EU official sees 'unprecedented' opportunities for cooperation

Perspective

Senior European Union politician Ramon Luis Valcarcel Siso believes both Europe and China can benefit from "unprecedented opportunities" for economic growth and social development.

Valcarcel, who is president of the EU's Committee of Regions, told China Daily that "today it is hard to deny that both the EU and China are global players".

The EU is China's largest trading partner, while China is the EU's largest source of imports and second-largest two-way trading partner.

"This means that our economies are complementary. The trade and investment relationship is a major source of wealth, jobs, development and innovation for both sides. This process offers us all - in Europe and China - unprecedented opportunities for economic growth and social development," Valcarcel said.

"The recovery of the world economy hinges upon the stability and will of major global players for reform, such as Europe and China."

The Brussels-based committee is the voice of regions and cities in the EU. It has 353 members - locally elected representatives and regional ones - from the 28 EU countries.

Valcarcel has been a member since 1995 and held a number of positions in the institution over the last 15 years. He was elected its president in July 2012.

He said it is not only the economic relationship that binds the two continents together.

"When talking about 'people to people contacts,' one should not forget the intense and growing relations between European and Chinese regions and cities,"he stressed.

But this "bottom-up" approach needs to be further strengthened so that the expectations enshrined in the EU-China Strategic Partnership can be fulfilled, as well as some recent "concrete" initiatives, such as the EU-China Urbanization Partnership, Valcarcel said.

It is also important to recognize that the EU and China have "shared objectives, shared goals and shared interests". This, he said, is reflected in the EU's growth strategy and China's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), both of which aim at modernizing the two continents at a moment of "significant" domestic and international dynamism and uncertainty.

"The next half-decade will be a period of profound transition both for the EU and China. Due to the similar objectives in both plans, there appear to be ample opportunities to learn from each other and cooperate," Valcarcel said.

The Europe 2020 Strategy and China's 12th Five-Year Plan speak about improving the quality of life of citizens. "Here, we all tend to refer to dignified and sustainable way of living," he said, "where economic growth does not preclude a more parsimonious use of natural resources, on the one hand, while respecting rights of individuals and collectivities (including regions and cities) across the whole territory on the other."

As an example of cooperation, Valcarcel cited the Joint Declaration, signed by European Commission President Manuel Jose Barroso and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, as well as many EU and Chinese mayors on Sept 20, 2012, at the first EU-China Mayors Forum, which specifically focused on building "harmonious societies based on sustainable and inclusive development".

Representing Europe's local and regional authorities, Valcarcel said the Committee of Regions "stands ready" to actively contribute to EU-China cooperation.

"What is impressive in the 12th Five-Year Plan - which offers more similarities with the EU's growth strategy Europe 2020 than previous growth strategies such the Lisbon Strategy - was the increase of environmental targets and proposed political measures to enhance transparency, particularly with respect to sustainability and societal involvement in regional and urban solutions," he said.

Valcarcel urged the EU and China to "share the challenge" of urbanization, saying, "China's economic boom has been accompanied by unprecedented levels of urbanization. Such rapid and large-scale urbanization has implications on the state of the national and global environment."

The 12th Five-Year Plan "rightly emphasizes" urbanization as crucial for Chinese regions. An accelerating but balanced urbanization is at its core, which emphasizes resource savings, environmental friendliness, economic efficiency and social harmony in the cities.

"These," he said, "are all concepts and policy areas that the EU, too, has embraced."

The Chinese emphasis on urbanization opens up opportunities for engagement with the EU, he said, "There is scope for intensified dialogue on the common challenges of urban living, such as water and air quality, transport infrastructure and environmental protection."

He said he believes Europe's experience in urban planning and design, water treatment, air quality improvements and urban transport also offer commercial opportunities, especially in sustainable and environmentally friendly planning.

For China Daily