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Argues that because of globalization and increasing interdependence of ecosystems and regulation of biological resources, North-South discussions become even more important to provide effective biodiversity management and equitable access to national and world markets. Summary in English p. 461.

Implemented by a joint initiative of ARL and DATAR (Délégation à lÁménagement du Territoire et à lÁction Régionale) an international group of experts reflected regional development policies. Due to a variety of reasons, economic development is accompanied with different regional performances in terms of income, employment, growth etc. Empirical studies and theoretical works in modern regional economics indicate that even in relatively homogeneous groups of countries like the EU economic convergence need time and this is certainly true after EU enlargement, because new Member States with a lower economic performance joint the community. To enhance efficiency and reduce disparities across regions, different approaches have been proposed as a framework for regional development policy; among them are the growth pole concept, spatial economic corridors, and recently, spatial economic networks. This last one emphasizes the role of cooperation among regions and provides a new spatial policy framework. Instead of considering the individual problem regions (as the traditional approach does) trans-national networks and European macro-regions constitute the new typology of the spatial policy framework. Within this new paradigm of regional policy there is a greater tendency to see regions in terms of spatial economic networks and to see the EU as a part of a global competitive innovation system. Due to the economic and political structure of the new Member States and the Candidate Countries regional policies should concentrate on infrastructure, human and social capital, network formation to facilitate the transfer of innovation technology, on areas affected by industrial conversion and on the role played by interregional, international and trans-border cooperation. They should support the modernisation of the institutional system in Central and Eastern Europe and the process of decentralization not only institutional, but also financially. They should enhance local administrative competencies and promote the periphery of the new Member States and the Candidate Countries and increase the cross-border cooperation. These measures together with a substantial reform of EU regional policy and their funds are necessary to make the enlargement to a success story.

The dramatic increase of exchange crisis during the 1990s & the apparent instability of the international financial system provide food for plans about a new financial "architecture." States & international institutions stayed in the background concerning the idea to conceive this architecture on the basis of constraining rules &, until now, supported neoliberal initiatives. This paper focuses on two matters: (1) factors explaining why the international financial system is, at the moment, anarchic; & (2) a theoretical perspective of the projects now under discussion from a framework based on the opposition between "global governance" & "international regime." The analysis shows that historical trends pushed the world economy in the way of market regulation & not in the way of an "international regime" in the financial domain. But this conclusion could be wrong, because the 11 Sept 2001 tragic events might induce states & international institutions to take a new strategic position on the basis of international considerations & a better evaluation of their economic interests. 1 Figure. Adapted from the source document.