ESPON 2.3.1 - SIR

Application and effects of the ESDP in the Member States

Ole DamsgaardNORDREGIOStockholm

Structure of the project

An overall framework was developed for the analyses

• Themes: The key themes from the ESDP

• Ways: Vertical-, horizontal-, spatial integration

• Means: Cross boarder, transnational co-operation etc.

• Effects: Institutional changes, changes in planning polici or practice

• Level: European, national, regional, local

• Actors: EC, other European, Member States, regional and local actors, other..

• Limited impact on EU sectoral policies and programmes

• Except the Interreg IIIB programmes

• The Tampere ESDP Action Programme was soon forgotten

• The CEMAT Guiding Principles have influenced the new Member States

ESDP application at the EU Level

INTERREG IIIB programmes are implementing ESDP ideas

• The main priorities of most Strand IIIB Programmes are coherent with ESDP policy guidelines

• Southern Europe: Sustainable development, prudent management and protection of nature and cultural heritage

• Northern Europe: Parity of access to infrastructure and knowledge

• Application through INTERREG = secondary or tertiary as there are various intermediate steps (documents) between

• The causal link between the ESDP and the specific projects may therefore often be very indirect (conform in respect to some ESDP policy guidelines while others are lost along the way)

• Few direct relations between the degree of application and the different classical European planning regimes

• The direct impact of the ESDP is very limited in most countries even in the countries who was a driving force in the process – however;

• Application mainly has taken place within spatial planning at the national level

• The ESDP influenced the planning discourses

• Variation in time and between European regions

ESDP application at National Level

Data & Indicators

• Web based Questionnaire send to 244 experts – with a return quota of 50%

• The return quota varies much from the one Member State to the other

• Policy Option Tables were filled out for the 29 national studies and for the 24 case studies

• Only 54% of all cells were filled out in the tables

• The experts knowledge concerning the ESDP and the application in the individual Member States was limited

• The role of EU-funding for cross-border initiatives and Objective 1 areas was key theme in many of the cases

• Difficult to identify direct influence on formal spatial planning policy

• The key policy theme in many of the case studies was that of policentricity

• Parity of access to infrastructure and wise management of nature… have also been picked up in some cases

• It seems that horizontal integration is becoming an increasingly important theme in development of spatial policies

Application highlighted by case studies

Overall conclusions

• The direct influence of the ESDP document seems modest talking about formal and institutional changes in the Member States

• But the development during a 10-year process of intergovernmental co-operation did make a difference in European spatial planning and policymaking

• The indirect application is the most important

• Spatial planning at European level is necessary

• Funding of spatially focussed actions are drivers

• Highlight European issues in national planning

• Develop practical examples as an inspiration for regional spatial planning

• Encourage benchmarking

Policy recommendations

• Total unawareness of the ESDP at local and regional level in most EU Member States is a constraint when the degree of application is assessed

• As well as when the direct effects are very limited

• Further research should be focussed on the many changes in the formal national planning systems and in planning practice which have taken place during the last five years all over Europe

• Further and more systematic investigation of planning practices

Further research

Thank you for your attention

•Nordregio•EuroFutures•IRPUD•Catholic University Leuven•ÖIR•OTB•PhDB•Politecnico Torino•SDRU•University of Liverpool•AUREX•ETH Zürich

•IGSO•RKK•RIATE•Dep. of Geo, University of Valencia•The Fac. of Civil Engeniring, Maribor•UUR•ICS•NIRSA