COPIED
3 mins

Foreword

The current pandemic has added to the numerous challenges and changes that Europe is facing today. It has made us change drastically the way that we live and it will have a direct effect on European territories. It will be more important than ever to bring people and nations closer together, not only to continue our cooperation on mitigating climate change, encouraging digital transition and adjusting to demographic changes but also to face new realities that the coronavirus has brought upon us.

Cohesion policy is on the front line when it comes to responding to these changes and the needs of the Member States and regions, whether through the current crisis response initiatives or by supporting the economic recovery plan. Together with other EU Funds, the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund have addressed the diverse needs in EU regions and cities. Urban or rural, large or smaller, cities and communities have all significantly benefited in the past, and the new multiannual budget of the EU will bring even more opportunities.

" ESPON is putting great efforts intoa key challenge, namely translating scientific evidence and the language of scientists and researchers into the language of policy-makers"

Cohesion policy is one of the main investment mechanisms at EU level, but it is more than just finance. It has a strong impact on the delivery of just, economic and sustainable transitions on the ground; it promotes reforms and good governance; it builds the capacities for all actors. As much as there is a lot of pressure on national governments to tackle the crisis, solutions can be found together with local and regional governments in new governance approaches by putting in place genuine partnership mechanisms based on bottom-up and multilevel governance approaches.

Cohesion Policy provides a framework for cooperation at different territorial levels, for integrated territorial and local development strategies and for participative approaches. It supports the balanced development of all territories across the EU and results in real changes on the ground that benefit people, companies and the environment.

In spite of the challenges, the crisis has brought opportunities to accelerate the transitions to a digital, green and just Europe and to make our economies and communities more resilient and sustainable. However, not all regions have the same capacity to respond to the current crises and continue with these transitions. That is why Cohesion Policy is there: to help all regions and make sure that no one is left behind.

" Cohesion Policy supports the balanced development of all territories across the EU and results in real changes on the ground that benefit people, companies and the environment."

We strive to drive positive change in citizens’ lives and to support job creation and business competitiveness while protecting our environment. It is the responsibility of all of us to take the opportunity to rethink the way we work, commute, travel and use energy, how we transit to a circular economy and sustainable tourism, and how we support sustainable food production. We will need innovative solutions to restart our economies while keeping Europe on track for inclusive and sustainable growth that reduces disparities between EU regions and works towards meeting our environmental targets set by the European Green Deal and abandoning our polluting and unsustainable habits.

Therefore, today, when public resources are limited, informed policy-making based on quality evidence is more crucial than ever when it comes to responding with the right policies to the different development challenges that our regions and cities are experiencing.

Programmes such as ESPON serve this ambition to help a broad audience of policy-makers at EU, national, regional and local levels to make the right policy choices at all stages of the policy process, from design and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. In addition, ESPON is putting great efforts into a key challenge, namely translating scientific evidence and the language of scientists and researchers into the language of policy-makers. Innovation in communicating the outcomes of studies to policy-makers is a vital part of the successful transmission of research findings in policy-making.

This online magazine is a clear example of how ESPON is able to communicate its results and reach out to its audience.

Thematic Dossier

From Green Infrastructure to the re-use of public buildings, European cities are looking for solutions to increase their resilience and improve the quality of life of their citizens.

ESPON published two policy briefs on the request of the Croatian Presidency to support local authorities in their efforts.

In this dossier, we present these briefs and we share additional insights and best practices from our projects.

This article appears in Green infrastructure and reuse of spaces

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