What's the CURE?
The aims of the Convention for Urban and Rural Europe are:
- to offer - at the time of the Mid-Term Reviews of EU programmes in 2008-9 - recommendation on policy frameworks and measures which will assist a sustainable approach to the future of urban and rural areas in Europe, achieved through effective partnership between governments and civil society
- to build a partnership of organisations who are committed to building sustainable urban-rural relations throughout Europe.
The Convention process is conceived as having two phases - short-term (to mid-2009), and medium-term (to 2011) and potentially beyond.
Phase 1
We propose to organise a series of Thematic Seminars, bringing together rural and urban interests to focus on the means by which European and national programmes can be so used as to maximise the mutual benefit of urban and rural areas in a truly sustainable way.
Each Seminar will be based in a different European region, and will focus on one or more of a series of major themes or issues, within the broad context of sustainability. These may be general themes which apply equally to urban and rural areas - such as
- food security
- energy efficiency
- management of natural and cultural resources
- use of information technology
- cohesion, migration and social inclusion
- tourism and the use of leisure time
- demographic and climate change
- spatial planning
- constructive dialogue between citizens and governments
- structures of regional governance
They may also include specifically urban issues, such as rapid population growth or competition for land; or specifically rural issues, such as loss of social services or narrow local economies. A particular focus will be on the inter-dependence of cities and rural areas, and on overarching regional solutions.
Climax of Phase 1 will be a Convention Gathering in 2009, with the following main outputs:
- Statement of a vision for a sustainable future for urban and rural areas in Europe
- Vivid descriptive material related to ‘good practice' examples of action contributing to a sustainable future for urban and rural areas
- An assessment of how well suited the current policy frameworks and measures appear to be towards assuring the realisation of that vision and promoting the widespread application of good practice
- Proposals for changes in policy frameworks and measures that appear to merit consideration at the Mid-Term Review of EU programmes in 2008-9.
Phase 2
Throughout Phase 1, the network of organisations committed to the CURE purpose will steadily grow. The Phase 1 events and outputs will be aimed at decision-makers in all sectors and at European, national and regional level. Many of them will also command programmes of action which could directly contribute to building sustainable urban-rural relations.
The aim in Phase 2 will be to build an active network of people and organisations committed to that purpose; and, within and through that network, to initiate and promote pilot projects, action plans, exchanges and mutual stimulus.
