Cornwall and Finistere sign two year action plan
Cornwall Council has recently led a successful delegation visit to partner region Finistère Council in Brittany to sign up to a new two year action plan to progress the existing Protocol of Co-operation between the two regions. The four key themes for this action plan are as follows:
Sustainable development
Environmental sustainability is at the heart of economic development and the issue of climate change is tackled within the policies of our two institutions. The geographical position of both regions has ensured that their environment and natural resources provide the bedrock of a large part of their economies. As peripheral, maritime regions, situated at the extremities of energy pipelines, Cornwall and Finistère are ideally suited to develop projects on new technologies, marine energies and climate change.
Tourism
Cornwall and Finistère rely heavily on tourism for economic development. It is a key sector of activity in both regions, and given the close geographic and cultural similarities this is clearly a significant area of potential cooperation.
Culture
Both regions offer an enviable array of historic and cultural offers both with their roots firmly based in Celtic tradition. From the use of the Cornish and Breton language, traditional dance, music to food, art and festivals, Cornwall and Finistère have many options to consider for potential collaboration.
Encouraging inward investment
By the very nature of their situation, the two regions are seaward-looking, trading nations. These characteristics have always attracted key sectors and skilled workers to the regions. Their openings on the world need to be supported by modern communication networks and infrastructure well adapted to attract new business. This also encompasses the reversal of the “brain drain” and managing issues related to an ageing population.
The development initiatives on other themes, such as youth or agriculture, will still be encouraged as will exchange of best practice between the two regions.
