In Europeanpolitics, a region is the layer of government directly below the national level. The term is especially used in relation to those regions which have some historical claim to uniqueness or independence, or differ significantly from the rest of the country.
Italianregioni which are not just geographic, but administrative divisions. The island-regions of Sardinia and Sicily, and also Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino Alto-Adige, Valle d'Aosta have a special autonomous status.
The current historical trend in Europe is for the devolution of power to the regions from the central authorities. Examples of this trend include the devolution process in Britain (the Scotland Act 1998, the Government of Wales Act 1998) and the current negotiations in France concerning increased autonomy for Corsica.
The politics of the regionalism have also had their impact on the pan-European level. The regions of Europe have lobbied for an increased say in EU affairs, especially the German Länder. This has resulted in the creation by the Maastricht treaty of the Committee of the Regions, and provision for member states to be represented in the Council by ministers from their regional governments. The desire of the German Länder however has been frustrated by other member states, which are opposed to direct involvement by the regions in EU decision-making. The German Länder successfully lobbied the German government (which has in turn lobbied the European Council) for the 2004IGC to deal with the division of powers between the EU, national and regional levels of government.
The region is the locus of some of the world’s major sources of tension or conflict (for example in Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, in Aceh or Mindanao, or in the Taiwan Straits, the South China Sea or the inter-Korean border).
The region includes the two most populous countries in the world (China and India), and some of the smallest (Brunei and Bhutan); it includes some of the richest countries in the world (Japan, Singapore), and some of the poorest (eight Asian countries are on the UN Least-Developed list).
Asia’s importance for the EU is incontestable, and it is imperative for the EU to follow a forward-looking policy of engagement with Asia, both in the region and globally.
This package of assistance, to be disbursed during 2005-2006 under the EU’s MEDA program, illustrates the Union’s commitment to supporting the development of a zone of peace, prosperity and sustainable development with its Mediterranean neighbors.
The EU will use this occasion to underline its solidarity with its southern neighbors, and seek to develop further co-operation with a region convulsed by the volatile situations in Iraq and the Middle East.
Donors in the region are increasingly aware that major improvements are needed in welfare for all citizens.
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