About the Intergroup

The Lisbon Treaty is opening a new period of European integration where the diversity of territories is becoming an economic, social and environmental asset of the European Union.

The article 174 in particular, makes clear the principle of the need of a specific attention to regions with natural and geographic  permanent  handicap. 

The intergroup on « mountains, islands and sparsely populated regions » (more commonly named Intergroup 174) aims at providing members of the European Parliament with a debate and reflection forum on the new approaches and perspectives brought by the Lisbon Treaty on specific territories.

Specific territories have become a key element in the European debates. Intergroup discussions will evolve around the Cohesion Policy (the territorial cohesion), the coordination of sectorial policies (ACP, Environment, Energy, Transport, SMBs, Research), governance issues (multilevel governance and macroregional strategies).

AEM is in charge of the executive secretariat.