The "Declaration on Regionalism" in Europe was adopted by the AER in 1996 during the General Meeting of European Regions in Basel (CH). It is a reference document for new regions or those undergoing expansion. It defines the norms and criteria for regional development and fixes the different steps to be undertaken so that the region can beacknowledged as a fully-fledged political entity. There is currently awide range of different regional structures in Europe. The "Declaration" has not chosen to promote a specific type of regionalism but sets out ageneral framework within which the regions may develop.