Regions with specific territorial features have received increasing attention in recent years, most notably in article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).
Gaining a better understanding of the territories with geographic specificities and their relevant challenges and opportunities is therefore crucial for the European policy dialogue and debate for developing Cohesion Policy post-2020 and a renewed Territorial Agenda for Europe which is due to be adopted by 2021.
The following types of territories constitute the main focus for this project: sparsely populated regions; mountain regions; Islands, including island-states and coastal areas.
The policy analysis responded to following questions:
- What does insularity, peripherality, remoteness, accessibility, vulnerability, attractiveness, lack of critical mass mean for territories with geographic specificities?
- How does it impact the competitiveness, quality of life and sustainable growth of these territories?
- Where and how is public intervention required?
- How can place-based, smart and integrated approaches support the challenges encountered by territories with geographic specificities?
- How can territorial cooperation contribute to strengthening the capacity of local and regional authorities to identify their growth potentials and formulate development strategies
WYG Consulting was a partner in this research project, led by Spatial Foresight.
Project value: 641.978 EUR