The ESPON Programme

Peter Mehlbye

Meeting Regional Offices, DG Regio 18 November 2009 in Bruxelles

Structure of Intervention

ESPON current 2013 Programme:

• Mission and budget

• Programme priorities and progress

Selective examples of ESPON results:

• Major challenges with territorial dimension

• Concentration, connectivity and cooperation

Concluding reflections

• Regions of Europe in a larger territorial context

• Use of ESPON results by regions

The ESPON 2013 Programme

Role in Structural Funds 2007-2013:– Support policy development with evidence on European

territorial structures, trends, perspectives and policy impacts

Mission:– Provide comparable information on territorial dynamics

that can reveal territorial capital and potentials

Budget 2007-13:– 47 mill Euro,

– 34 mill. Euro from the European Commission– 13 mill. Euro from 31 countries participating

(EU 27 plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland)

Programme structure:– 5 Programme priorities

P 1 - Applied Research: First 6 Themes

– Cities and Urban Agglomerations/Functionality and development opportunities for European competitiveness and cohesion (FOCI)

– Development Opportunities in different types of Rural Areas (EDORA)

– Demography and Migratory Flows affecting European regions and cities (DEMIFER)

– Effects of Rising Energy Prices on Regional Competitiveness (RERISK)

– Territorial Impact Assessment of Policies (TIP TAP)– Climate Change and Territorial Effects on regions and

local economies (CLIMATE)

P1 - Applied Research: 11 new Themes

– Attractiveness of European regions and cities for residents and visitors

– European patterns of land use

– Territorial cooperation in transnational areas and across internal/external borders

– Accessibility at regional/local scale and patterns in Europe

– Secondary growth poles in territorial development

– European perspective on specific types of territories

– Territorial dimension of innovation and knowledge economy

– Continental territorial structures and flows (globalisation)

– Services of General Interest

– European Seas in Territorial Development

– Territorial and Regional sensitivity of EU Directives

P 2 – Targeted Analyses: Use of ESPON results

– The Case for Agglomeration Economies in Europe/CAEE (Manchester, Barcelona, Dublin and Lyon)

– The Development of the Islands – European Islands and Cohesion Policy/EUROISLANDS (Ministry of Economy and Finance, GR plus 9 stakeholders)

– Cross-Border Polycentric Metropolitan Regions/MetroBorder (Ministries in CH, LU, BE, DE and FR)

– Success for Convergence Regions’ Economies/SURE (Campania Region plus regions in PO, ES and GR)

– Spatial Scenarios: New Tools for Local-Regional Territories/SS-LR (Regions of Barcelona, Torino and Herault)

– Territorial Diversity/TeDi (Ministries in NO, FI, CH, CY, MT, RO and SE)

P 2 - Targeted Analysis : Next projects

– Potential of Rural Regions/PURR (Notodden municipality, Cesis District, North Yorkshire county and Wales)

– Transnational Support Method for European Cooperation/ TranSMEC (North West Europe programme)

– 10 new projects based on ideas from stakeholders (More than 25 ideas presented, after selection, open call for expertise in September 2010)

P 3 - Scientific Platform

Projects ongoing or underway:

– ESPON 2013 Database– Typology Compilation– ESPON Hyperatlas (update)– ESPON DataNavigator (update)– ESPON Mapmaker– ESPON Map Finder – Territorial trend analyses based on updates of existing

data and maps– Territorial Indicators/Indices (new project)

P 4 - Capitalisation

– ESPON Website (including Map of the Month)– Territorial Observations– First Synthesis Report in November 2010– First Scientific Report in September 2010– ESPON Stakeholder Conference on Targeted Analyses

in Bruxelles, September/October 2010 – Open ESPON Seminar in Alcala, Spain on 2-3 June

2010– Transnational Networking Activities by the ESPON

Contact Point Network (up to 7 project for decision in December 2009)

Progress envisaged by late spring 2010

– 17 Applied Research projects ongoing

– 8 Targeted Analysis ongoing

– 10 Stakeholder Ideas ready as Project Specifications for open call for proposals in September 2010

– 2 (of 3) major Scientific Platform projects running

– 5 Scientific Tools under development

– 5 Territorial trend analyses (map updates) ready

– (Up to) 7 Transnational Networking Activities (ECP)

– 2nd screening among Stakeholders on themes for further Applied Research projects ongoing

Examples of results of ESPON results:

–Major challenges with territorial dimension–Concentration, connection and cooperation

Territorial imbalances in 2000

• Economic development and current recession: Recovery and social impact, accelerating globalisation and new markets, technological innovation, regional diversity

• Climate change: Mitigation and adaptation, CO2 reduction, new hazard patterns and new territorial opportunities

• Demographic changes: Ageing of the population and migration pressure

• Energy challenge: Security of supply, alternative energy sources, development of energy prices

• Transport increase: Accessibility, saturation of EU-corridors, more environmentally friendly solutions

• Geographic integration: Further EU enlargements and integration of new territories, their regions and cities

Major challenges with territorial impact

Demographic scenario: Population ageing 2030

Europe and its neighbourhood towards 2030

Main places driving the European territory

• Concentration (Pentagon)• Signs of de-concentration• Urban places drivers of

economy• Functionality the key for

success

Economic Lisbon indicators

• Regional diversity of potential contribution

7 out of 14 Lisbon indicators:(1) GDP/capita, (2) GDP/employed person, (3) Employment rate, (4) Employment rate of older workers, (5) Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (6) Dispersion of regional (un)employment

rates (7) Long-term unemployment rate.

Potential Multimodal Accessibility2006

Index (EU27=100)

Potential RoadAccessibility2006

Index (EU27=100)

Potential RailAccessibility2006

Index (EU27=100)

Potential AirAccessibility2006

Index (EU27=100)

Relative change(in %)

Potential AirAccessibility2001-2006EU27 = 7.8%

Aggregated natural and technological hazards

Flood recurrence

Forest fires

Winter & tropical storms

Precipitation deficit

Natural Hazards Southern Europe:

Forest fires and drought hazards

Western and Northern Europe: Winter storms, storm surges and floods

Climate change: Affects frequency, intensity and coverage

Share of World population by state (1950-2000)

Share of World GDP pps by state (1950-2000)

Concluding reflections:

–Regions of Europe in a larger territorial context

–Regions use of ESPON results in regional policy/strategy/implementing SF

Programmes

More information

Thank you for your attention!

www.espon.eu