Message from the ESPON Coordination Unit
ESPON welcomes final results from its projects

Territorial diversity and territorial impact of policies are at the centre of policy discussions in Europe. The reason is that both unique development potentials and coordinated support from sector policies can support a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The recovery process from the global economic and financial crisis puts even more emphasis on this.

The accelerating interdependency between the economy of continents and countries in the World makes it necessary to look at the bigger picture, to see the development of each region and city, country and continent in a larger territorial perspective. Otherwise one will fail in identifying both structural constraints and obstacles but more important opportunities and potentials for growth and sustainable development of our society.

ESPON is pleased to be able to contribute to this new reality with new interesting results.

New final reports coming from the Targeted Analysis TeDI deals with the territorial diversity and explores the development opportunities in diverse regions. The applied research project, TIP TAP displays territorial impact of CAP and Transport policies.

Much more is in the pipeline for the coming months and years. The ESPON 2013 programme will until 2015 deliver a constant flow of new useful results supporting policy development in regions and cities as well as in Member States and at the EU level.

The first wave of new final results from applied research activities will focus on themes such as European Cities and Urban Agglomerations, Development Opportunities in different Types of Rural Areas, Demography and Migratory Flows and Effects of Rising Energy Prices on regional/local economies, all contributing to the bigger picture and benchmarking of European territories and their diversity.

The forthcoming Synthesis Report (available by October 2010) brings together results from applied research and targeted analyses. This report shall provide an overview of the latest evidence on territorial development in Europe as well as some in-depth analyses of regions and cities in their wider territorial perspective.

Peter Mehlbye
Director ESPON Coordination Unit

Please find below the Newsletter No 15