Committee of the Regions COTER Seminar

Regional Policy in regions with specific geographical characteristics14 December 2009

Kiruna, Sweden

Session 2: The situation of regions with geographical characteristics: Mountain regions

Thomas Dax Bundesanstalt für Bergbauernfragen, Vienna, Austria (Federal Institute for Less-Favoured and Mountainous Areas) thomas.dax@babf.bmlfuw.gv.at

Outline

Mountain areas in Europe (definition; scope, diversity)

Situation and trends in mountain regions

Challenges of sustainable development and cohesion aspects

Analysis of impact of policies on mountain areas

Regional initiatives and success factors for mountain development

A common framework for mountain analysis Definition (national definitions and delimitations,

LFA scheme for CAP; regions for Interreg programmes); common indicators of Nordregio study (LAU2)data availability problems

add regional perspective for EU comparison (NUTS3): EC working paper (02/2009)

Mountain policies (national, EU-level; diverse application patterns)specificity addressed in strategic documents

Challenges faceddemographic changes /ageing population

shifts in economic activityaccessibility, infrastructure and service supply

emerging potential (quality production)tension between ecological sensitivity and use (e.g. tourism)

Mountains of Europe

Delimitation (Nordregio study)

Mountain areas (selected countries)

country Total area (1,000 km²)

Area of mountain

municip. (1000 km²)

Mountain area in % of total

area

Mountain area population in %

of total population

All countries studied

4.761 1.935 40,6 19,1

EU15 3.319 1.323 39,9 17,8

Austria 84 62 73,4 49,8

Finland 327 166 50,8 12,0

France 638 142 22,3 14,3

Germany 357 53 14,7 10,1

Greece 132 103 77,9 49,6

Italy 301 181 60,1 32,6

Portugal 92 36 39,1 26,5

Spain 505 282 55,7 38,5

Sweden 450 228 50,6 6,9

UK 245 63 25,5 4,3

Source: Nordregio 2004, p.29f.

Mountain areas, NMS (table continued)

country Total area (1,000 km²)

Area of mountain

municip. (1000 km²)

Mountain area in % of total

area

Mountain area population in % of

total population

All countries 4.761 1.935 40,6 19,1

NMS-12 1.077 241 22,4 17,6

Bulgaria 102 54 53,3 45,6

Cyprus 9 4 47,6 14,3

Czech Rep. 79 25 32,3 23,4

Poland 311 16 5,2 5,8

Romania 238 90 37,9 24,9

Slovakia 49 30 62,0 48,6

Slovenia 20 16 78,0 64,9

Norway 324 296 91,3 63,4

Switzerland 41 37 90,7 84,2

Indicator Mountain regions EU-27

total area (EC-study 2004) 35.5%

population share (2007) 8.0% 100

(EC-study 2004) (17,7%)

population density(for EU-15, 2004)

42 (Index) 100

change in pop.(2000-2006, p.a.)

0.17% 0.37%

change in employment(2000-2004, p.a.)

0.20% 0.20%

employment in agriculture (2004)

14% 7%

Share of populationnot accessing hospitals(within 30 min.; 2001)

21.3% 10.4%

proximity to natural area 161 (Index) 100

LFA-delimitation (2007, EU-27)

21% of total area

15% of UAA

12% of econ. pot.

11% of livestock

Situation and trends

Population density in massifs

Population density in municipalities

Population development

Municipalities with depopulation (from mountain areas and lowlands), 1991-2001

Note: bars in red, municipalities with more than -10% depopulation

Lowlands Mountain Areas

Mountain regions, EU-27 (Nuts 3)

Challenges of sustainable development and cohesion aspects

Major processes:

Continuing process of EU economic and social integration, globalisation and economic restructuring

Development of information and transport technologies Changing political geography of Europe (enlargement,

regionalism)

Changing socio-demographic structure of EU population, and

Environmental degradation threats (energy supply, climate change implications)

Mountain policy framework

Recent stronger territorial orientation (sector policies, CAP, SF, including trans-border cooperation and Territorial Cohesion)

Main sector policies (agriculture, forestry, tourism, infrastructure, public services; environment, risk management, nature conservation; spatial planning)

Trans-national cooperation (including international agreements: Alpine and Carpathian Conventions; Interreg programmes)

Integrated approaches (pilot action, including Leader in mountains, national priorities and action)

Institutional development (research and development: Mountain Forum, Rio/Johannesburg process, IYM 2002, Mountain Partnership, SARD-M „remunerating positive externalities“)

Arkleton Centre 2005

Pillar 1 support per Annual Work Unit (AWU)

Arkleton Centre 2005

Pillar 2 support per Annual Work Unit (AWU)

Integrated perspectives on activities

Reflecting cohesion needs and concept of sustainability

• Improving (spatial) accessibility

• Need for incentive policies

• Take account of landscape values

• Amenities characteristics with a territorial dimension (need of collective action)

• Mountain areas, low intensity land management, nature conservation (appropriate land management)

• Coordination activities, multi-level governance (horizontal and vertical)

Local action in mountain development

Need for innovative approaches beyond LFA scheme Bottom-up approaches (since 1970s),

pilot action towards mainstreaming (Leader etc., community capacity building, cooperation – governance)

Two aspects of local capacity building:► „diversification“ of farm households► general spatial relevance of rural action (types of rural regions)

Best-practice and success dimensions

Source: van der Ploeg et al. 2002

agri

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t organic farming

high quality production

and regional products

short supply chains

„Deepening“

„Regrounding“

new forms of cost reduction

off-farm income

„Bro

aden

ing“

mobilisation of ressources

Agro-food supply chain

rura

l are

a

conventional agriculture

Structure of rural development at farm enterprise level

Key issues for mountain policy strategies

Recognition of mountain areas as specific development areas

Remuneration of services rendered to surrounding lowland areas

Diversification and exploitation of the local potential for innovation

Addressing cultural changes without loss of identity

Sustainable management of mountain ecosystems (including biodiversity)

Trans-regional cooperation and strategic regional development approaches

Institutional development (multi-level governance) to focus on sustainable resource use

References

Nordregio, Mountain areas in Europe, EC-study (2004) BABF, F&F32, Berggebiete in Europa (2004) BABF, F&F35, Benachteiligte Gebiete in den NMS (2006) ESPON studies 2000-2006 (project 2.1.3 and others) Bausch et al., Prospective Study, Alpine Space (2006) EC, proceedings, mountain policies conference (2003) Dax, The role of mountain regions in territorial cohesion, Euromontana (2008) Eu-project IMALP, Guidelines for promoting sustainable agriculture in Alpine

mountain regions (2006)

Thank you!