Message from the ESPON Coordination Unit

The Territorial Dimension of the Europe 2020 Strategy

The contribution of European territories, regions and cities to the Europe 2020 Strategy was the focus of the Open Seminar “ESPON Evidence for Regional Policy-Making” on 9 - 10 June 2010 in Alcalá de Henares - Madrid. In cooperation with the Spanish EU Presidency, ESPON brought more than 200 key policy makers, scientists and experts together for dialogue, based on new facts and evidence provided by ESPON projects, on the territorial dimension and development potentials related to the Europe 2020 Strategy.

Regions and cities all over Europe play an important role in making the Europe 2020 Strategy a success. Understanding its territorial dimensions and potential contributions from European regions and cities raises a number of important questions for policy makers:

• Is a better balanced and polycentric European territory the political objective?
• How can we the best make use of the existing territorial diversity within Europe?
• Which types of regions have what opportunities to contribute to smart, sustainable and inclusive growth?
• Should particular places and cities play a special functional role in integrating Europe in the World?

Conclusions of the Seminar are in preparation and will be published in a special report which will be soon available at the ESPON Website.

Several key messages came out from the roundtable with policy makers: 

• “The Europe 2020 Strategy should be the framework for growth for all EU Regions”;
• “Regions are key for the fulfillment of the Europe 2020 Strategy and should be much stronger involved in defining the deliveries”;
• “European Macro-Regions should be part of the strategy implementation”;
• “The 2020 Strategy should take into account not only the GDP, but also use new indicators, measuring the quality of life and the sustainability of the growth”.

The European process has started defining more territorial policy responses in support of the Europe 2020 Strategy. This should continue as territory and place-based approaches matters for its success. The functionality and design of the European territory has impact on European competitiveness and on long-term sustainable living conditions for the Europeans.

ESPON will support this European policy development bringing in new facts and evidence with a European perspective.

Peter Mehlbye
Director ESPON Coordination Unit
 

Please find below the Newsletter No 14.