The Geography of European Integration

1
The Geography of European Integration

• The Emergence of the Region

2
The Perspective of Geography

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

3
The Perspective (contd-1)

• European integration builds on, or recombines,
  these different spatial elements
• European integration radically reconfigures one
  of them the political
• From the political territorial unit of the
  nation-state, and the international relations
  system built on the nation-state, to something
  else

4
The Perspective (contd-2)

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

5
Regions in the EU

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

6
Regions in the EU (contd-1)

• Some examples of Regions
• Mediterranean region (southern Europe)
• Flemish, Basque, Scottish regions
• The German Laender (formal units of government)
• The French administrative regions (created by the
  central government)

7
Regions in the EU (contd-2)

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

8
Regions in the EU(contd-3)

• Interaction with the Social
• Disparities for Social Groups as well as for
  Regions, from same causes
• Environmental policy as a favored site for
  Regional and Social initiatives

9
The EC/EU Story of the Regions

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

10
The Story of the Regions (contd-1)

• Creation of Structural Funds (1989-93)
• Merger of Social Fund, Regional Development
  Fund, Guidance Section of Agricultural Fund
• A genuine regional policy made possible, with the
  Commission at the lead Regional Policy DG
• Creation of Cohesion Fund (TEU 1992)
• Fisheries Guidance fund created and added to
  Structural Funds (1994-99)
• Committee of the Regions (TEU 1992)
• Todays allocation of funds (2000-2006)
• 213B euros (1/3 of Community budget)
• 195B for Structural Funds
• 18B for Cohesion Funds

11
The Story of the Regions (contd-2)

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

12
The Story of the Regions (contd-3)

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

13
The Story of the Regions (contd-4)

• Some interesting regional initiatives
• Four Motors of Europe
• Baden-Wuerttemberg (Ger), Catalonia (Sp),
  Rhone-Alpes (Fr), Lombardy (It)
• Single Market inspired, at high industry-high
  tech level
• Trans-European networks for research, innovation,
  and production, with emphasis on education,
  technology, and knowledge transfer

14
The Story of the Regions (contd-5)

• Interesting regional initiatives (contd)
• Interregio programs of the Commission
• Euroregions
• Origins in independent cross-border initiatives
  based on functional common interest
• Example Peripheral Maritime Regions-Atlantic Arc

15
Websites

• http//img.uoregon.edu/euro410/
• Europa
• Commission DGs
• Curia
• Maps
• Regions