The role of environmental issues in the adoption processes of European Union macro-regional strategies

Abstract

European macro-regional strategies (MRSs) are established around physical features such as seas, mountain ranges and river basins. They focus on a new type of policy-making area (the 'macro-regions') while seeking to design and implement innovative governance approaches. They are therefore considered innovative both in their geographical focus (in the context of EU policies) and in their approach to policy design, adoption and implementation. The present article argues that the analysis of this development can usefully be informed by different theories referring to the notion of 'functions', drawn from political science on the one hand, and from geography and planning on the other. On this basis, it applies a multidisciplinary perspective to the analysis of the role environmental issues have played in the emergence and adoption of macro-regional strategies. This allows for a comprehensive assessment of the role of environmental issues in the adoption of macro-regional strategies, as well as some of their inherent weaknesses.

Factors influencing the adoption of renewable energy in India: supplementing technology-driven drivers and barriers with sustainable development goals

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An intelligent environmental plan for sustainable regionalisation policies: The case of Ukraine

“…In the current EU austerity era, a sustainable approach to environmental planning is motivated by the depletion of natural resources, the lack of regional funding (Martinez-Garcia and Morales, 2019), and existing socioeconomic imbalances in Ukraine and other European countries (Gløersen et al, 2019). These three motivational indicators have caused significant national and international shifts toward centralisation in public policies regarding environmental planning.…”

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