Territorial Cohesion is, alongside with Economic and Social cohesion, an essential component of the European Union’s Cohesion Policy. Territorial Cohesion was formally integrated into the EU Treaties with the Lisbon Treaty in 2007. Article 174 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) emphasizes the importance of economic, social, and territorial cohesion, highlighting the need to address disparities between different regions and the challenges posed by less-favoured areas.
The Territorial Agenda is a strategic policy framework that guides the European Union’s approach to Territorial Cohesion. It is connected to Territorial Cohesion in that it sets out the priorities, objectives, and principles that member states, regions, and cities should follow to promote balanced and harmonious territorial development across the EU.
Territorial Cohesion – The Story
The aim of this document is to tell the story about Territorial Cohesion as a part of EU Cohesion Policy – the history, the content, actors, processes tools, challenges and strategies, etc. The document can be used to facilitate the communication around Territorial Cohesion and the Territorial Agenda, both to newcomers in the work and to actors that are interested or ought to be interested.
The Territorial Agenda & Trends Shaping Territorial Cohesion
Recent years have shown that we live in a rapidly changing world with many uncertainties. The green, digital and demographic transitions ahead of us, along with multiple mega-trends suggest we will experience more changes and disruptive events in the years to come. What does this imply for the Territorial Agenda 2030?
This think piece brings together trends which are expected to affect territorial cohesion in the coming years (see section 2). It is based on blog posts which review studies for the European Parliament (2022), the European Committee of the Regions (2021) and ESPON (2022). These studies analyse international trend studies and processes, collecting insights from diverse stakeholders. Taken together, the collection provides a rich picture of possibilities which may shape territorial development and cohesion in Europe.