37. Recalls that all the South Caucasus countries are also part of the Black Sea Synergy initiative, which enhances mutual confidence between the partners by fostering regional cooperation in certain areas, including through cross-border programmes; underlines the importance for the EU of the Black Sea region and asks the Council and the Commission, and especially the VP/HR, to develop ideas and strategies for stronger cooperation between all the Black Sea countries and for increasing links with the European Union; with a view to this, recommends the establishment of an institutionalised structure taking the form of a Black Sea Union;

38. Recalls that all the South Caucasus countries are also part of the Black Sea Synergy initiative, which enhances mutual confidence between the partners by fostering regional cooperation in certain areas, including through cross-border programmes; underlines the importance for the EU of the Black Sea region and asks the Council and the Commission, and especially the VP/HR, to develop ideas and strategies for stronger cooperation between all the Black Sea countries and for increasing links with the European Union; with a view to this, recommends the establishment of an institutionalised structure taking the form of a Black Sea Union;

The eligible area is located in the departement of Upper-Rhine, which has approximately 174 000 inhabitants or 10.5% of the regional population, divided into the employment areas: a) 12 communes in the potash-mining area; b) Mulhouse and conurbation; and c) the communes in the valleys of the Vosges.

Mr Bruce Millan, Commissioner for Regional Policies, has signed a decision granting aid of ECU 40.6 million (FF 285 million) from the European structural Funds (ECU 30.6 million from the ERDF and ECU 10 million from the ESF) for a two year integrated programme (1992-93) to aid industrial conversion of the employment areas eligible under Objective 2 in the Upper Normandy region.

The areas covered by the project will include the Upper Davao River Basin (Davao City), the southern Mount Apo range (Davao del Sur), and the T'Boli Homeland (South Cotabato).

The Member States must step up their policies to attract alternative industries to shipbuilding areas, most of which depend almost entirely on shipbuilding, even though their highly-skilled workforce could easily be retrained to work in other growth industries.