The European Commission has approved the new Programme for ESPON, the European Spatial Planning Observation Network.

“Forecasting the effects of territorial trends on regions and cities in Europe needs applied research”, stated Romain Diederich, Director-General of the Luxembourgian Ministry of the Interior and Spatial Development, on the occasion of the event to launch the ESPON 2013 Programme, which took place in Brussels on 21 January 2008.

EU Member States and countries neighbouring the Union will at the ESPON seminar “Territorial Challenges and Cooperation in a Wider Europe” take further steps in understanding and cooperating on territorial development dynamics within Europe. The policy focus is territorial cohesion and a sustainable and balanced development.

How will ageing, globalization, climate change and rising energy prices affect Europe, its territory, regions and cities? The ESPON 2013 Programme welcomed delegates from EU Member States and neighbouring countries as well as Japan to the Open Seminar “Territorial Challenges and Cooperation in a Wider Europe” in Portorož during the Slovenian EU Presidency.

“The accelerating globalisation and new emerging markets will have major impacts on Europe and its territory, cities and regions,” states the Europe in the World Report of ESPON.

The second round of calls for proposals of the ESPON 2013 Programme was presented at an Info Day in Bruxelles on 9 September 2008.

ESPON has recently published the first issue of “Territorial Observation”. This publication provides concise information on important new evidence related to dynamics of population development and migration in Europe and its regions. These dynamics have an influence on territorial cohesion and regional competitiveness.

ESPON is organising a Spring Workshop on Innovative Visualisation and Cartographic Language on 2 April 2009, an event in line with the European Year 2009 of Creativity & Innovation.

In cooperation with the Czech EU Presidency, the ESPON Programme is organising an Open Seminar addressing Territorial Development Opportunities during the Global Economic Recession for regions, cities and larger territories. The event will take place in Prague on 3 – 4 June 2009.

08/05/2009 - In cooperation with the European Commission DG Regio, the ESPON Programme has organised a Workshop to raise awareness of ESPON results and to support their use in policymaking at European level. The event took place in Brussels on 6 May 2009.