Workshop “Territorial Impact Assessment”

Brussels, 6 June 2012

Timing: 9h00 - 17h00

Context

Since the 1990s, there has been a demand from both policymakers and Member States to better understand the likely territorial impacts of proposed EU sector legislation and policy. Such legislation and policy can often have, both directly and indirectly, unintended impacts on territorial organisation and development at European, (trans)national and regional level.

With the territorial cohesion objective enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty, this demand to consider the ex ante territorial effects of new EU sector legislation and policy has increased. Aside from ex ante effects of proposed directives, an effective exploitation of Europe’s territorial capital requires deeper insights into the various territorial effects of EU sector legislation and policy as well as on how they structurally reinforce each other.

Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) has been seen as a method of meeting these needs for predicting territorial effects and providing useful insight. Until recently the knowledge base around TIA has not been practical enough to meet these needs. DG REGIO is now preparing new practical guidance for TIA use at EU level based on recent ESPON projects, as well as typology and modelling work by REGIO, Eurostat, AGRI and JRC. It will be useful for the development of policy and directives within the Commission Impact Assessment System. The TIA work of DG REGIO, ESPON, Eurostat, AGRI and JRC will also fit with calls for a TIA handbook during the Polish EU Presidency.

ESPON Contribution to TIA

ESPON has long been engaged in laying the foundation for simple and feasible insight and tools on Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA). Beginning with the ESPON 2006 programme, it carried out TIA studies of various EU sector policies leading to the ESPON Spatial Scenarios project which aimed to standardise the approach. In the ESPON 2013 programme, it built on this learning with the ESPON Territorial Impact Package for Transport and Agricultural Policies project (TIPTAP).

This ESPON approach of bringing the scientific and policymaking community together in the research and development process for TIA is reaping benefits. The ESPON Assessment of Regional and Territorial Sensitivity (ARTS) project has produced a quick and effective tool to deliver Territorial Impact Assessment. The ‘TIA Quickscan’ is now ready to deliver practical and useful input to policymakers. The ESPON programme also has an ongoing project (ESPON and TIA – EATIA) together with 3 national administrations which aims to help mainstream TIA processes at both Member State and regional levels.

Aim of the Workshop

The Workshop addressed the usefulness of TIA for policy makers and practitioners in their day-to-day work and networks.

Results

There was a run-through by the ARTS team of the TIA Quickcheck tool in the morning on a recent draft EC proposal on SMEs. There were interesting discussion around the results and implications.

In the afternoon, a new and equally ‘pain-free’ quickcheck tool for governments at the national and sub-national level developed by the ESPON EATIA project was presented. The role of TIA within the Commission IA process was also presented.

The plenary discussion was lively and fruitful. Broad conclusions from the day included:

  • Much has been done in the field of Territorial Impact Assessment by stakeholders at all levels and the ESPON ARTS and EATIA quick check tools are a further positive step;
  • These tools aim to help make policymaking more territorial in outcomes but also work to make policymaking more effective and efficient, which is strongly desired in the current economic climate;
  • These tools are simple and fit with the need for ‘no new burdensome requirements’ – they should continue to develop along these lines, with further refinement of their indicators and process;
  • The visual output of the tools in the form of maps is very valuable to policymakers;
  • The ARTS TIA Quick check tools have more complex versions and these too should be developed further to meet the demand of more technical analytical units;
  • The EATIA and ARTS tools are strongly complementary and help develop each other - they also fit with the push for greater use of participatory approaches; and
  • Though improving, issues of silo-ism remain in policymaking processes at different levels across Europe and these tools can help foster co-operation.

Further information

Please find below the programme of the workshop and the presentations shown.

More info: contact the ESPON Coordination Unit at [email protected].



This Workshop is organised within the framework of the ESPON 2013 Capitalisation Strategy
(Actions related to European Seminars and Workshops).

Documents

Programme

  • Acrobat Document | 425KB

Practical Information

  • Acrobat Document | 124KB

List of Participants

  • Acrobat Document | 63KB

Erich Dallhammer and Bernd Schuh

  • Acrobat Document | 499KB

Thomas Fischer

  • Acrobat Document | 613KB

Lewis Dijkstra

  • Acrobat Document | 1.03MB

TIA quick check: European Level

  • Acrobat Document | 1.74MB

TIA quick check: National and Sub-national Level

  • Acrobat Document | 1.33MB