Discussion Papers 2008.
Visions and Strategies in the Carpathian Area (VASICA) 5-7. p.
1 Introduction
This document was prepared in the framework of the Carpathian Project. The Car-
pathian Project, again, is one of the projects approved and prepared in the frame-
work of the CADSES (Central European, Adriatic, Danubian and Southeast Euro-
pean Space) trans-national spatial planning cooperation programme.
VASICA is accordingly a trans-national spatial-planning document. Similar
synthetic documents have been prepared for several large cooperation areas in the
last decade. The formerly prepared strategies developed a “standard” form and
content of such documents. The first and best known of these documents was the
“Visions and Strategies around the Baltic Sea, (VASAB)”, prepared in 1994. The
idea of the title of the VASICA document was “borrowed” from these former
trans-national spatial-planning documents. Nevertheless, VASICA is special and
different from other similar documents, first because the Carpathian area is sub-
stantially different from other areas, second, because many years had passed since
1994.
The Carpathian Project had to face a pioneering task. A lot of planning docu-
ments were prepared for the individual national economies. There are also cross-
country studies and strategic papers, dealing with some specific problems (macro-
economy, environment, agriculture and so on). Due to the Carpathian Convention
(see later), now the environmental and natural conservation problems of the Car-
pathian Mountains are better elaborated. Nevertheless, no common spatial planning
document, plan or strategy was prepared so far on the complex economic, social
and spatial problems of the Carpathian area as a whole. There are many reasons for
that failure. Since 1918, the region was characterised by small state conflicts and
rivalries. Even if there were sometimes efforts for coordination and common ef-
forts, great power influence and disinterest brought about their failure.
In the last decade, several Europe-wide spatial documents had been prepared.
Among them are the Leipzig Principles of EU member states (1994), the European
Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP, 1999), the Guiding Principles for the
Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent (2000), the Commu-
nity Strategic Guidelines 2007–2013 (2006), and more recently the Territorial
Agenda of the European Union and the Territorial State and Perspectives of the
European Union (both May 2007). Furthermore, there are guidelines for specific
European policies, like transport, tourism, water economy, management of cultural
and natural heritage, environment, and so on. The principles, guidelines and pro-
posals contained in these documents are fully accepted and followed in the VA-
SICA document. Nevertheless, these European documents do not fully cover the
specific spatial development problems of the new member states generally, and
those of the Carpathian regions specifically. On the one hand, a part of these
documents were prepared before the accession of the Central European countries,
Illés, Iván : Introduction
In: Visions and Strategies in the Carpathian Area (VASICA)
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 5-7. p. Discussion Papers, Special
6
VISIONS AND STRATEGIES IN THE CARPATHIAN AREA (VASICA)
consequently their specific problems were not dealt with. On the other hand, the
problems of Carpathian countries and regions were not sufficiently emphasised and
dealt with even by the more recent documents, because they are too specific to in-
clude them in a Europe-wide document. Such problems as the territorial impacts of
mass re-privatisation and de-collectivisation, of neglected city centres, mass pov-
erty and minority problems are unique to the Carpathian and Southeast European
countries and could not be fully covered in the All-European documents.
Therefore it has been decided, not to repeat the All-European general strategic
principles of sustainable spatial development, however correct and important
should they be also for the Carpathian area. The document is dealing first of all
with the specific problems of the Carpathian countries and above all with those of
the mountainous areas of the region. It means that in order to implement a success-
ful spatial planning and policy in the Carpathian area, one should keep in mind not
only specific proposals and recommendations (contained in VASICA), but the
general principles and guidelines contained in European documents as well. None
of them is sufficient alone.
The Carpathian Convention (Framework Convention on the Protection and
Sustainable Development of the Carpathians), which was adopted and signed by all
seven Carpathian countries in Kyiv, in May 2003, was of special importance for
drafting the VASICA document. The provisions of the Convention, necessarily,
have reference to spatial planning, agriculture, forestry, industry, energy, tourism
and cultural heritage as well. It is, at present, the only transnational document,
adopted and signed by the respective governments and referring to the whole of the
Carpathian area. Therefore, its significance cannot be exaggerated.
The function of the VASICA document is different:
− It is not a document requiring high level official approval;
− It is not a comprehensive long term plan or programme for the Carpathian
area;
− It is not the all comprising document of the Carpathian project (though many
contributions by other project partners are considered, some of them even in-
cluded into the document) VASICA is only one of the only deliverable
documents, prepared in the framework of the Carpathian Project, but it plays
undoubtedly a specific role among the deliverables;
− It is a conceptual document based on a social-economic analysis, which is ex-
ploring some development opportunities in the Carpathian area and sets some
priorities for development actions
− It is focusing on those problems and tasks which are specific to the Carpa-
thian area.
There are different levels of Carpathian area addressed in the document. The
first one is the proper mountain area with minimum elevation of 600 m and mini-
Illés, Iván : Introduction
In: Visions and Strategies in the Carpathian Area (VASICA)
Pécs: Centre for Regional Studies, 2008. 5-7. p. Discussion Papers, Special
INTRODUCTION
7
mum slope of 20°. The second one is the fore-land, or the foot of the mountains
which are in direct connection to the mountainous area, and where a large part of
the services, serving the mountain population are located. The third level is the
wider region, including the NUTS3 (in Ukraine NUTS2) level administrative units
to which the mountainous areas belong. Most of the statistical data and analyses
refer to these latter units. This is a rather large area of 446 km2 and 53–54 million
inhabitants. Its role in the document is justified by several reasons. The first one is
that a substantial part of necessary data is available only for this level of territorial
units. The second one is that if recommendations and proposals are to be imple-
mented, the responsible authorities, who can implement them, are acting on these
levels. Finally, the third one is that the economic, social, transport, educational and
even environmental problems of mountain areas can be solved only in this wider
spatial context.
The VASICA document has 13 chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. The Carpathians in
the European space, 3.Brief review of the situation and SWOT analysis, 4. Strate-
gic objectives, 5. Demography, 6. Agriculture and Forestry, 7. Mining and Manu-
facturing, 8. Urban Network, 9. Cultural and Natural Heritage, 10.Transport, 11.
Environment, 12. Tourism, 13.European Territorial Cooperation. With the excep-
tion of the first five, all chapters consist of two parts: the first part is the presenta-
tion of the problems; the second part contains the policy recommendations and
proposals for actions.
During the preparation of VASICA the GIS databases and appropriate tech-
nologies were used to provide VASICA with maps and other cartographical mate-
rials, which were published on the Carpathian Geoportal1. Interactive maps of
development issues for the entire Carpathian transnational region (at a scale of
1:2,000,000) have been prepared jointly for the whole area. The document takes
into account the joint development potentials for cross border areas.
At present, most of the Carpathian countries are reaping the first benefits of
their accession to the EU. In this way, there is an opportunity for faster technical
and socio-economic stabilisation and better development potentials for the transna-
tional region. This must bring about a change in goals and strategies for develop-
ment, which change would shift the transnational region from the role of a periph-
eral area to a much more engaged one. The benefits of this changed strategy should
help in particular the decision-making processes of national and regional admini-
strations. VASICA should help coordinate actions, especially those regarding
cross-border areas. Benefits are also expected in the form of intensified interna-
tional cooperation at multilateral and bilateral levels.
1 www.carpathianprject.eu