THE REGION IN EUROPE

CPMR (Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions) was created in 1973 in Saint Maló. It comprises 150 regions from 27 European countries (both members and non-members of the European Union).

The CPMR relies on contributions from its members. This which ensures its independence.

Objetives

They work together to promote their common interests among the EU institutions and national governments, and cooperate on practical projects with a view to enhance their assets.

Its main objectives include: to promote a balanced development of the EU, with the goal of enhancing its economic, social and territorial cohesion; to study, along with other European, national and regional institutions the mise en scène of a polycentric development model at a European level; to integrate Community policies with strong territorial impact into this dimension; to develop interregional cooperation around the large spaces of the European dimension (Baltic, North Sea, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Balkans, Islands) and abroad; to prepare the future of regions by making multiannual programmes in favour of the maritime basins; to promote cooperation and exchanges between regions and to raise awareness among European institutions about the particularities of their geographical spaces.

The CPMR is composed of 7 geographical commissions: The Islands, Atlantic Arc, North Sea and Inter-Mediterranean,  Balkans, Black Sea and Baltic Commissions.

Inter-Mediterranean Commission

The Inter-Mediterranean Commission to which Murcia Region belongs was founded in Seville in 1990. Its aim is to promote cooperation between the regions of the Mediterranean Basin, on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean.

The Inter-Mediterranean Commission brings together 44 regions: 40 regions in five countries of the EU—Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal—which joined the District of Ammochostos (Cyprus), Gozo Island (Malta), Tangiers-Tetouan Region (Morocco) and Sousse Region (Tunisia). The regions of the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean are clearly natural partners. The General Assembly, held in Florence in October 2000, opened the accession as associated members to the Inter-Mediterranean Commission of the southern shore and Eastern regions of the Mediterranean.

Among the priority objectives of the Inter-Mediterranean Commission are the following: interregional cooperation, euro-Mediterranean cooperation, reorganisation of European territory allowing polycentric development to take place, a new European transport system to put an effective end to the marginalization of the South, development of enterprises, research and innovation, the information society, agriculture and rural development, protection and valuation of the environment as well as water management and fighting against droughts, tourism, fishing, the Barcelona process, neighbourhood policy, etc.

Intercommission Groups

At the CRPM there are also the so-called Intercommission Working Groups, which are working groups of experts from the different geographical commissions. These groups discuss topics of common interest, in the peripheral maritime regions, such us coastal zone management, research and development, fishering, relations with Latin America, trans-European transport networks, and others.

Its resources come from the contributions of its members, which guarantees its independence.

In Cartagena, the last meeting of the Bureau of the Intermediterranean Commission took place in February 2018

The last meeting of the Assembly of the Intermediterranean Commission was in Patras (Greece) on June 28/29, 2018.

The Region of Murcia was chosen in 2018 in Funchal (Madeira, Portugal) as a Spanish member of the political bureau of the Conference of Peripheral and Maritime Regions. In this way, the Region, together with Cantabria, will be during the next two years the representative of the Spanish regions in the main lobby of the European regions.