Sonderband 2. International Council on Archives. Dritte Europäische Archivkonferenz, Wien 11. bis 15. Mai 1993. Tagungsprotokolle (1996)

2. Session /Séance. Regional (trans-border) Cooperation / Coopération régionale (transfrontaliere) - Brejon de Lavergnée, Marie-Edith: New economic Zones and their Archives / Nouvelles zones économiques et leurs archives (english 77 - français 100)

2. Session/Séance: Brejon de Lavergnée, New economic Zones and their Archives

of two years. The chairman is elected for this period on the proposition of the canton of the département which has taken over the chairmanship. The committee elects a vice-chairman, nominated by a selection panel. The committee is supported by a secretariat made up of one person from each canton and département, each member of the secretariat carries out the duties of to Secretary General during the chairmanship of the canton or département, which elects him. Working parties carry out their activities by sectors; they are permanent bodies, each made up of fifteen members appointed by the cantonal and départemental authorities and meet at least twice a year.

The Euroregion formed by the two French regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi Pyrénées and the Spanish region of Catalonia signed a charter in Perpignan on 9 October 1991 as a result of which they have embarked on an ambitious programme of trans-border cooperation. Important exchanges between the three regions are already in being, which have been further developed and increased since 1989 in the framework of the annual meetings of the chairmen of the euroregion, held in Perpignan in 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992.

Discussions take place during the meetings of chairmen which must be held as need arises and at least once a year. The meeting must approve the annual programme of cooperation and new activities within this framework put in hand. A tripartite cooperation committee is responsible for examining the proposals for activities gathered together by the officials of the three regions and for that purpose establishes working parties: it is made up of the administrative and technical officers of each region; it can include representatives of the municipality of Perpignan, the seat of the euroregion, in its work as well as of the territorial units affected by the suggestions put forward and, particularly of the département of the Eastern Pyrénées; it also prepares an annual report on the progress of programmes. The meetings of chairmen and the tripartite committee are held in Perpignan, but if some items of business require it, meetings can take place elsewhere. The secretariat is revolving and is taken over by each of the three fegions in turn for a two year term.

The „heavyweight“ in this matter is the „Atlantic Arc“, stretching from England to Portugal. Several „hard centres“ go into the making of this group such as that comprising the Aquitaine region and the Euzkadi (Basque region) which were joined to the euroregion after 3 October 1989 by a treaty of bilateral cooperation, which led to the setting up of a permanent commission at Rennes on 21 April 1991. Besides, Galicia in Spain and two Portuguese regions signed the interregional charter for the development of Atlantic southern Europe worked out by Aquitaine and Euzkadi. Castille, Estramadura and the two Asturian provinces must also join.

Labour Communities

Other groups are coming forward to bring pressure to bear in Brussels for a reorientation of European policy in acordance with the common interests of the work82