October 2008
ESPON 2013 Programme
Newsletter No 4/2008
Welcome to the forth electronic ESPON 2013 Newsletter. It offers information on the latest developments of ESPON.
MESSAGE FROM ESPON Coordination Unit
“On 6 October 2008 the European Commission adopted the Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion. The document is for debate aiming at achieving a better and shared understanding of territorial cohesion and its implications for the future of EU Cohesion Policy. A major consultation with regional and local authorities, associations, NGOs, civil society and other organizations is launched. An evidence based approach has been applied with an analytical staff working document related to Green Paper which partly has been inspired by results from ESPON. The consultation is open until 28 February 2009. Visit the consultation website.
The expected consolidation of the policy concept “Territorial Cohesion” seems increasingly to strengthen the demand for analytical territorial information in support of this policy process. The ESPON 2013 Programme will contribute to meeting this demand. The role of the Programme is to deliver territorial evidence, knowledge and indicators covering the European territory, its regions and cities. As the themes explored by ESPON applied research and analysis will be defined by policy makers responsible for the implementation of territorial cohesion in the Union, the Programme results should become well targeted support the actual policy demand for territorial evidence.
Taking up the territorial challenge of the ageing of the European population, this November ESPON will present the latest territorial trends related to the development of the natural population and migration flows. The trends will show for each region within EU 27 (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) their latest development towards or away from a sustainable demographic development path. The trends will be presented in the first number of the ESPON Territorial Observations that will be made available on the ESPON Website.
This new series of ESPON publications aims at giving policy makers and practitioners short and precise information on important new evidence related European territorial dynamics. By publishing several issues of Territorial Observations per year, ESPON will promote its role as provider of comparable fact and evidence in support of EC Cohesion Policy.”
The expected consolidation of the policy concept “Territorial Cohesion” seems increasingly to strengthen the demand for analytical territorial information in support of this policy process. The ESPON 2013 Programme will contribute to meeting this demand. The role of the Programme is to deliver territorial evidence, knowledge and indicators covering the European territory, its regions and cities. As the themes explored by ESPON applied research and analysis will be defined by policy makers responsible for the implementation of territorial cohesion in the Union, the Programme results should become well targeted support the actual policy demand for territorial evidence.
Taking up the territorial challenge of the ageing of the European population, this November ESPON will present the latest territorial trends related to the development of the natural population and migration flows. The trends will show for each region within EU 27 (plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) their latest development towards or away from a sustainable demographic development path. The trends will be presented in the first number of the ESPON Territorial Observations that will be made available on the ESPON Website.
This new series of ESPON publications aims at giving policy makers and practitioners short and precise information on important new evidence related European territorial dynamics. By publishing several issues of Territorial Observations per year, ESPON will promote its role as provider of comparable fact and evidence in support of EC Cohesion Policy.”
Peter Mehlbye
Director ESPON Coordination Unit
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