Transcript Key messages from Final ESPON results

ESPON Seminar
14-15 November 2006
Espoo, Finland
Key messages from final ESPON results:
Territory matters for
competitiveness and cohesion
Policy context
 Territorial potentials of European regions increasingly
important in times of accellerating globalisation
 Territorial imbalances a challenge for cohesion
 Contributions from cities, regions and larger territories a
neccessity for meeting Lisbon/Gothenborg objectives
 A rich regional diversity is an asset for Europe requiring
targeted policy mixes to explore
 Territorial cooperation can create added value
 Strategic objectives for territorial development shall opt
for improving
 Cohesion and competitiveness
 Attractiveness for investments
 Liveability for the citizens
 Evidence on European territorial structures and dynamics
inevitable for territorial policy making
Territorial cohesion trends
 European core is spreading
 Pentagon is a reality
 Extending along several corridors
 Several strong urban nodes outside the core
 Metropolitan urban agglomerations
 Small and medium sized cities
 Overarching trends and structures stimulate imbalances
and challenge territorial cohesion
 Market forces supporting geographical concentration
 Demographic trends of aging
 Imbalances in access and connectivity
 Increasing disparities between neighbouring areas in
parts of Europe
Main economic structures of the European territory
Increasing competitiveness
 Contribution to the Lisbon strategy
 Regions potentials differ
 For many regions the optional specialisation is not a
knowledged based economy
 Accessible urban areas have the best Lisbon performance
 The core and the north of Europe in the most
favorable position
 Even less urbanised and less accessible areas can do
well
 Innovation potential has a distict territorial pattern
 R&D and creative jobs weaker in the periphery (east,
west and south)
 Metropolitan areas highest on R&D spending
Economic Lisbon indicators
• 7 out of 14 official Lisbon
Short List indicators are
available at regional level.
• Northern and central parts
generally in a better position
than southern and eastern.
• In some countries urban
areas stand out strongly.
(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, and
(7) Long-term unemployment rate.
Cultural and creative professions and GDP per capita
Accessibility and connectivity
 Important factor for regional development
 Multi modal accessiblity show a core-periphy pattern
across Europe and in many countries (even stronger for
road and rail)
 Accessibility is best in the core and larger urban
agglomerations with international airport
 Increasing energy prices will have negative impact
accessibility, particular in rural and remote areas
 ICT connectivity divides Europe north-south, east-west
and urban-rural
 Information society roll-out shows considerable territorial
variations
 Information Society performance have less variation than
GDP per capita
Potential accessibility multimodal, 2001
Connectivity to transport terminals, 2001
Information society readiness, growth and impact
Attractivity and liveability
 Hard and tangible factors such as infrastructure
endowment and human capital stand no longer alone
 Soft location factors are gaining importance attracting
investments and skilled labour
 High quality urban and natural environment, cultural
endowment and services, good governance offer
synergy to the jobs and growth agenda
 Hazards in general seem not undermining territorial
competitiveness
 For some areas impacts of hazards such as drought create
a long-lasting negative impact
 Hazards and climate change might put attractiveness and
liveability at risk in the longer term
Aggregated natural and technological hazards
Urban areas
 Urban areas are significant nodes for territorial cohesion
and competitiveness at Europan and national level
 Major metropolitan agglomerations (around 76) are of
European significance with London and Paris leading
 Their GDP per capita growth shows potential for more
polycentricity at European scale
 Functional specialisation of cities define their importance
in the larger territorial context
 Cities are best endowed with knowledge infrastructure
and human capital in support of Lisbon aims
 Small and medium sized cities have a vital role in
economic development and provision of services
 Many options for territorial cooperation exists
Major urban and economic development
Areas within 45 minutes reach from urban
centres
Rural areas
 Huge variety throughout Europe and within Member
States
 Successful in using endogenous potentials
 Challenge of structural change
 Rural areas not synonymous with agriculture
 Rural areas in proximity to major urban centres
 Rural areas with smaller urban development poles
 Remote rural areas facing decline
 Depopulation is a challenge for many rural areas
 The diversification of the rural economy depends also on
intangible factors and ability to capitalise on potentials
 Rural-urban partnership is an option in many areas
Urban-rural typology
Areas with special geographical characters
 Territories with specific geographical features:
 Coastal, mountaneous, islands, outermost regions
 Territories with specific governance challenges:
 Border regions, cross border and transnational
cooperation zones
 Require often specific taylor-made policy mixes
 Share many development prospects and challenges with
other type of areas
 Regions with specific geographical features may face
specific challenges, such as accessibility and connectivity
and other services of general interest
 Cooperation intensity differs in transnational zones
Intensity of INTERREG IIIB cooperation
The global position of Europe
 European Union share of world GDP and population
constant due to EU enlargements
 Significant disparities exist between Europe and its
neighbours which impact trade and migration
 Connections to global networks vary between places
 Only a few European cities have a truly world-wide reach
 Diversity of territorial potentials for global relations
 Exploring historic ties and current connections to
world regions
 Supporting hub functions and specialised links to
other world regions
Differences in GDP per capita in Europe
and its neighbourhood, 2002
Global airports, 2000
Territorial impacts of EU sector policies
 Various sector policies stimulate local action and capacitybuilding and support exploitation of territorial potentials
(e.g. SF, R&D, TEN/TINA)
 At European level the support to cohesion objectives is
mixed
 Sector policies contribute rather coincidentally to
territorial cohesion
 Converging policy aims could liberate under-used
potentials and release synergies
 Territorial Impact Assessment ex-ante may facilitate policy
coherence
Structural Funds and Pre-accession aid
spending as share of GDP, 1995-99
Scenarios
 Future perspectives important for informing policy
development related to the development of the European
territory
 Key drivers include globalisation, migration, economic
integration, transport, energy, agriculture and rural
development, climate change, further EU enlargements
and territorial governance
 The long term future may require re-thinking and
innovation in several policy fields
 Future territorial cohesion and competitiveness is
influenced by decisions of today
More information
Thank you for your attention
Please visit
www.espon.eu
Demographic perspectives 2030
Demographic change, 1996-1999
• Population decline
(natural population change
and migration)
• Highly fragmented
pattern with both declining
and increasing regions
•Competition between
regions for human
resources
•Major urban areas and
pleasant retirement areas
in good position