Documents on spatial planning in Europe
Over the past ten years, the need to develop a strategy to steer the
development of the Europeen territory has emerged as an important issue
on the EU policy agenda. Following a series of inter-Governmental meetings
at which key areas for co-operation in European spatial planning were
identified, a first draft of the European Spatial Development Perspective
(ESDP) was endorsed by Ministers in Nordwijk in June 1997. A wide public
consultation exercise was then launched so that the comments and suggestions
of interested parties could be integrated into the existing document.
The Commission contributed to this debate by organising eight transnational
seminars which sought to address two issues. Firstly, to generate discussion
on the key thematic areas proposed in the ESDP, and secondly, to consider
the practical application of the ESDP in the various transnational co-operation
zones on spatial planning set up under TERRA programmes, the Community
Initiative INTERREG IIC, and Article 10 pilot actions.
In Echternach in December 1997, EU ministers proposed setting up a European
Spatial Planning Observatory Network (ESPON). In the meantime however,
in order to increase knowledge and understanding of spatial trends, the
Commission Study programme launched in 1998 will continue to run throughout
1999.
In parallel, in 1998 the Commission prepared a working document on Community
policies and spatial planning, which emphasises the need to take account
of the territorial effects when formulating sectoral policies at EU level.
The results of consultations on the ESDP were presented at a Forum held in Brussels in February 1999.
The definitive text of the ESDP was
adopted in Potsdam on 11 May 1999 by the informal Council of Ministers
responsible for spatial planning.
Territorial and Urban Development sub-committee : Managing
the Territorial Dimension of EU Policies after Enlargement
- October 2003 
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