Europe is a continent distinguished by its rich cultural, geographical, and economic diversity. The unique historical, cultural, and economic backgrounds of its member states lead to variations in the implementation of European Union policies. From the Nordic countries to the Mediterranean nations, the distinct territorial landscapes shape how EU policies are applied.
These differences highlight the complexity of harmonizing regulations across diverse regions and underscore the need for nuanced approaches in policy application within the European Union, transitioning from territorially-blind policies to territorially-considerate policies.
In recent years, both national and EU regulations with either spatial or non-spatial impact, have interacted in ways that sometimes create tension between sectoral policy areas and spatial development ambitions, with each making different claims on member state territories. Since there is no spatial planning at the EU level, relevant policies are shaped across various sectors.
We argue that the implementation of EU policies and regulations, often driven by quantitative requirements and objectives that overlook territorial considerations, might not always consistently contribute to achieving EU goals. While guidelines such as the Better Regulation Guidelines & Toolbox exist to promote territorially considerate regulations and policies, there is a need for greater emphasis on effective implementation.
Rationale & link to Territorial Agenda
The Territorial Agenda 2030 addresses inequalities between places and people and advocates for a future for all places. The action aims to create a better understanding policy impacts on territories to design better policies that are place-sensitive and address the needs of communities and citizens.
In recent years, both national and EU regulations with either spatial or non-spatial impact, have interacted in ways that sometimes create tension between sectoral policy areas and spatial development ambitions, with each making different claims on member state territories. Since there is no spatial planning at the EU level, relevant policies are shaped across various sectors.
We argue that the implementation of EU policies and regulations, often driven by quantitative requirements and objectives that overlook territorial considerations, might not always consistently contribute to achieving EU goals. While guidelines such as the Better Regulation Guidelines & Toolbox exist to promote territorially considerate regulations and policies, there is a need for greater emphasis on effective implementation.
Envisaged activities
The process of the ‘Region-focused Territorial Impact Assessment’ has two main phases:
- Phase 1 (May – December 2024): Assessment of current measures through desk research. We will collect data including best practices in different member states, collect EU legislation with territorial impact ready for analysis, set-up focus groups, interviews with practitioners and explore a number of case studies.
- Phase 2 (January – December 2025): Data analysis of the abovementioned activities resulting in writing reports and working on texts on how to improve the current TIA handbook and necessity test.
Past and future activities
As of May 2025, we have examined the existing approaches used by participating member states and organizations to assess the territorial dimensions of EU legislation through desk research and interviews. Additional interviews with various EU bodies have also been conducted to gain a clearer understanding of the overall policymaking process. In the coming months, through the end of this calendar year, we will focus on developing recommendations to make the TIA more accessible and effective to implement.
Envisaged lessons / results
At the start of this pilot, we aimed to demonstrate that EU policies, although designed with overarching goals in mind, show varying levels of sensitivity to territorial differences. The findings were expected suggest that increasing the consideration of territorial differences within different sectoral regulation and policies can lead to more effective alignment of policies with regional characteristics, ultimately contributing to the achievement of broader development goals and do no harm to cohesion.
As of May 2025, our findings indicate that the main challenge in implementing TIAs across different levels of government is related to capacity restrictions. While some countries have integrated territorial assessments into their national impact assessment frameworks, this is not the case for all Member States. At the European level, the policymaking process is considered transparent; however, there is limited emphasis on the territorial dimension. Despite this transparency, Member States often struggle to effectively partake in the negotiation process, which is typically lengthy and complex—particularly for those without specialized expertise. Lead ministries play a crucial role in these negotiations, but they are not always responsible for territorial matters. As a result, the territorial perspective is not consistently considered when input is provided during the negotiation phase.
At the moment, we are working on a guidance document. The purpose of this document is to give practical advice for Member States’ departments responsible for spatial planning and territorial development: How can they better monitor legislative proposals during the regulatory process, assess the potential territorial effects and make valuable contributions in order to influence the final quality of legislation in accordance with territorial aspects?
Time planning
The project is envisaged to run from May 2024 until the end of 2025.
Resources
Partners bring in own resources to cover own activities, e.g. funding, personnel and knowledge. Resources for joint activities will be covered by Lead Partner.
Indicative partners
Partner states are The Netherlands (lead), Poland, Germany, Slovenia, Ireland and as observers we include Austria and Sweden. Additional cooperation partners are the European Committee of the Regions, The Committee of European Municipalities and Regions and ESPON. Interested parties are welcome to join.
Lead stakeholder
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations, The Netherlands, Marcia van der Vlugt (Marcia.Vlugt@minbzk.nl) in cooperation with ITEM University Maastricht.