Uncovering the Territorial Dimension of European Union Cohesion Policy Cohesion, Development, Impact Assessment and Cooperation Routledge Advances in European Politics Series

Despite the non-territorialised strategic goals of the EU 2020 Strategy, the long-term aim of EU Cohesion Policy to promote harmonious development of the European territory ? social, economic, and ?territorial cohesion? ? remains a central goal of achieving a more cohesive EU territory.

This book examines the ?territorial dimension? of EU Cohesion Policy, specifically assessing territorial impacts at the various spatial levels, engaging theoretically and empirically with the notion and role of the ?territorial dimension? within a strongly fragmented EU policymaking process, and examining more generally EU Cohesion Policy, as the main driver of the EU territorial development process. It provides an updated and fresh theoretical discussion on the precise meaning of the ?territorial dimension? of policies and the relatively recent EU policy evaluation technique, known as ?Territorial Impact Assessment? (TIA). Assessing the history, relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of these procedures, it presents several empirical findings on the implementation of specific territorial-focus and place-based financial instruments, as part of the Territorial Agendas and the EU goal of achieving a more integrated, territorial approach.

This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of spatial planning and cohesion policy, European sector policies and European spatial planning, and more broadly to European and EU studies/politics, regional economic geography and public policy.

1. Introduction

PART I: The Territorial Dimension of Policies

2. The Territorial Dimension of European Policies: A Conceptual Approach

3. The Territorial Keys of Policies

4. The Territorial Dimension of EU Policies and Territorial Equalities

5. Supporting the Europe 2020 Strategy and Territorial Cohesion: Contradictory Objectives of EU Cohesion Policy

PART II: Implementing European Territorial Cohesion Policies

6. Dealing’ with the Challenges of Implementing Place-based Methods of Local and Regional Development

7. Tracing the Place-based Coordinative Frameworks of EU Territorial Cohesion Policy: From European Spatial Planning towards European Territorial Governance

8. Implementing Integrated Territorial Investments

9. Encapsulating the Significance of the EGTC for Territorial Cooperation: Attempt of a Research Agenda

PART III: Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) of European Policies

10. From simple to relevant TIA tools for European Policies

11. Assessing territorial impacts at various spatial levels

12. ESPON TIA - Balancing between Policy Orientation, Practicability and Scientific Ambition

Eduardo Medeiros is Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning, Lisbon University, Portugal.