First for the Highlands as Council hosts European Political Bureau

4th June 2014

On Friday (6 June 2014) The Highland Council will welcome the Political Bureau of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime regions (CPMR) to Inverness. This is the first time that the Political Bureau has met in the Highlands and the Council is keen to use the visit to highlight the realities of living and working at the periphery of the European Union.

The CPMR is thought of as the pre-eminent lobbying network in the E.U. and one of the most effective for regional/local government. The Commission regularly uses the Conference to gauge the views of the regions on new initiatives and to help develop same.

The Conference currently comprises 150 member regions across 28 countries and represents in the region of 200 million people. Members work together to ensure that EU institutions and national governments take account of the common interests of its members. The Conference also facilitates co-operation on practical projects in order to enhance their assets.

The Highland Council is a longstanding member of the CPMR with a track record of pro-active involvement in the work of the network. The Council Leader, Councillor Drew Hendry is the current UK representative on the ruling Political Bureau and is a vice President of the CPMR, the first Scot elected to this position.

Councillor Drew Hendry who will host the event on Friday said: "The CPMR has been instrumental in persuading the European Commission and Parliament to ensure that development is delivered in an equitable manner, assuring that peripheral and sparsely populated regions such as Highland does not lose out in favour of more populated regions such as Glasgow, Paris of Frankfurt.

"The Council, along with its member partners in the Highlands &Islands, is currently using the CPMR to help with supporting transport needs including ferry networks and supporting Highlands and Islands air links. Many of these issues are common among member regions and consideration of our unique needs helps all of those with similar challenges.

The agenda will address:

· Regional policy - where the Council will wish to ensure that pressure is maintained on the UK as a member state to ensure that the regions are fully involved in the development and delivery of these vitally important development programmes;

· Accessibility - where the Council will seek for assurances that the ports covered by the Motorways of the Sea will be reviewed as the programme is delivered thus allowing Highlands & islands ports to gain access to funding;

· Maritime policies - where interest will focus on ensuring that the maritime environment and maritime resources are integrated with terrestrial development;

· Macro-regions - here the Council has concerns that future regional development could fail to address the role of the CPMR regions in favour of wider national government agendas across Europe.

AGENDA

Friday 6 June 2014

9.00 OPENING SESSION
- Welcome by Mr Drew Hendry, Leader of the Highland Council and CPMR Vice-President

9.20 Speech by Mrs Annika Annerby Jansson, President of the CPMR and President of the RegionalCouncil, Region Skåne

• Approval of the Minutes of the Political Bureau meeting in Leiden (14/02/2014)
• Adoption of this Agenda

9.30 Update on the work of the CPMR, presentation by Mrs Eleni Marianou, Secretary General of the CPMR

COHESION POLICY AND EU BUDGET

9.45 Introduction by Mrs Annika Annerby Jansson, President of the CPMR and President of the

Regional Council, Region Skåne


9.50 Presentation of the Technical Paper: “Achievements of the CPMR in the Cohesion Policy negotiations" and the Declaration “Refocusing Cohesion Policy on addressing Territorial Cohesion" by Mr Nicolas Brookes, CPMR Director


10.05 Presentation of the study by the European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development: “Impact of the economic crisis on social, economic and territorial cohesion” by Dr Simona Milio, London School of Economics (skype conference)

10.20 Consideration of Cohesion Policy Challenges by Prof. John Bachtler, University of Strathclyde, Director of European Policy Research Centre (EPRC) (tbc)

10.35 - Debate with Members on issues relating to the implementation of Cohesion Policy programmes
- Vote on the Declaration “Refocusing Cohesion Policy on addressing Territorial Cohesion”

11.00 - 11.30: Coffee break

ACCESSIBILITY AND MARITIME TRANSPORT

11.30 Introduction to the CPMR's work in this area, by Mr Bruno Oliver, Director, Fundación Transpirenaica, Government of Aragón, based on a Technical Paper from CPMR General Secretariat

11.40 Speech by Mr Luis Valente de Oliveira, European Coordinator for the Motorways of the sea

12.00 A view from a regional maritime transport company, by Mrs Christine Roberts, HR Director

David MacBrayne HR Limited (UK)

12.15 Debate with Members on issues relating to the forums of the CEF corridors, the new scheme of

EU support to maritime transport services

13.00: Lunch/buffet at the meeting venue

MARITIME POLICIES

CPMR maritime priorities for the next mandate of the European Parliament and the European Commission

14.00 Introduction by Mr Pierre Karleskind, Vice-President of the Regional Council of Brittany

14.45 Mr Rodrigo Oliveira, Presidential Sub-Secretary for External Relations, Regional Government of the Azores: The Regions’ development strategies and European environmental policies with regard to Maritime issues

14.55 Speech by Professor Laurence Mee, SAMS / Scottish Marine Institute

15.05 Debate with Members on issues relating to key maritime priorities and the link between regional economic development and environmental limits

15.30: Coffee Break

MACRO- REGIONS

16.00 Speech by Mr Jozef Stahl, Deputy Director General Popen’s Advisor, DG Regional and Urban

Policy on “the EC Communication on Governance issues within Macro-Regional Strategies”

16.15 Mr Josep Manuel Suàrez, Head of the delegation of the Catalan Government to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Presidency of the Intermediterranean Commission: Towards a road map for Macro-Regional strategies in the Mediterranean

16.30 Debate with Members

SPEAKERS’ CORNER: Delivering Green Transport in remote areas

16.45 Introduction by Councillor Drew Hendry, Leader of the Highland Council and CPMR Vice- President

16.55 Short intervention by Mr Basil O’Fee, Director, Northpoint Aviation, on “Developing sustainable air transport services in the periphery”

17.05 Debate with Members, moderated by Mr Ranald Robertson, Partnership Director, Highlands & Islands Transport Partnership (HiTrans) on issues relating to:
1. How urban models of green transport can be shaped to suit remote areas?
2. What future for renewable energy in developing green transport models?
3. Is community transport the answer to the lack of profitability in rural transport?

17.20 Conclusions

17.30 PREPARATION OF THE CPMR GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 24-26 SEPTEMBER 2014, UMEÅ (VÄSTERBOTTEN, SWEDEN)
• Presentation of the draft Agenda, by Mrs Eleni Marianou, Secretary General of the
CPMR

• Validation by the Members of the CPMR Political Bureau

17.40 ADMINISTRATIVE & FINANCIAL ISSUES, by Mrs Gunn Marit Helgesen, 1st Vice- President and Treasurer of the CPMR
• Speech, via Skype, by the Auditor


18.00 Next meetings of the CPMR

• CPMR General Assembly: 25-26 September 2014 (Umeå, Västerbotten, SE)
• Renewal of the CPMR Political Bureau and election of the President on Thursday 25
September 2014 (Umeå, Västerbotten, SE). Call for Candidates sent out at the end of May 2014, i.e. 4 months before the end of the current term of office (cf. CPMR Statutes, point 7.3)
• Vote of confidence by the Political Bureau and the General Assembly for the Secretary
General (cf. CPMR Statutes, point 7.4.e)
• Invitations to host the next CPMR Political Bureau meetings (February & June 2015) and the next CPMR General Assembly in 2015 (tbc)

18.10 Summing up and conclusions by Mrs Annika Annerby Jansson, President of the CPMR and President of the Regional Council, Region Skåne, and Mrs Eleni Marianou, Secretary General of the CPMR

18.20 - 18.30 End of proceedings