EU Advocacy » Y 2000 Declaration » Local Development
Millennium Declaration:
Our vision on LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
Development can only be achieved with the ability of local communities to maintain and develop the creation of wealth in order to improve the standard of living - limiting dependence on external suppliers of products and services.
The basis of local development is the establishment of a thriving network of SMEs capable of developing as far as possible a stable sustainable economy, investing and caring for their community with long-term commitment.
Local development depends on spatial planning policies, infrastructure and town development. Town centres can only thrive if supported by a vigorous network of small shops and other SMEs.
Acknowledgement should be given to SMEs who play an important role in the creation of sustainable employment and economic growth in rural areas.
Learning from the past
Local development is influenced by many factors. These include competition issues, the availability of potential employees, transport and environmental policies.
The regulatory burden is becoming a competition issue. Large businesses are better prepared and resourced to implement new laws than small businesses, and combined with an inconsistent approach to both interpreting directives and compliance at member state level only adds to the problem.
Transport and environment policies can often weigh more unfairly on town centres than out of town locations, as governments seeks to address road congestion. The solutions must be fair to all.
The availability of trained staff also influences local development. In low employment areas economies can become overheated as wages rise to attract staff from other areas and in high unemployment areas shortages of suitably trained staff is often cited as the problem.
Key Policy Recommendations for the future
- Establish Public/Private partnerships to develop projects to maintain an appropriate level of services (such as transport, post, bank/insurance and leisure) any local community deserve.
- Introduce code of conduct regarding the establishment of large commercial developments locally, notably to ensure that «Municipal Gain» measures are being maintained for the length of the economic project
Page last updated: 31/08/2001 10:47:11 AM