Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-11-Speech-2-307"
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"en.20071211.38.2-307"2
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"The Commission strongly supports the promotion of sustainable urban development which fully respects the environment. The Commission adopted its thematic strategy on the urban environment in 2006. The strategy recognises the whole of sustainable urban development in relation to the quality of life, but the strategy also recognises the diversity that exists between citizens in the European Union.
For this reason, and following extensive consultations with local authorities and the Member States, the strategy, in accordance with the subsidiarity principle, assumed that local and national authorities are best placed to find and implement solutions most appropriate to the local circumstances.
Against the background of the diversity of urban situations, the Commission does not recommend a specific model of development valid for each city in Europe. The Commission considers it essential to put in place the appropriate governance and planning tools, but is of the opinion that there is no real added value in imposing an obligation to establish specific plans, such as environmental management plans and sustainable urban transport plans.
The Commission has, however, published guidance on sustainable urban transport plans and on integrated environment management plans, with the aim of assisting local authorities to implement the strategy’s objectives. Guidance should be seen as a description of the process, and a reminder of the key elements that could be considered when developing integrated environmental management programmes and sustainable urban transport plans at local level. Both documents are based upon comprehensive consultations and examples of best practice developed by cities themselves.
Legislation affecting urban areas exists already, for example in the field of air quality, water management, noise and waste. That legislation needs to be implemented better. A noticeable and significant improvement in the living conditions in urban areas will be seen through the full implementation of existing legislative instruments.
The Commission recalls the wealth of ideas on urban development which has allowed the ministers responsible for urban affairs to reach a consensus based on the Lille Action Programme, the Rotterdam Urban Acquis, the Bristol Accord and, more recently, the Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities adopted at an informal Council meeting on 25 May 2007. In September 2007 it approved a Green Paper on urban mobility, which has now been submitted for public consultation. Those documents constitute a shared background, outlining the main conditions necessary to achieve urban sustainable development. Furthermore, the Commission actively encourages dialogue and the dissemination of best practices between cities within the framework of programmes financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
Concerning the data available on the situation of European cities, which can provide the basis for policy decisions, the Commission has put in place the Urban Audit, which contains data on the situation of European cities, and is now being updated. The Commission has recently published a study on the state of European cities, which further analyses the results of the Urban Audit."@en1
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