IntroductionThe GEOSPECS project: Background, objectives

and setup

The ESPON 2013 Programme

Role in Structural Funds 2007-2013:– Support EU Cohesion Policy development with pan-

European, comparable facts and evidence on Territorial Structures, Trends, Perspectives and Policy Impacts, revealing territorial capital, potentials and challenges.

Budget 2007-13:– 47M Euro (ERDF 34M Euro, plus 13M Euro from 31

countries)

Programme Priorities:– P 1: Applied Research – P 2: Targeted Analyses based on Stakeholder interest – P 3: Scientific Platform and Tools– P 4: Capitalisation

Programme Delivery

Programme Implementation: • 25 Applied Research projects

− 21 projects ongoing, final or just starting

− 4 additional Applied Research projects start primo 2012

• 23 Targeted Analyses (defined by stakeholder demand): − 18 ongoing or closing

− 5 Targeted Analyses starting early 2012

• 10 larger projects under Scientific Platform and Tools:− 4 larger projects ongoing/final

− 6 additional larger projects starting early 2012

• 6-7 Transnational Networking Activities:– 5 projects ongoing

– 1-2 additional projects expected starting early 2012

Themes of ESPON Applied Research

Territorial Impact

Assessment

Urban Agglomerations

Climate Change Rural Areas

Growth poles Migratory Flows EU Directives AttractivenessGreen

EconomyDemography

Specific Types of Territories

Regions

InnovationTerritorial

cooperationAccessibility

Continental flows

Services of General Interest

Cities Land use European Seas

Economy Governance EnergyTerritorial Scenarios

Expectations of GEOSPECS Applied Research Project

• Explore how taking account of the diversity of development preconditions linked to geographic specificities could contribute to achieving national and strategic EU targets

• Address key policy and research questions• Current situation, trends, needs, drivers for development• Opportunities for development, partnership and co-operation• Development of reference frameworks• Options for addressing geographically specific vulnerabilities

• Build on ESPON 2006 and 2013 results• For example, EDORA (P1) and in particular, ESPON TeDi (P2)

project on development opportunities in areas with geographic specificities (initiated by national authorities of Norway, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, Switzerland, Romania and Malta)

Remaining major milestones

• 2nd March 2012: Draft final report

• 1st July 2012: Final report

• July to December 2012: ‘Official’ dissemination period

Geographic specificities and development potentials in Europe

Regional policy as an instrument to promote balanced, sustainable development

Territorial diversity as a factor that needs to be taken into account- in regional development strategies- in sectoral policies

The notion of “free and undistorted competition”: a vision of the mind?

But: Why should one maintain settlement patterns in areas where economic activities are not competitive?

Is the objective competitiveness, or economic, social and ecological sustainability?

Henrik Samuelsson

Northern Sweden: a place «with fewer and fewer people», «where only elderly people and drug addicts (sic!) live» and «where houses and factories are slowly decaying»

Geographic specificities and development potentials in Europe

Complex regional realities –A challenge for policy makers?

Geographic specificities and development potentials in Europe

Geographic specificities co-existand interact

Specific effects can be difficult to identify

Geographic specificities and development potentials in Europe

Access to urbanareas with more than 100,000 inhabitants

Making sense of the European territory

Development potentials are more difficult to map than disparities How can policy instruments and debates be based on an evidence based that fits with their objectives?

Europe is not only made up of “NUTS regions”

Regional and local perceptions of territorial diversity cannot simply be compiled at the European level

A European geography of territorial diversity needs to be constructed

Lead Partner: Department of Geography, University of Geneva Mountain areas

Centre for Mountain Studies, Perth College UHI, UK

Islands E-cubed consultants, MT

Sparsely populated areas

Nordregio, SE

Coastal areas Coastal and Marine Resources Centre,

University College Cork, IE

Inner periphery Alterra, Wageningen University, NL

Outermost regions Louis Lengrand & associés, FR

Border regions Thomas Stumm, Eureconsult, LU

Metropolitan border regions

CEPS/INSTEAD, LU

New and old external borders

Leibniz-Institut für ökologische Raumentwicklung Dresden (IÖR), DE

+ Umweltbundesamt/Federal Environment Agency, AT

Objectives for the day

Get your feedback on the framework we have set up to analyse and understand geographic diversity across Europe

Establish whether there could be a European discourse on territorial diversity.

- What would justify such a discourse?- What would it focus on?

Discuss policy measures that are needed to promote balanced, sustainable development in geographically specific areas?

What is Europe’s role in this?