The Role of Regions and the Territorial Cohesion their Impact

• Author: Gabriela A. Popoviciu
• Position: University of Oradea, Faculty of Environmental Protection
• Pages: 313-317

Globalization and Cultural Diversity

313

The Role of Regions and Territorial

Cohesion and their Impact

Popoviciu Gabriela

University of Oradea, Faculty of Environmental Protection, gpopoviciu@uoradea.ro

Abstract. The present paper will try to offer an overview of the interpenetration and integration of two major

areas: planning and environment, because we live in a time where most of us live in urban areas (75% of

Europe’s population) and not in the rural areas. Starting with 2020, accordi ng to projections made in the field,

the proportion will be 80%. Consequently, the demand for land within and around cities will only become

more acute, which already can be seen at the national level. Urban sprawl in the last peri od of time has

already recontour landscapes, which will affect the qua lity of human life and en vironment. And perhaps it is

not incidentally that the urban planning and mana gement have reached today, the priority issues on the global

political agenda. Thus we will treat through this paper will follow the existence of cohesion between land and

environment. Yet this requires consistent interpretation of laws and their application and its implications.

Having this aspect in front, the literature in domain and t he EU Treaties our paper could be an efficient

example for local authorities when prepare the future planning plans, in order to better us es of available

resources from any region.

Keywords: cooperation; legal status; regional disparities

1. Introduction

According to the European Charter of Torremolinos (May 20, 1983, Spain), European Union (EU)

Territorial Agenda (adopted in Leipzig, 24-25 May 2007), territorial cohesion is considering a

particular type of relationship based on solidarity. We named here the solidarity between territories

and regions, between local and regional. This, according to the regulations said, should include

provision of housing and better quality of life conditions, which must be facing towards the local and

regional potential, regardless of where people live - in the area of Central Europe or on its periphery.

In this acceptation because the concept of territorial cohesion has recently been included in the draft of

the European Constitution (EC) and is complementary to the EU drive towards economic and social

cohesion. This adds a new dimension to European integration which clearly recognises that

considering things from a territorial dimension is a tool for reducing the territorial disparity currently

present in the EU.

Nevertheless, the regions are and have been neglected in the EU law context.

This is confirmed in the EU Treaties (specifically in Article 10), where it can be seen that the subjects

of the Community legal order are the states, as holders of the duty to collaborate with each other,

which is instrumental for guaranteeing the effectiveness of the supranational law. It could well be

argued that this regional detachment constitutes just an element of the democratic deficit of the EU.