ESC opinions: Europe 2000; trans-European networks
Opinions adopted by the Economic and Social Committee at its 298th plenary session (July 1992) included, inter alia, the following: - An Opinion on "Europe 2000: Outlook for the development of the Community's territory" (COM (90) 544). The Committee broadly endorses the Commission objectives as expressed in the document under review, which clearly illustrates the reciprocal cause and effect links between spatial-planning policy and the fields which the document considers, i.e. sectoral areas and policies with regard to which the EEC has already adopted measures and taken on responsibilities (demography and migration, transport, information and telecommunications, energy, environment, regional development, urban areas, rural areas, coastal areas and islands, cross-frontier regions). The Committee has already set out its views on these issues in its Opinion of 25.9.1991 (OJ No C 339 of 31.12.1991) and now makes additional observations relating to the broader context of spatial planning, underlining the increasingly urgent need to ensure that policies are sufficiently coordinated at all levels. - Opinions on proposals for Council Regulations introducing Declarations of European Interest to facilitate the establishment of trans-European networks in the three domains of: Transport; Electricity and natural gas; Telecommunications. The ESC considers that the aim of these draft Regulations is to give substance to the "Declaration of European Interest" referred to in the Commission communication "Towards trans-European Networks" (COM (90) 585). Comments by the Committee concern the linking of Community financial support to such Declarations, the need to define guidelines more precisely, and the involvement of private investors.