Regional planning: Europe 2000 plus. Report

Adopting the report by Mr Fernandez Martin (PPE, E) on "Europe 2000+", the European Parliament called for the elements required in order to implement a European regional planning policy to be incorporated in the Treaty, mainly by: - jointly adopting guidelines guaranteeing the coherence and complementarity of various Community policies with a view to achieving the balanced and sustained development of Union territory and stronger economic and social cohesion; - strengthening the trans-European network policy by extending the networks to education and vocational training, research and the environment; - making provision for a legal framework designed to facilitate cross-border and interregional cooperation; - contributing towards the gradual enlargement of the Union. Parliament felt that a viable European area implied a long-term strategy for preserving the natural and cultural heritage which was inextricably bound up with the concept of sustainable development. It also stressed the need for interregional planning to protect and conserve limited water resources and called on the Commission to ensure that extremely remote regions were given the same status as urban areas, rural areas and border regions in future documents on specific areas.�