New Ways Towards a New Europe

On 7-9 October Szczecin city hosts an international conference devoted to the future of cross-border cooperation. After almost 10 years Szczecin City, for the second time, hosts representatives of European border and cross-border regions who come to discuss the future of cross-border cooperation in Europe.

With its unquestionable position on the map of European border regions, and as a capital of Polish-German-Swedish Euroregion Pomerania, the city leads one of the most dynamic euroregions grouping Polish municipalities and poviats. Here, in 1995, the city hosted for the first time in Poland a General Assembly and Annual Conference of Association of European Border Regions (AEBR). As a result of the meeting, the most important programme document of the organisation - European Charter for Border and Cross-Border Regions, called since then the Szczecin Charter, was updated. Szczecin's representatives sit in the AEBR Executive Board where they represent the Euroregion Pomerania since the beginning of its membership in this European and regional representation.

Established in 1971, the Association of European Border Regions operates on the territory of EUREGIO - the oldest cross-border region in Europe on the German and Dutch border, and with the seat in Gronau (Germany). The Associations' most important aims are to identify problems, chances and achievements of border and cross-border regions, represent their interests on the European level, initiate, support and coordinate the cooperation and exchange of experiences among border regions. It also offers its support in solving various daily problems in the border areas. Presently AEBR lists about 120 members.

The events related to the EU enlargement and resulting from this fact the movement of the existing external borders eastwards and southwards, and finally publishing of the Third Cohesion Report by the European Commission require a separate discussion devoted to the cross-border cooperation. It is a must to adjust "the European Charter for Border and Cross-Border Regions" to the new reality. The conference's leading theme: "New ways to a new Europe" completed with other themes such as 'the European commonwealth of values vs. European Constitution' or 'the significance of cross-border cooperation as an element integrating EU'. The representatives of the European Parliament, the Commission and the Committee of the Regions have already confirmed their participation in the discussion panels.

AEBR appreciates Szczecin's significant contribution into the development of euroregional cross-border cooperation through placing its Annual Conference here. Also, the city's closeness to the EU's new internal border was significant. The conference grouping about two hundreds fifty participants from all of Europe was organised under the patronage of the Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.