT was established in 1970 for the purpose of developing transnational cooperation on common territorial
development issues such as the growing regional imbalances generated by economic prosperity, the structural move
towards a more service-based economy or territorial integration across national borders. Soon, new challenges
emerged which had to be added to CEMAT’s agenda, such as increasing unemployment in manufacturing regions,

20
the economic backwardness of European peripheries, the polarisation trends in and around metropolitan areas and
recognition of the importance of environmental issues. More recently, major innovations in telecommunication
systems and especially the worldwide introduction of the Internet and related communication technologies made
possible both the emergence of the knowledge society and the acceleration of globalisation. Business clustering and
area-based development then became appropriate strategies.

The most important political event of the post-war period on the European continent took place in 1989-91, right in
the middle of the four decades of CEMAT activity, with the fall of the Iron Curtain. The transition period which
followed, driven by the introduction of the market economy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe as well as
in Russia, had a considerable impact on territorial patterns, as regards both cities and rural areas. Territorial
integration could now progress on a continental scale, and networks of all kinds have developed over the past two
decades throughout the wider Europe. The European continent is again unified, in a context where territorial
disparities remain, however, significant.

In the past four decades, the internal organisation of statutory powers within the Council of Europe member
countries has changed considerably. The process of the democratisation and the subsequent change of polarisation
resulted in the allocation of significant territorial development responsibilities to regions and municipalities in most
countries. In central and eastern Europe too, the decentralisation process, which started later, has progressed
significantly, generating, as in western Europe, structures of multi-level territorial governance.

Since its foundation in 1970, CEMAT has played an invaluable role in promoting efficient territorial development
policies throughout Europe, in line with major changes in the general context:

Activities to raise awareness, exchange good practice and jointly explore future trends have marked the course of its
forty years of activity. CEMAT has had an unquestionable impact on the improvement of territorial development
legislation, policies, procedures, practices and tools in numerous countries. Its influence has been particularly strong
when new groups of countries have joined the Council of Europe, as happened in the case of several countries of
southern Europe in the 1970s and of central and eastern Europe in the 1990s.

A particularly valuable and influential achievement of CEMAT has been the joint formulation and political adoption
of common forward-looking territorial development doctrines, such as the “European Charter for Regional/Spatial
Development” adopted in Torremolinos in 1983 and the “Guiding Principles for the Sustainable Spatial
Development of the European Continent” adopted in Hanover in 2000, on the occasion of CEMAT’s thirtieth
anniversary.

CEMAT has advocated the subsidiarity and reciprocity principles with a view to actively involving regions and
municipalities in territorial development policies, and also as a means of preserving the unity in diversity bequeathed
to Europe by its history and geography.

CEMAT has further demonstrated that well-conceived and efficiently implemented territorial development policies
are essential to ensure sustainable development in the long-term, as stipulated by the Rio and Johannesburg
Declarations, and to protect and enhance landscapes according to the provisions of the European Landscape
Convention.

In the period 2007-2010, with the Russian Federation in the Chair, CEMAT has devoted specific attention, in the
context of its international symposia, to following topics: “Accessibility and attractiveness of rural and landlocked
areas: sustainable transport and services of general interest” (Andorra, 2007), “Challenges and strategies for
metropolises and metropolitan regions in a context of growing globalisation with regard to economic, social,
environmental and cultural development” (Saint Petersburg, 2008), “The spatial dimension of human rights: for a
new culture of the territory” (Yerevan, 2008), “A comprehensive approach to balanced sustainable spatial
development of the European continent” (Kyiv, 2009).

The overarching objective of territorial cohesion, as promoted by the Guiding Principles, should be interpreted
primarily as a basic territorial dimension of human rights. It represents a fundamental value of European society that
can reconcile European citizens and their daily aspirations in terms of human dignity, equity and security, and good
living, working and cultural environments, with the unavoidable transformations in production systems and in the
international and interregional division of labour, with changes in natural conditions such as climate change, and
with the move towards a more multicultural society. Territorial cohesion is the most comprehensive and ambitious
objective which territorial development policies, in conjunction with other public policies, must strive to achieve.

21
2. Climate change, population ageing and social polarisation call for appropriate and efficient territorial
policy responses

New challenges with significant territorial impacts have emerged over the past decade, which were not at all, or not
sufficiently, taken into account in the Guiding Principles of the year 2000. They call for urgent policy responses,
especially on the part of territorial development policies in conjunction with other public policies.

The acceleration of climate change and the need for a new energy paradigm call for urgent territorial development
initiatives

Climate change, hardly noticeable a few decades ago, has been accelerating to the point of becoming one of the most
serious global issues. Fossil energy systems, which generate the majority of greenhouse gas emissions, are widely
recognised as the main drivers of climate change. This has a growing impact on biological and physical systems and
affects basic access to water, food production and other economic sectors as well as the environment. It also causes
increasingly frequent natural disasters with social, economic and environmental damaging impacts. Curbing the
speed of climate change and limiting the extent of its negative impacts requires significant initiatives in many public
policy areas and also presupposes major changes in the functioning of society.

Territorial development policies have crucial tasks to fulfil in this field. With regard to facilitating a change of
energy paradigm, they have to contribute to the adaptation of transport systems, to the implementation of energy-
efficient measures in the design of buildings and urban settlements, to the good management of mobility needs, to
the promotion and use of renewable energy sources, while ensuring environmental sustainability, social equity and to
optimisation of the economic benefits to be reaped, in European regions, from these new approaches, ranging from
research and development activities to the widespread implementation of new practical solutions tailored to each
individual region. Where territorial development measures are concerned, minimizing the negative impacts of
climate change requires on the one hand the intensification of preventive measures against potential damage from
natural disasters (floods, drought, storms, landslides...) and, on the other hand, the development of structural
measures aiming at facilitating the adaptation both of productive systems (agriculture, forestry, tourism) and urban
settlements at strengthening the protection of natural resources and biodiversity, where potentially affected by
climate change. Territorial development policies have to be significantly improved by integrating mitigation and
adaptation measures into local, regional and national development strategies and into the various levels of decision-
making.

Developing appropriate territorial policy responses to the new demographic and socio-cultural challenges

Several decades of low fertility rates are now resulting in accelerating population ageing and, in some countries,
population decline. These trends will amplify in the future, with a greater intensity in central and eastern Europe as
well as in some west European regions. The relative importance of migration resulting in total population change,
which is currently significant, still could be expected. These demographic changes, combined with low birth rate and
growing social polarisation in European society, will call for significant upgrading of the territorial development
policies.

The relative importance of immigration in total population change, which is currently significant, will further
increase. These demographic changes, combined with the growing social polarisation in European society, will call
for significant improvements in territorial development policies.

With regard to the impact of accelerating population ageing, anticipation of labour shortages in a growing number of
European regional labour markets - these improvements must include through the upgrading of qualifications,
employment rates, productivity and innovation capacity; the strengthened provision of/and proper access to
appropriate services and infrastructures (health care, culture, transport, accommodation facilities) for the elderly; and
development of the residential and heritage-based economy in regions with valuable natural and cultural assets,
based on the attraction of a growing numbers of retirees.

In regions (mainly remote rural and low density population areas and old industrial districts) affected or threatened
by vicious circles of social deprivation generated by the simultaneous effects of depopulation, loss of jobs and
closure of services, territorial development policies have to ensure the provision of essential services and promote
economic development and social cohesion in order to maintain the vitality of settlements and prevent further
deprivation. In order to facilitate the integration of young people, and especially of women, into the labour market of
their home region, curb outmigration trends and make the region more attractive for these groups and enhance their

22
personal prospects, opportunities for higher education, life-long learning and access to skilled jobs have to be
significantly increased, in particular through better provision of services and infrastructures also promoting intra-
regional mobility, twinning it with the efforts to counteract the process of decline by creating new jobs.

In order to counterbalance the effects of growing social polarisation, especially in cities, which often result in social
segregation, growing intolerance, insecurity and even violence, territorial development and urban planning measures,
in combination with other public policies and against the background of the Council of Europe’s objective of social
cohesion, have to prevent such tensions, ensure social inclusion and alleviate social segregation by rehabilitating and
regenerating problem neighbourhoods.

Cities also have an important role in economic recovery because of their added value for innovation.

3. Promoting innovative, sustainable and cohesive territorial development in a context of accelerating

globalisation and as a means of responding successfully to economic challenges in the post-crisis period

Gaining increased benefits from the globalisation process through more efficient territorial approaches

The globalisation of economies, which has been the dominant trend since the 1990s, is driven by trade liberalisation
and the development of information and communication technologies, which has increased the tradability of goods
and services, facilitating the transnational fragmentation of production processes according to the most profitable
locations. While a number of European regions significantly benefit from the globalisation process, others are
confronted with increasing external competition. In the future, it is likely that the globalisation process will have
substantially different characteristics, with competition moving more and more from low-wage production segments
to technology-intensive products, including also, increasingly, services and agriculture.

Territorial development policies have the task of contributing to better positioning of the different European regions
in the global context. Growth, stagnation and decline not only cause problems and challenges, it also provides an
opportunity to stress differences between different regions and gives the change to enlarge the attractiveness of the
European continent as a whole. Policies can do this by providing appropriate local responses to global challenges
through the promotion of local economic development taking into account the territorial potential and in particular,
heritage, local assets and resources, while linking it with sustaining and preservation of such heritage and local
identity. In this connection, they have to promote the territorial anchorage of businesses by strengthening their
regional links with research and development, training, education, administrative and cultural institutions and civil
society. They are required to facilitate the adjustment of labour markets and enable production systems to move
closer to the frontiers of technology, mainly through the upgrading of education and skills in regions. They are also
expected to help overcome the still significant fragmentation of the European economic/technological system by
facilitating the creation of cooperation networks, and especially clusters, throughout Europe, involving businesses,
research and development and education institutions, technology transfer centres...

Innovative, sustainable and cohesive territorial development contributing to overcoming the consequences of the
economic crisis

Europe is emerging from the deepest global economic depression of the post-war period. With the sharp decline in
world trade and exports, the globalisation process has, for the first time, temporarily slowed down. It is essential that
Europe’s global positioning does not worsen as an outcome of the crisis and that Europe’s regions efficiently exploit
the potential of the new context to make a quantum leap in terms of competitiveness. Spatial and regional planning
should contribute to economic recovery. Furthermore, the crisis and its consequences should also be considered and
used as an opportunity for boosting territorial cohesion, especially in promoting place-based strategies which permit
more rational and economical use of public resources. It is therefore of primary importance that the capabilities of
territorial development policies be fully utilised and this requires a number of significant adjustments.

Territorial development policies should be helpful in reconciling the short-term, often sectoral measures adopted by
governments to overcome the crisis with long-term values and principles, such as territorial cohesion and sustainable
territorial development. In pursuing the aim of revitalising and consolidating the economy, more emphasis should be
given to integrated approaches, the only ones capable of generating synergy effects and preventing long-term
inconsistencies, and support should be given to regional and local initiatives aimed at mobilising endogenous
resources and territorial potential. For the decades to come the economic strength and competitiveness of the
European continent is more and more determined by the skills of people and the strengths of our cities in which
knowledge, education, innovation and research find a powerful base.

23
The debate on climate change is far from being incompatible with the need to revitalise the economy, as significantly
curbing greenhouse gas emissions offers considerable opportunities for economic development in European regions
in terms of innovation and investment and makes demands on numerous areas of territorial development (energy,
transport, construction and renovation of buildings, agriculture and forestry, tourism...). The adoption of new
adaptation and mitigation solutions tailored to the local and regional contexts throughout Europe is likely to generate
a great many new activities and significant numbers of new jobs, while contributing to improved quality of life and
reduced risks related to climate change.

4. The quality and efficiency of territorial governance are key factors in responding successfully to new
challenges

Territorial governance is increasingly recognised as being of primary importance in ensuring successful and
harmonious territorial development, as was particularly stressed at CEMAT’s 14th Plenary Session in 20076. The
present context is even more challenging in this respect, with the need to recover rapidly from the economic crisis
and efficiently manage the transition to a more environmentally-friendly energy paradigm.

Considering the increased number of member countries since 1989, with new borders and new administration
systems and with higher cross-border permeability within the European Union and the Schengen area than outside,
new forms of cooperation have to be developed to permit satisfactory and efficient territorial integration in all parts
of the European continent.

As global competitiveness is rooted in the territory, especially in the numerous formal and informal networks of
influence and cooperation existing in and between regions, significant European initiatives and impetus for sound,
innovative and sustainable territorial development are necessary in the new context.

Territorial development policies should facilitate the transformation, in this new context, of European regions’
territorial capital into concrete economic, social and environmental added values. This requires innovative territorial
governance, in which regional and local authorities define concrete development strategies in cooperation with
economic players and civil society, mobilise and organise institutions and stakeholders to carry out operational
projects, including on the basis of public-private partnerships, and ensure the coherence and sustainability of the
various initiatives by providing a long-term vision and a development framework. The development of new
infrastructures and services and the delivery of essential services are particularly challenging issues, especially in
relation to population ageing, social inclusion and the continued vitality of communities and settlements.

With regard to the numerous valuable initiatives of regional and local authorities aimed at promoting the
development of territories, reducing their social, environmental and economic vulnerability and counteracting
climate change, it should be ensured that their future involvement will not be endangered by insufficient financial
resources, as a result of the crisis.

Considering that development in the post-crisis period will necessarily be based on more endogenous approaches,
closely associating regional know-how, assets and innovation potential, cooperation and subcontracting networks,
local business clusters, voluntary associations and other NGOs, territorial development policies should enable civil
society to be more heavily involved in the preparation and implementation of territorial development strategies and
projects at the regional and local levels. In this connection regional and local authorities should be encouraged in
their functions as facilitators for the setting up of project-related partnerships while ensuring the provision of
necessary administrative and material support as well as the necessary links with upper-tier authorities. National
policies and state interventions should be as effective as possible to provide transparency and predictability as far as
national governmental actions are regarded. This also provides the necessary space for public-private partnership.

Because of their horizontal, cross-thematic character and orientation towards sustainability, territorial development
policies are an invaluable tool for ensuring the protection, management and planning of landscapes, according to the
provisions of the European Landscape Convention (2000), in a way which reflects the identity and diversity of the
population living in the different European regions. Managing landscapes in the spirit of the Convention is an
integral part of modern territorial governance.

6
CEMAT Resolution N°2 on “Territorial Governance: empowerment through enhanced coordination”, adopted in
Lisbon in 2007.
24
In order to enable appropriate decisions to be taken in due time, conventional territorial monitoring systems should
be complemented, at times of rapid economic and social change related to crises and unexpected events, with more
qualitative, expert-based short-term reporting of territorial changes.

In the light of the foregoing, we, the Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning of the Member States of the
Council of Europe,

Emphasize that:

The Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Regional Planning (CEMAT) of the Council
of Europe, bringing together European Union and non-European Union member states, is a unique forum for
discussion on the future of the European continent and for promoting cooperation and partnerships with regard to
new, emerging challenges and to all territorial developments generated by structural changes.

With the aim of promoting sustainable and cohesive territorial development on a pan-European scale, while
addressing highly strategic issues of common European interest, CEMAT is currently particularly committed to
contributing to the recovery from the economic crisis and to implementing efficient and adequate mitigation and
adaptation solutions regarding the challenge of climate change, as spatial development with its integrated and cross-
sectoral approach and multi-level governance system can provide an adequate framework and a basis for
implementation of adaptation strategies and measures respectful of the European territorial diversity. It also devotes
particular attention and significant efforts to the territorial impact of population ageing, migration issues, growing
social polarisation and accelerating globalisation.

With a view to promoting innovative territorial governance, making it possible to coordinate different policies at
different levels and also efficiently involving the regional and local authorities and civil society, CEMAT is
encouraging the formulation of long-term visions permitting comprehensive approaches and preventing undesired
territorial effects.

Call on:

- the Member States, the Committee of Ministers and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to
consider not only the importance of the work carried out by CEMAT over the past forty years in promoting
territorial development on a pan-European level while supporting human rights and democracy, but also its
present strategic activities on crucial issues in a rapidly changing and challenging context, and therefore to
maintain their support by providing CEMAT with sufficient resources as mentioned in the Annex to the final
Declaration of the Third Summit of Heads of States and Governments (2005);
- the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and
the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe to provide appropriate support to CEMAT’s policy
recommendations in order to facilitate and strengthen their implementation by mobilising wider circles of
public authorities and stakeholders of civil society;
- the European Union to counteract the declining trends in the territoriality of European policies and to promote
coherence and synergies between policies which have significant territorial impacts, with the aim of
strengthening territorial cohesion and sustainability as well as the competitiveness of European regions in a
context of growing territorial challenges. In this connection, neighbourhood policies should also be given a
greater territorial dimension.

Commit ourselves, within our means and competences, to:

- provide fresh impetus to our cooperation efforts on the occasion of CEMAT’s fortieth anniversary and against
the background of a highly challenging context and to give a sharper focus to CEMAT’s activities with the aim
of contributing significantly to cohesive and sustainable solutions regarding the territorial development of the
European continent;
- pay particular attention, in the territorial development policies of our respective countries, to the new challenges
described above and to take all initiatives, both within our respective countries and in the context of cross-
border co-operation, enabling territorial development policies to be efficiently combined with efforts to
regenerate the European economy in a sustainable way and to provide efficient and adequate mitigation and
adaptation solutions to the issues related to climate change;
- mandate the Committee of Senior Officials to adapt the Guiding Principles to the new territorial challenges.

* * *

25
 MESSAGE FROM THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE CONFERENCE OF MINISTERS
RESPONSIBLE FOR SPATIAL PLANNING (CEMAT) CSO
TO RIO+20 INTERNATIONAL UN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

On 20-22 June 2012, the Rio+20 Conference will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 20 years after the first UN
Global Conference on Environment and of Development, in Rio de Janeiro, in 1992, that led, inter alia, to the
adoption of the Agenda 21. In view of this event the Council of Europe (Conference of Ministers responsible for
Spatial Planning - CEMAT) would like to benefit from this opportunity as well as from the on-going multilateral
negotiations on the Zero draft “The future we want”, that once finalised, will constitute the outcome of the
Conference, to raise awareness on and highlight some important aspects pertaining to spatial planning that should be
mainstreamed into the forthcoming discussions and decisions in Rio.

CEMAT is firmly committed to sustainable development. Since 1992, CEMAT has fully encompassed and aligned
its work with the notion and principles of sustainable development as the development which meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. However, even though 20
years have passed since then, important gaps are still faced and new and emerging challenges hinder our path
towards sustainable development. The forthcoming Rio+20 Conference will be a unique opportunity for the
international community, irrespective of development level, to jointly agree on the required steps to meet these gaps
and challenges and on the way forward for the mutual benefit of all and for solutions that will benefit all three
dimensions of sustainable development, i.e. the social, economic and environmental pillar.

In this regard, it is of paramount importance to highlight that Sustainable Spatial Planning is a prerequisite in order to
safeguard Democracy, Rule of Law and respect for Human Rights, thus, ensuring spatial and, most importantly,
social cohesion and spatial justice. Spatial Planning is also a key preventive instrument that supports sustainability by
setting constraints to negative externalities and creating efficient structures. Sustainable Spatial Planning should be
the platform, the “spatial reference point” to ensure a sustainable, integrated and balanced development across all
other policy sectors, and at all levels. It is therefore a horizontal cross-cutting element that intersects all other sectors,
policies, activities and measures. This is why CEMAT focuses its endeavors on emphasising the interlinkages
between spatial planning and other sectoral policies.

In this respect, the CEMAT aim is to create a society which is based on freedom, democracy and respect for
fundamental rights, fostering equality of opportunity and solidarity within and between generations. It will work for
sustainable development based on territorial and social cohesion, sustainable land-use delineation based on a rational
use of infrastructure, eradication of social problems and inequalities, prevention and diminishing of territorial
imbalances, promotion of territorial integration, promotion of the effective, fruitful and mutually beneficial
cooperation between regions, prevention of problems that might arise from conflicting interests through transparent,
open, participatory practices and procedures, cohesion and spatial coordination between sectoral policies within a
strategic and integrated approach, strengthening local identity and landscape values based on common values and
interests that defy barriers posed by boundaries and administrative structures, promotion of strategies aiming at a
sustainable and rational division and management of natural and energy resources, while ensuring the protection of
the environment, sustainable local and sub-national development through the invigoration of the creativity and sound
entrepreneurship of citizens.

Lastly, CEMAT indicates that regional and social cohesion, sustainable land-use development integration among
sectoral policies, efficient use of natural resources and conservation of the environment are necessary for maintaining
sustainable development.

The Message reiterates the broad long-term vision of sustainability, identifies the main objectives of the CEMAT
policies and actions. These objectives correspond to the underlying values of a dynamic model of society. They will
underpin our ambitious agenda and help us create a better quality of life for all, now and in the future.

http://www.coe.int/CEMAT
http://www.coe.int/CEMAT/fr
26 April 2012

* * *

26
 PART II

THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION:

Quality of human environment

" The landscape ...

... has an important public interest role in the cultural, ecological,
environmental and social fields, and constitutes a resource favourable to
economic activity and whose protection, management and planning can
contribute to job creation; ... contributes to the formation of local cultures and
... is a basic component of the European natural and cultural heritage,
contributing to human well-being and consolidation of the European identity;
... is an important part of the quality of life for people everywhere: in urban
areas and in the countryside, in degraded areas as well as in areas of high
quality, in areas recognised as being of outstanding beauty as well as everyday
areas ;
... is a key element of individual and social well-being and ... its protection,
management and planning entail rights and responsibilities for everyone. "

Preamble to the European Landscape Convention

The European Landscape Convention was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
on 19 July 2000 in Strasbourg and opened for signature of the Member States of the Organisation in Florence
(Italy) on 20 October 2000. It aims to promote European landscape protection, management and planning and
to organise European co-operation.

The Convention is the first international treaty to be exclusively devoted to all aspects of European landscape.
It applies to the entire territory of the Parties and covers natural, rural, urban and peri-urban areas. It concerns
landscapes that might be considered outstanding as well as everyday or degraded landscapes.

To date, 38 Council of Europe member States have ratified the Convention: Andorra, Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova,
Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic,
Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Turkey, Ukraine
and the United Kingdom. Two States have signed the Convention: Iceland and Malta. (List in Appendix).

The Convention provides an important contribution to the implementation of the Council of Europe’s
objectives, namely to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law and to seek common solutions to
the main problems facing European society today. By developing a new territorial culture, the Council of
Europe seeks to promote quality of people’s surroundings.
27
I. PRESENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION

The member states of the Council of Europe signatory to the European Landscape Convention declared their
concern to achieve sustainable development based on a balanced and harmonious relationship between social
needs, economic activity and the environment. The Convention therefore represents the first international
treaty devoted to sustainable development, with the cultural dimension also included therein.

1. Origins of the Convention

On the basis of an initial draft prepared by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council
of Europe, the Committee of Ministers decided in 1999 to set up a select group of experts responsible for
drafting a European Landscape Convention, under the aegis of the Cultural Heritage Committee (CCPAT)
and the Committee for the activities of the Council of Europe in the field of biological and landscape
diversity (CO-DBP). Following the work of this group of experts, in which the principal governmental and
non-governmental international organisations participated, the Committee of Ministers adopted the final
text of the Convention on 19 July 2000. The Convention was opened for signature in Florence, Italy, on 20
October 2000 in the context of the Council of Europe Campaign “Europe, a common heritage”.

2. Why a convention on landscape?

As an essential factor of individual and communal well-being and an important part of people’s quality of
life, landscape contributes to human fulfilment and to the consolidation of a European identity. It also has an
important public interest role in the cultural, ecological, environmental and social fields, and constitutes a
resource favourable to economic activity, particularly to tourism.

The advances in production techniques in agriculture, forestry, industry and mining, together with the
practices followed in town and country planning, transport, networks, tourism and recreation, and more
generally the global economic changes, have in many cases led to degradation, debasement or transformation
of landscapes.

While each citizen should of course contribute to preserving the quality of the landscape, it is the
responsibility of the public authorities to define the general framework in which this quality can be secured.
The Convention thus lays down the general legal principles, which should guide the adoption of national and
community landscape policies and the establishment of international co-operation in this field.

3. The objectives and specificity of the Convention

The aim of the Convention is to respond to the public’s wish to enjoy high quality landscapes. Its purpose
is therefore to further the protection, management and planning of European landscapes, and to organise
European co-operation in this field.

The scope of the Convention is extensive: it applies to the entire territory of the Parties and relates to
natural, urban and peri-urban areas, whether on land, water or sea. It therefore concerns not just
remarkable landscapes, but also ordinary everyday landscapes and degraded areas. Landscape is
recognised irrespective of its exceptional value, since all forms of landscape are crucial to the quality of
the citizens’ environment and deserve to be considered in landscape policies. Many rural and urban fringe
areas in particular are undergoing far-reaching transformations and should receive closer attention from
the authorities and the public.

Given the breadth of scope, the active role of the citizens regarding perception and evaluation of
landscapes is an essential point in the Convention. Awareness-raising is thus a key issue, in order for
citizens to participate in the decision-making process, which affects the landscape dimension of the
territory where they reside.

28
4. Definitions

Terms used in the Convention are defined to ensure that they are interpreted in the same way:

– “Landscape” means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action
and interaction of natural and/or human factors;
– “Landscape policy” means an expression by the competent public authorities of general
principles, strategies and guidelines that permit the taking of specific measures aimed at the protection,
management and planning of landscapes;
– “Landscape quality objective” means, for a specific landscape, the formulation by the competent
public authorities of the aspirations of the public with regard to the landscape features of their
surroundings;
– “Landscape protection” means action to conserve and maintain the significant or characteristic
features of a landscape, justified by the landscape’s heritage value derived from its natural configuration
and/or human activity;
– “Landscape management” means action, from a perspective of sustainable development, to ensure
the regular upkeep of a landscape, to guide and harmonise changes, which are brought about by social,
economic and environmental processes;
– “Landscape planning” means strong forward-looking action to enhance, restore or create
landscapes.

5. Undertakings of the Contracting Parties

National measures

In accepting the principles and aims of the Convention, the Contracting Parties undertake to protect,
manage and/or plan their landscapes by adopting a whole series of general and specific measures on a
national level, in keeping with the subsidiarity principle. In this context, they undertake to encourage the
participation of the public and of local and regional authorities in the decision-making processes that
affect the landscape dimension of their territory.

The Contracting Parties undertake to implement four general measures at national level:

– the legal recognition of landscape constituting an essential component of the setting for people’s
lives, reflecting the diversity of their common cultural and natural heritage and as the foundation of their
identity;
– the establishment and implementation of policies to protect, manage and plan landscapes;
– procedures for the participation by the general public, local and regional authorities and other
parties interested in the formulation and implementation of landscape policies;
– the integration of landscape into regional and town planning policies, cultural, environmental,
agricultural, social and economic policies, and any other policies, which may have a direct or indirect
impact on the landscape.

The Contracting Parties further undertake to implement five specific measures at national level:

– awareness-raising: improving appreciation by civil society, private organisations and public

authorities of the value, function and transformation of landscapes;
– training and education: providing training for specialists in landscape appraisal and landscape
operations, multidisciplinary training programmes on landscape policy, protection, management and
planning, aimed at professionals in the private and public sector, for interested associations, and school
and university courses, which, in the relevant subject areas, cover landscape-related values and questions
of landscape protection, management and planning;

29
– identification and evaluation: mobilising those concerned in order to reach a better knowledge of
landscape, guiding the work of landscape identification and evaluation through exchanges of experience
and methods between the Parties at European level;
– setting landscape quality objectives: defining quality objectives for the landscapes, which have been
identified and evaluated, after consulting the public;
– implementation of landscape policies: introducing policy instruments for the protection, management
and/or planning of landscapes.

International measures: European co-operation

The Contracting Parties also undertake to co-operate at international level in catering for the landscape
dimension in international policies and programmes, and to recommend where appropriate the inclusion of
landscape considerations in them. They accordingly undertake to co-operate in respect of technical and
scientific assistance and exchange of landscape specialists for training and information, and to exchange
information on all questions covered by the Convention.

Transfrontier landscapes are covered by a specific provision: the Contracting Parties undertake to
encourage transfrontier co-operation at local and regional levels and, wherever necessary, to prepare and
implement joint landscape programmes.

6. Council of Europe Landscape Award

The Convention provides for a “Council of Europe Landscape Award”. It recognise a policy implemented or
measures to be taken by local and regional authorities or non-governmental organisations to protect, manage
and/or plan their landscape which have proved effective in the long term and can thus serve as an example to
other authorities in Europe.

The Award contributes to the stimulation of those working at local level and to the encouragement and
recognition of exemplary landscape management. It is given by the Committee of Ministers on proposals
from the competent Committees of Experts responsible of the implementation of the Convention.

II. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION

The work done to implement the European Landscape Convention is aimed at: monitoring implementation
of the Convention; fostering European co-operation; collecting examples of good practice; fostering
knowledge and research; raising awareness; and fostering access to information.

1. Monitoring implementation of the Convention

Recommendation CM/Rec(2008)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the guidelines for
the implementation of the European Landscape Convention

Recommendation CM/Rec(2008)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the guidelines for
the implementation of the European Landscape Convention was adopted by the Committee of Ministers
on 6 February 2008. The recommendation, which contains a series of theoretical, methodological and
practical guidelines, is intended for parties to the Convention which wish to draw up and implement a
national landscape policy based on the Convention. It also includes two appendices entitled:

– Examples of instruments used to implement the European Landscape Convention;

– Suggested text for the practical implementation of the European Landscape Convention at national
level.

Appendix 1 to the recommendation may be supplemented by the experiences of parties to the Convention
on their own territories, which will provide practical and methodological lessons. It is proposed that each
30
party contributes to the setting up of a database to appear on the website of the Council of Europe’s
European Landscape Convention, which would be a “toolbox” to help provide mutual technical and
scientific assistance, as provided for in Article 8 of the Convention.

Summary descriptive notes on the landscape policies pursued in Council of Europe member States /
Council of Europe Information System on the European Landscape Convention

A document on the landscape policies pursued in Council of Europe member States, giving the key facts
concerning the landscape of the Council of Europe member States, is regularly updated and a synthesis of
the data is prepared.

The data gathered are gradually being incorporated in a Council of Europe Information System on the
European Landscape Convention.

The concept of landscape is undergoing a period of rapid and profound change accompanied by significant
advances. Together with the documents relating to its implementation, the convention constitutes a
genuine innovation compared with other international documents on cultural and natural heritage. It has
already led to developments in numerous European states, irrespective of whether or not they have
officially acceded to it, not only in their national and regional legislation but also at various administrative
levels, as well as in methodological documents and experiments with active participatory landscape
policies.

This situation has come about both in states which have long been active in this area and which have tried
and tested landscape policies and instruments, and in states which are not yet at that stage. The convention
is used as a benchmark by some countries to initiate a process of profound change in their landscape
policies; for others it constitutes an opportunity to define their policy.

The landscape is in this way progressively included in the political agenda of governments; the concept of
landscape, as defined by the Convention, is becoming more and more recognised in public policies at
international, national, regional and local levels as well as by populations; specific laws and regulations
referring to landscape have been developped according to the provisions of the Convention; an important
network of cooperation at international level for the implementation of the European Landscape
Convention has been developed; new forms of cooperation are developed between different levels of
authorities (international, national, regional and local) and between ministries or departments of one State
or region; States or regions cooperate beyond their borders for transfrontier landscapes; specific working
structures for landscape (observatories, centers or landscape institutes) have been created; national
landscape awards referring to the European Landscape Convention have been launched; university
programmes have been developed with a reference to the Convention and summer universities on
landscape are organised; biennale landscape festivals and exhibitions are organised and films referring to
the European Landscape Convention prepared.

National seminars on the European Landscape Convention

Intended for states which have or have not yet ratified the Convention, the national seminars on the
European Landscape Convention help generate debate on the subject of landscape.

Various national seminars on the European Landscape Convention have been held, with declarations or
conclusions adopted at the end of each one:

31
 National Seminars

– “Spatial planning and landscape”, Yerevan (Armenia), 23-24 October 2003

– “Spatial planning and landscape”, Moscow (Russian Federation), 26-27 April 2004
– “Sustainable spatial development and the European Landscape Convention”, Tulcea (Romania),
6-7 May 2004
– “The contribution of Albania to the implementation of the European Landscape Convention”,
Tirana (Albania), 15-16 December 2005
– “Landscape”, Andorra la Vella (Principality of Andorra), 4-5 June 2007
– Other national seminars 2007-2012

The proceedings of the Seminars are published in the Council of Europe’s European Spatial
Planning and Landscape Series.

2. Fostering European co-operation

The European Landscape Convention provides that the contracting parties undertake to co-operate
internationally at European level in the consideration of the landscape dimension of international policies
and programmes. The Council of Europe organises this co-operation through the Conferences on the
European Landscape Convention and the meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the
European Landscape Convention.

The Council of Europe Conferences on the European Landscape Convention

Several Conferences on the European Landscape Convention have already been held. They are attended
by representatives of the parties and signatories and representatives of the three Council of Europe
bodies – the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and
Regional Authorities of Europe. Representatives of Council of Europe member States which are not yet
parties or signatories and various international governmental and non-governmental organisations also
attend as observers.

Council of Europe Conference on the European Landscape Convention

1. 22-23 November 2001, Council of Europe, Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg

2. 28-29 November 2002, Council of Europe, Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg
3. 17-18 June 2004, Council of Europe, Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg
4. 22-23 March 2007, Council of Europe, Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg
5. 30-31 March 2009, Council of Europe, Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg
6. 3-4 May 2011, Council of Europe, Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg
7. 26-27 March 2013, Council of Europe, Palais de l’Europe, Strasbourg

Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape
Convention

Organised by the Council of Europe on a regular basis since 2002, the meetings of the Workshops for the
implementation of the European Landscape Convention take a detailed look at the implementation of the
Convention. Special emphasis is given to the experiences of the state hosting the meeting. A genuine
forum for sharing practice and ideas, the meetings are also an opportunity to present new concepts and
achievements in connection with the Convention.

32
The following Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European
Landscape Convention so far has been held.

Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of the European Landscape
Convention

1. “Landscape policies: contribution to the well-being of European citizens and to sustainable

development (social, economic, cultural and ecological approaches); Landscape identification,
evaluation and quality objectives, using cultural and natural resources; Awareness-raising, training
and education; Innovative tools for the protection, management and planning of landscape”,
Strasbourg, France, 23-24 May 2002
2. “Integration of landscapes in international policies and programmes and transfrontier landscapes;
Landscapes and individual and social well-being; Spatial planning and landscape”, Strasbourg,
France, 27-28 November 2003
3. “Landscapes for urban, suburban and peri-urban areas”, Cork (Ireland), 16-17 June 2005
4. “Landscape and society”, Ljubljana (Slovenia), 11-12 May 2006
5. “Landscape quality objectives: from theory to practice”, Girona (Spain), 28-29 September 2006
6. “Landscape and rural heritage”, Sibiu (Romania), 20-21 September 2007
7. “Landscape in planning policies and governance: towards integrated spatial management”,
Piestany (Slovakia), 24-25 April 2008
8. “Landscape and driving forces”, Malmö (Sweden), 8-9 October 2009
9. “Landscape, infrastructures and society”, Cordoba (Spain), 15-16 April 2010

“Council of Europe Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the European Landscape Convention 2000-
2010 – New Challenges, new Opportunities”, Florence, Italy, 20-21 October 2010

10. “Multifunctional Landscape”, Evora (Portugal), 20-21 October 2011

11. “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections – Sessions 2008-2009 and 2010-
2011”, Carbonia (Italy), 4-5 June 2012
12. “Visions for the future of Europe on territorial democracy: landscape as a new strategy for spatial
planning”, Greece, 1-2 October 2012

The proceedings of the Meetings of the workshops are published in the Council of Europe’s Spatial
Planning and Landscape Series.

3. Collecting examples of good practice: the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe

The European Landscape Convention provides for a Council of Europe Landscape Award. In particular, it
states that, on proposals from the committees of experts supervising the implementation of the
Convention, the Committee of Ministers shall define and publish the criteria for conferring the Landscape
Award, adopt the relevant rules and confer the award (Article 11). The Committee of Ministers adopted
Resolution CM/Res.(2008)3 on the rules governing the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe on 20
February 2008. The award was launched in 2008 and two sessions of the award were organised in 2008-
2009 and in 2010-2011.

The criteria for conferring the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe are as follows:

– Sustainable territorial development: The completed projects submitted must give tangible form to
the protection, management and/or planning of landscapes. This means that the projects must have been
completed and open to the public for at least three years when the candidatures were submitted. They
must also be part of a sustainable development policy and be in harmony with the territorial organisation
of the area concerned; demonstrate their environmental, social, economic, cultural and aesthetic
sustainability; counter or remedy any damage to landscape structures; help enhance and enrich the
landscape and develop new qualities.
33
– Exemplary value: The implementation of the policy or measures that have helped to improve the
protection, management and/or planning of the landscapes concerned must set an example of good
practice for others to follow.
– Public participation: The policy or measures implemented with a view to the protection,
management and/or planning of the landscapes concerned should involve the active participation of the
public, local and regional authorities and other players and should clearly reflect the landscape quality
objectives. The public should be able to participate simultaneously in two ways: through dialogue and
exchanges between members of society (public meetings, debates, procedures for participation and
consultation in the field, for example); through procedures for public participation and involvement in
landscape policies implemented by national, regional or local authorities.
– Awareness-raising: Article 6.A of the Convention provides that “each Party undertakes to
increase awareness among civil society, private organisations and public authorities of the value of
landscapes, their role and changes to them”. Action along these lines taken as part of the completed
project concerned will be assessed.

The award is in keeping with the work done by the Council of Europe in favour of human rights,
democracy and sustainable development and that it promotes the territorial dimension of human rights and
democracy by acknowledging the importance of measures taken to improve the landscape features of
people’s living conditions.

The following activities were achieved in 2012:

– Organisation of the 11th Council of Europe Meetings of the Workshops for the implementation of
the European Landscape Convention “Council of Europe Landscape Award Forum of National Selections
– Sessions 2008-2009 and 2010-2011”, Carbonia (Italy), 4-5 June 20127;

– Publication of “Landscape Award of the Council of Europe”, Council of Europe’s European

Spatial and Landscape series, 2012, N° 96 (presentation of achievements of the Sessions 1 and 2 of the
Award)8.

Sessions of the Council of Europe Landscape Award:

1st Session 2008-2009

The following achievements were presented:

States Candidates Project title

Czech Republic Tourist Club Marking system of the tourist trails

Finland Hämeenkyrö Landscape Management of Hämeenkyrö National
Landscape Area
France Lille Métropole Parc de la Deûle
Hungary Public Foundation for Implementation of the Complex Nature Conservation
Nature Conservation Pro and Landscape Management Programme in the Zámoly
Vértes Basin
Italy Val di Cornia The Val di Cornia Park System
Slovenia University of Ljubljana Regional Distribution of Landscape Types
Spain San Sebastián City Council Cristina Enea Park

7
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/landscape/reunionateliers/carbonia_EN.asp?
8
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/Landscape/Publications/LandscapeAwards_en.pdf

34
Turkey Association for Nature Biodiversity and Natural Resources Management
Conservation Project

At their 1066th Meeting of 23 September 2009, the Committee of Ministers’ Deputies decided in
accordance with the rules governing the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe (CM/Res(2008)3)
and on the proposal of the CDPATEP:

– to confer the Council of Europe Landscape Award, under the European Landscape Convention, to
the “Parc de la Deûle”, Lille Métropole (France);
– to give a special mention of the Council of Europe Landscape Award to the “Parque de Cristina
Enea”, San Sebastián (Spain);
– to congratulate and to recognise the exemplary value of the other projects.

The award and the special mention were presented by the representative of the Secretary General of the
Council of Europe, with the participation of the chair of the Council of Europe Conference on the
European Landscape Convention at a public ceremony held in Malmö, Sweden, on 8 October 2009, on the
occasion of the 8th Council of Europe meeting of the workshops for the implementation of the European
Landscape Convention.

2nd Session 2010-2011

On 9 February, the Parties to the Convention were invited to present their candidates to the Secretary
General of the Council of Europe by 31 December 2009.

The following achievements were presented:

States and Candidates Project title

national Awards
Belgium Parc naturel des Plaines de Route paysagère réalisée par le Parc naturel des
l’Escaut Plaines de l’Escaut
Cyprus Polystypos Community Council Hazel orchards located within the CY2000009
Natura 2000 site
Czech Republic Regional Land Office Prostejov Čehovice, district Prostějov – Moravia
Finland Finnish Association for Nature Management of endangered traditional biotopes and
Conservation the preservation of the traditional Finnish rural
landscape
France Syndicat mixte d'étude Le Port aux Cerises
d'aménagement et de gestion de
la base régionale de plein air et de
loisirs du Port aux Cerises
Hungary Kaptárkő Természetvédelmi és Maintaining landscape heritage of Bükkalja Region
Kulturális Egyesület (Beehive
rock Nature Conservation and
Cultural Association)
Italy City of Carbonia Project Carbonia: Landscape Machine
Netherlands Foundation Landscape manifesto Stichting Landschapsmanifest
Norway County of Hordaland Herand Landscape Park
Serbia (Signatory State) "Podunav" Backi Monostor Backi Monostor
Slovakia Ekopolis Foundation The Grant Programs of Ekopolis Foundation
Slovenia Slovenian Association of We are Making our Landscape
Landscape Architects
Spain Government of Catalonia’s City, territory, landscape: A project to educate and

35
 Ministry of Education and raise awareness about landscape
Ministry of Town, Country
Planning and Public Works
(DPTOP), Landscape
Observatory of Catalonia (OPC)
United Kingdom Durham Heritage Coast Durham Heritage Coast
Partnership

At their 1123rd Meeting of 12 October 2011, the Committee of Ministers’ Deputies decided in accordance
with the rules governing the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe (CM/Res(2008)3) and on the
proposal of the CDPATEP:

– to confer the Council of Europe Landscape Award for 2010-2011 on the “Carbonia Project: the
landscape machine” (Carbonia Municipality, Italy) (regeneration of a 20th century modernist urban and
mining landscape in a perspective of sustainable development);
– to give equal special mentions to three activities: “The programmes of grants to local
communities wishing to reclassify their urban and rural landscape as a pleasant living environment
(Ekopolis Foundation, Slovakia); “City, territory and landscape: A project to educate and raise
awareness about landscape” (Generalitat of Catalonia and Landscape Observatory of Catalonia, Spain);
“Durham heritage coast” (Durham Heritage Coast Partnership, United Kingdom);
– to congratulate and to recognise the exemplary value of the other projects.

The award and the special mention were presented by the representative of the Secretary General of the
Council of Europe, with the participation of the chairs of the CDPATEP and the Council of Europe
Conference on the European Landscape Convention at a public ceremony held in Evora, Portugal, on 20
October 2011, on the occasion of the 10th Council of Europe meeting of the workshops for the
implementation of the European Landscape Convention.

3rd Session 2012-2013

On 12 January 2012, the Parties to the Convention were invited to present candidatures to the Secretary
General of the Council of Europe by 10 December 2012 / 25 January 2013.

4. Fostering knowledge and research for policy development

Exploratory reports on issues related to the European Landscape Convention are drawn up by Council of
Europe experts and submitted to the relevant committees of experts. To date, reports have been produced
on the following subjects:

Reports

– Landscape policies: contribution to the well-being of European citizens and to sustainable

development (social, economic, cultural and ecological approaches)
– Landscape identification, evaluation and quality objectives, using cultural and natural resources
– Awareness-raising, training and education
– Innovative tools for the protection, management and planning of landscape
– Landscape, towns and suburban and peri-urban areas
– Landscape and transport infrastructures: roads
– Selected EU funding opportunities to support the implementation of the European Landscape
Convention
– European Local Landscape Circle Studies
– Landscape and education
– Road infrastructures: tree avenues in the landscape
– Landscape and ethics
36
– Landscape and wind turbines
– Landscape and leisure
– Landscape and education

The reports are available at the Council of Europe Publishing:

- Council of Europe, Landscape and sustainable development: challenges of the European landscape
Convention, Council of Europe Publishing, 2006
- Council of Europe, Landscape facets, Council of Europe Publishing, 2012

http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/heritage/Landscape/Publications_en.asp

5. Awareness-raising

“Futuropa, for a new vision of landscape and territory” Magazine

Several information documents and four issues of the Council of Europe’s “Naturopa” magazine have
been devoted to landscape and the European Landscape Convention. The magazine has been renamed
“Futuropa, for a new vision of landscape and territory” so as to highlight the cross-sectoral nature of the
themes more clearly.

Themes concerning the landscape

– “Landscapes: the setting for our future lives”, Naturopa, 1998, No 86

– “The European Landscape Convention”, Naturopa, 2002, No 98
– “Landscape through literature”, Naturopa/Culturopa, 2005, No 103
– “Vernacular rural housing: heritage in the landscape”, Futuropa: for a new vision of landscape
and territory, 2008, No 1
– “Landscape and transfrontier co-operation”, Futuropa: for a new vision of landscape and
territory, 2010, No 2
– “Landscape and public space”, Futuropa: for a new vision of landscape and territory, 2013, No 3

Website of Naturopa / Futuropa: www.coe.int/naturopa/futuropa

IHPE Exhibition

The “International Heritage Photographic Experience - Heritage and Landscape” (IHPE) competition is
intended to encourage young people to adopt a creative approach and take a personal look, via the medium
of photography, at elements of the cultural heritage which surrounds them, in liaison with the landscape. A
prize-winning ceremony involving about a hundred young people from various countries was held on
December 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 in the Palais de l’Europe.

6. Fostering access to information: the European Landscape Convention website

The European Landscape Convention website includes the following:

http://www.coe.int/EuropeanLandscapeConvention

37
 The European Landscape Convention

As a reflection of European identity and diversity, the landscape is our

living natural and cultural heritage, be it ordinary or outstanding, urban
or rural, on land or in water.

The European Landscape Convention - also known as the Florence

Convention, - promotes the protection, management and planning of
European landscapes and organises European co-operation on landscape
issues. The convention was adopted on 20 October 2000 in Florence
(Italy) and came into force on 1 March 2004 (Council of Europe Treaty Series no. 176). It is open for signature by member states of the
Council of Europe and for accession by the European Community and European non-member states. It is the first international treaty to
be exclusively concerned with all dimensions of European landscape. (more...)
News
About the Convention
6th Conference of Member States of
Text of the Convention | Linguistic versions the Council of Europe on the European
Explanatory report | Linguistic versions Landscape Convention (Strasbourg, 3-4
Guidelines for the implementation of the Convention | Linguistic versions May 2011)
Parties to the Convention
Calendar 2011
Documentation

Reference texts of the Council of Europe about landscape CDPATEP

Publications of the Council of Europe
Convention leaflet Steering Committee for Heritage and
Naturopa/Futuropa magazines Landscape (CDPATEP)

Meetings of the Convention

Related activities
Conferences
Workshops Council of Europe Conference of
National seminars Ministers responsible for
Working groups regional/spatial planning (CEMAT)

Landscape Award
Contacts
Award sessions
Council of Europe
Rules of the Landscape Award of the Council of Europe | Linguistic versions

National actions
Compendium of national data
National implementation

The site will also offer access to the Council of Europe Information System of the European Landscape
Convention provided for in Recommendation CM/Rec(2008)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member
states on the guidelines for the implementation of the European Landscape Convention.

Conclusion

As a thoroughly modern concept, landscape combines all four elements of sustainable development:
natural, cultural, social and economic. It is also a constantly evolving story.

As unique setting and meeting place for populations, landscape is a key factor in the physical, mental and
spiritual well-being of individuals and societies. As source of inspiration, it takes us on a journey, both
individual and collective, through time, space and imagination.

Government wishing to implement the principles of good governance needs to give due emphasis to
landscape in national and international policies.

* * *

38
 Appendix

STATUS OF SIGNATURES AND RATIFICATIONS OF

THE EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE CONVENTION

European Landscape Convention

CETS No.: 176

Treaty open for signature by the member States of the Council of Europe and for accession by the European Union and
the European non-member States

Opening for signature Entry into force

Place: Florence Conditions: 10 Ratifications.
Date : 20/10/2000 Date : 1/3/2004

Status as of: 26/2/2013

Member States of the Council of Europe

States Signature Ratification Entry into force Notes R. D. A. T. C. O.

Albania
Andorra 23/3/2011 7/3/2012 1/7/2012
Armenia 14/5/2003 23/3/2004 1/7/2004
Austria
Azerbaijan 22/10/2003 30/8/2011 1/12/2011
Belgium 20/10/2000 28/10/2004 1/2/2005
Bosnia and Herzegovina 9/4/2010 31/1/2012 1/5/2012
Bulgaria 20/10/2000 24/11/2004 1/3/2005
Croatia 20/10/2000 15/1/2003 1/3/2004
Cyprus 21/11/2001 21/6/2006 1/10/2006
Czech Republic 28/11/2002 3/6/2004 1/10/2004
X
Denmark 20/10/2000 20/3/2003 1/3/2004

Estonia
Finland 20/10/2000 16/12/2005 1/4/2006
France 20/10/2000 17/3/2006 1/7/2006
Georgia 11/5/2010 15/9/2010 1/1/2011
Germany
Greece 13/12/2000 17/5/2010 1/9/2010
Hungary 28/9/2005 26/10/2007 1/2/2008
Iceland 29/6/2012
Ireland 22/3/2002 22/3/2002 1/3/2004
Italy 20/10/2000 4/5/2006 1/9/2006
Latvia 29/11/2006 5/6/2007 1/10/2007
Liechtenstein
Lithuania 20/10/2000 13/11/2002 1/3/2004

39
Luxembourg 20/10/2000 20/9/2006 1/1/2007
Malta 20/10/2000
Moldova 20/10/2000 14/3/2002 1/3/2004
Monaco
Montenegro 8/12/2008 22/1/2009 1/5/2009
X
Netherlands 27/7/2005 27/7/2005 1/11/2005

Norway 20/10/2000 23/10/2001 1/3/2004

Poland 21/12/2001 27/9/2004 1/1/2005
Portugal 20/10/2000 29/3/2005 1/7/2005
Romania 20/10/2000 7/11/2002 1/3/2004
Russia
San Marino 20/10/2000 26/11/2003 1/3/2004
Serbia 21/9/2007 28/6/2011 1/10/2011
Slovakia 30/5/2005 9/8/2005 1/12/2005
Slovenia 7/3/2001 25/9/2003 1/3/2004
Spain 20/10/2000 26/11/2007 1/3/2008
Sweden 22/2/2001 5/1/2011 1/5/2011
Switzerland 20/10/2000 22/2/2013 1/6/2013
The former Yugoslav Republic of
15/1/2003 18/11/2003 1/3/2004
Macedonia
Turkey 20/10/2000 13/10/2003 1/3/2004
Ukraine 17/6/2004 10/3/2006 1/7/2006
X
United Kingdom 21/2/2006 21/11/2006 1/3/2007

Non-member States of the Council of Europe

States Signature Ratification Entry into force Notes R. D. A. T. C. O.

Total number of signatures not followed by ratifications: 2

Total number of ratifications/accessions: 38

Notes:
a: Accession - s: Signature without reservation as to ratification - su: Succession - r: Signature "ad referendum".
R.: Reservations - D.: Declarations - A.: Authorities - T.: Territorial Application - C.: Communication - O.:
Objection. Source: Treaty Office on http://conventions.coe.int

* * *

40