Position Statement by the Verband Region Stuttgart on the Commission Communication "Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion"

1. The Stuttgart Region welcomes the opportunity to state its position on the "Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion". It emphatically supports the approach pursued in the Green Paper not only to consider the rural areas and regions with structural deficits but also to include the significance of urban conurbations and growth centres. As such, towns and rural areas are not seen as opposing each other but as partners in an effort to achieve a balance in regional development.

2. Close and democratically legitimised cooperation between towns and surrounding areas has been practised as a means of joining forces in the Stuttgart Region – consisting of the City of Stuttgart and the five rural districts of Böblingen, Esslingen, Göppingen, Ludwigsburg and Rems-Murr-Kreis – since as long ago as 1994 when the Verband Region Stuttgart (Greater Stuttgart Authority) was called into existence. As a high-density, economically strong and internationally integrated agglomeration, the region – just like other metropolitan regions – contributes to Europe's efficiency and competitiveness and fosters the process of European integration. It sees itself as: ¾ A major European conurbation and regional business and labour market with international visibility ¾ A region that is home to the majority of Baden-Württemberg's population ¾ An international transport node with "beacon projects", such as Stuttgart 21 ¾ A knowledge economy hub with numerous universities, research institutes and patent applications as well as a high proportion of specialised jobs ¾ A nucleus and origin of cluster policies ¾ The central region of a federal Land and therefore the seat of decision- makers in politics, business and society ¾ A region with innovative cooperation structures in which supraregional collaboration is practised and strengthened between stakeholders at various political levels.

3. Metropolitan regions of this type demand particular recognition, consideration and support in the European Union and its member states. For this reason, the Verband Region Stuttgart calls for: ¾ The recognition of the significance of metropolitan regions as an element of regional development and of their contribution to the Lisbon process ¾ The mainstreaming of the development of a new and adequate metropolitan dimension in European politics ¾ The creation of set structures of communication and dialogue with EU organisations, e.g. by appointing a uniform contact person in the European Commission ¾ The development of a clear EU strategy for cities and conurbations of the type that exists for the Baltic region and the Danube countries for example ¾ The standardisation and/or alignment of provisions to permit conurbations as a whole to participate in programmes and projects ¾ The development of special funding instruments and programmes for setting up networks and partner structures in the long term.

4. The dynamics of conurbations should be used to support regional development in Europe and manage territorial cohesion more appropriately in the associations between towns and their surrounding municipalities. The Verband Region Stuttgart therefore asks the Commission to support relevant sub-regions in the new funding period after 2013.