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European Integration: Past , Present and Future

European Integration: Past , Present and Future Innovative Spatial Planning Instruments and their Contribution to European Integration A Case Study of a Border Region in Northern Bavaria Michael Seidel Waterloo, Ontario, May 1, 2010. Need for new spatial planning instruments.

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European Integration: Past , Present and Future

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  1. European Integration: Past, Presentand Future Innovative SpatialPlanning Instruments andtheirContributionto European Integration A Case Study ofa Border Region in Northern Bavaria Michael Seidel Waterloo, Ontario, May 1, 2010

  2. Need fornewspatialplanninginstruments • The fall of the iron curtain and the need for rapid change of border regions (1989), • The Single European Market (1993), • The opening of the European Union for countries of central and eastern Europe (2004), • Serious challenges caused by structural change, mainly internationalization and globalization, • Rising regional disparities, • Budget constraints called for an effective use of increasingly scarce resources in all member states.

  3. New national planninginstrumentsandtheirinterfaces • Euroregionsascross-bordercooperations • Permanent structuresintendedto promote integration on bothsidesoftheborder • Supportedby European Parliamentsincemorethan 30 years • In thefocusofthenewobjective 3 (former INTERREG community initiative)

  4. Borderregions in thefocusofthe European Union

  5. Towards a multi-levelarchitectureofspatialplanning • Central planningunabletoprevent regional disparities • Towards a multi-levelarchitectureofspatialplanning • From top-down tobottom-up philosophy

  6. Figure 1: Breakdown of finances by priority axis New instrumentsincluded in EU support Operational Czech Republic Cross borderprogramme (INTERREG IV)

  7. Case study High Franconia: a region in a blind spot

  8. Status quo after the fall oftheironcurtain • Bad image („bavarianSiberia“, „poorhouseof Bavaria“, borderregion, „no-man‘s –land“), nobranding • „Regional mind-set“: passive and defensive • Lack ofcooperationbetweenfirms, countiesandtowns • Monostructure: „oldfashioned“ industry-portfolio • Highestunemployment-rate in Bavaria • Brain drain: lossofyoung, qualifiedpeople • Demographicsituation: lossofpopulation

  9. Implicationsofthedivision: lossofpopulation

  10. Implementing regional marketingandmanagement • Defining a regional platform: thecityof Hof togetherwiththecountiesof Hof and Wunsiedel • Choosing a functionalregion, not an administrative one • Re-designing a region: High Franconiainsteadof „North-East-Upper-Franconia“ • SWOT-analysis • Branding strategy, financialsupportby EU-EFRE-funds

  11. Comparativecostadvantages

  12. Business location marketing – promoting core competencies and clusters • Logistics – gateway to middle and eastern Europe • IT, call center and back office • Automotive industry • Fostering regional entrepreneurship

  13. EUREGIO EGRENSIS: German-Czech cross-borderplatform • From 2007 – 2013 supportby INTERREG IV: € 4 million • Successfulprojects: • Education:languagecourses, pupilsexchangeprogramme, • Thematicevents: cross-bordergardenshow, • Project „Goodneighbourhood“: informationcampaigns, interculturalworkshops • Effects: • Success in seeking, establishingandstabilizingcontacts • Cultural awareness on bothsidesoftheborder • Committmentaboveaveragetoachievecommonlyestablishedgoals

  14. East-Western business competence center • Developingtheeast-western businesscompetencecenter • One-stop-competenceforbusiness in Central Europe • ReinforcestheattractivenessoftheBavarian-Czech borderzone • Increasedeconomicalcross-bordercooperation

  15. Conclusions I: Added value of innovative instrumentsfor European Integration • European andpolitical added value • Institutional added value • Socio-economic added value: • Synergies, e.g. in researchanddevelopment • Economiesofscale via newmarkets • Exchange ofbestpracticesandexperiences • Cross-borderspin-offs • Socio-cultural added value

  16. Conclusions II • Bottom-up-basednewinstrumentscanhelp rural regionstokeeppacewiththemetropolitanareas • The innovative, bottom-up-basedapproachcontributestomakingregionsmore intelligent and flexible • New instrumentsrecommendedforimplementation all overthestatebyBavarianGovernment • Multi-level-architecturegivesregionsandmunicipalitiesmorebargainig power vis-à-vis thecentralstate

  17. Conclusions III: requirementsforsuccessfulimplementation • Using EU- orgovernmentgrantsisonly a startingpointand not sufficientforsuccess • Need of professional andconsistentstrategyandmarketing-mix • Functionalregions fit betterthan administrative ones • Need ofcommitment: regional politicians must beorbecometeam-players • Need ofpatience: changing regional mindsetsmaytakemore time thanchanginginfrastructureandeconomy

  18. Conclusions IV: unsolvedquestions • Regional initiatives underpublicor private law? • Inflationaryfoundingofnewinstruments in a regionmaycause: • Overlap • Double expenditures • Over-complexity • Fragmentation • Problems ofintegration • Desireforevaluation: Ifyoucan‘tmeasureit, youcan‘t manage it“.

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