Kraków, Poland

29 - 30 November 2011

Interest at a European level in evidence-based and result-oriented policy delivery is high. The demand is for an integrated, place-based approach and a territorial dimension in policy development. This is in order to fulfil the high-level objective of territorial cohesion and harmonious development of the European territory. In this context, ESPON organised in close cooperation with the Polish Presidency of the European Union the fourth Internal Seminar under the ESPON 2013 Programme on 29 and 30 November 2011 in Kraków, Poland.

In the presence of Elżbieta Koterba, Deputy Mayor of Kraków, Prof. Karol Musioł, Rector of the Jagiellonian University, Stanisław Sorys, Member of the Board of the Małopolska Region, representatives of the Ministry of Regional Development from Poland, the European Commission DG Regio, more than 200 researchers, stakeholders and policymakers discussed new EU policy orientations and the added-value of ESPON results to these processes. In addition, the Seminar stimulated further the dialogue and exchange between the members of the Monitoring Committee, the Stakeholders participating in Targeted Analyses, the partners in the Project Groups and the network of ESPON Contact Points.

Purpose

The purpose of the ESPON seminar was three-fold:

• Engaging in a constructive exchange of views on issues of political interest related to a stronger territorial dimension in future policy, where ESPON can contribute with territorial facts and evidence.
• Conducting a stimulating discussion on current project results and progress, highlighting the added value of using the facts and evidence provided for place-based policy making.
• Increasing the involvement of actors and networking, creating synergetic linkages between the projects, and finding options to improve processing, dissemination and communication of ESPON results to policy makers ranging from local/regional level to pan-European level.

Flow

The first day of the Seminar put focus on the future Cohesion Policy and the Territorial Agenda 2020. Key note speeches from the Polish EU Presidency and the European Commission were delivered on considerations related to European policy with a territorial dimension. In the following plenary session, a number of key policy issues and demands were be addressed by leading researchers focusing on the contribution and use of ESPON results in support of a territorial dimension in policy making.