PRO-SUD Municipal Union Analyses 11 Projects for Regional Development

Last week, the political leaders of the inter-municipal union PRO-SUD met to work together on the definition and implementation of a common regional development strategy for the territory of the Minett Unesco Biosphere.

The union of municipalities for the promotion and development of the South region, created in 2003, and bringing together the municipalities of Bettembourg, Differdange, Dudelange, Esch-sur-Alzette, Käerjeng, Kayl-Tétange, Mondercange, Pétange, Rumelange, Sanem and Schifflange was awarded the UNESCO biosphere reserve label in October 2020.

The political leaders of the region expressed, last week, the will to implement a coherent development strategy in order to be able to offer the inhabitants and the local economy concrete avenues and projects for the sustainable development of the Minett Unesco Biosphere. This development supports the objectives and strategies set out in the new “Territorial Development Master Plan” (PDAT) which is currently in the consultation phase and is in line with the values ​​defined by the world network of biosphere reserves.

Extended meeting of PRO-SUD municipalities with the Minister of Regional Planning

On Wednesday 5 October, Luxembourg's Minister for Regional Planning, Claude Turmes, members of the colleges of aldermen, municipal councils and technical services of PRO-SUD municipalities met at the Artikuss Cultural Centre in Soleuvre to launch the work of implementation of the regional territorial development strategy for the eleven municipalities of the region which constitutes the territory of the Minett Unesco Biosphere. The report on a territorial vision of the southern region of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, produced by the ECAU research office and finalised during the year, was presented to municipal officials. On more than 150 pages, it sets out possible orientations and paths for the future development of the region as a whole in the form of a complete and detailed inventory.

Quality of life of citizens and preservation of natural resources at the heart of the approach

At the start of the meeting, Minister Turmes addressed the country's development challenges by presenting the PDAT project which sets the objectives and measures for sustainable development of the whole country until 2050. "It is a question of combining development economic and environmental preservation in order to maintain the quality of life of citizens. Also, it is essential to plan differently and to develop a new culture of territorial development", underlined Minister Turmes, emphasising the approach of the PDAT2023 project which favours the intersectoral approach of planning and territorial projects between public actors, including the municipalities as essential partners.

As part of the ongoing consultation procedure, elected officials were invited to submit their opinion on the PDAT2023 project and thus participate with concrete comments before its final adoption. Following the minister's explanations, the president of PRO-SUD, Georges Mischo, summarised the proposals of the ECAU consultancy, referring not only to the steel and industrial past, a unifying element of the region's identity but also to its common challenges and its shared future as a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Georges Mischo said: “The shared regional strategy to be developed must focus on the well-being of citizens and their quality of life”. In order to implement this strategy, while taking into account the need to reduce the continuous sealing of soils in green spaces and natural areas and to cope with constantly high population pressure, accompanied by continuous immigration to the Luxembourg, he detailed a number of avenues that should be taken into account in the development of a regional action plan.

Georges Mischo stated: "The economic diversification of the region, the creation of new cross-border transport concepts, the strengthening of regional food production, the creation of affordable and integrated neighborhoods ("quarter-hour city") with a high level of life as well as the protection and preservation of the unique biodiversity of the region as possible axes of a common vision". Furthermore, he highlighted the importance of making natural and urban habitats more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events.

Eleven projects presented

After the presentation of the possible fields of action for the establishment of a common regional development strategy, each of the eleven member municipalities of the PRO-SUD union presented a project that it is carrying out or plans to carry out as a municipality and which, according to the municipality, could be beneficial to the whole region. These projects range from the CO2 remediation of existing buildings to the development of a cross-border network of cycle paths, the creation of structures to promote local agriculture and sustainable tourism and projects likely to guarantee energy self-sufficiency of the region in the medium and long term. Other local projects presented by municipalities focused on the consequences of climate change and how to counter the overheating of urban space by creating green spaces at the level of agglomerations while preserving natural areas capable of generating cold air.

First concrete steps agreed

After Wednesday's meeting, the PRO-SUD committee met again at Ellergronn on Thursday 6 October to take the first concrete steps towards the creation and implementation of a common development plan. After constructive discussions between the representatives of the eleven municipalities, it was agreed to analyse the eleven projects presented the day before in relation to the needs of the region and agreed to define together the priorities of a common territorial vision, to be implemented from 2023, by selecting some of the municipal projects presented. This definition of priorities, as well as the choice of concrete projects to be carried out as a region, will be made during the next committee meetings and after having collected the opinions of the eleven colleges of aldermen.

About PRO-SUD and Minett Unesco Biosphere

PRO-SUD is the regional union of municipalities for the promotion and development of the southern region. The eleven member municipalities together form the first Luxembourg biosphere reserve. PRO-SUD works with its partners to implement territorial strategies of inter-municipal interest and to raise awareness and improve the living environment of the inhabitants of the southern region of Luxembourg.

Minett Unesco Biosphere is the first and only biosphere reserve in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and has been part of the UNESCO programme "Man and the Biosphere" since October 2020. It is a member of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, which includes 727 biosphere reserves in 131 countries. UNESCO's "Man and the Biosphere" programme aims to make model regions of sustainable development, which allow the testing of interdisciplinary approaches in order to understand and manage changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and biodiversity management. UNESCO sees these places as regions that provide local solutions to global problems. Its objective is to preserve the post-industrial biodiversity that has developed on the former open pit iron ore mining sites of the Minett region, to contribute to an awareness of this natural wealth and to promote and support actively promote the sustainable development of the whole region. Administratively, the Minett Unesco Biosphere is managed by the PRO-SUD inter-municipal union.