Transnational Networking Activities ESPON 2013 Programme Internal Seminar 29-30 November 2011, Kraków Transnational Networking Activities Workshops Session 2 Nordic-Baltic Dialogues on Transnational Perspectives in Spatial Planning (NORBA)

Approach Piloting transnational networking of ECPs at a macro-regional level Context “…mature transnational cooperative milieu in the BSR” Strategy “ …facilitate dialogue and coalescence between institutional stakeholder interests and ESPON findings” ESPON contribution to evidence-based/evidence-informed policy Discussion forums

Partners Lead Partner: ECP Finland Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland Heikki Eskelinen, Timo Hirvonen Partners: ECP Estonia (University of Tartu) Antti Roose ECP Iceland (University of Akureyri) Grétar Þór Eyþórsson ECP Latvia (State Development Agency, Riga) Girts Lejins ECP Norway (Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, NIBR) Olaf Foss ECP Sweden (Royal Institute of Technology) Mats Johansson, Simon Falck 2010-2012

Status of the project Conferences For policy-makers: Stockholm 3-4 February 2011 (in co-operation with Nordregio) For young scholars: Roskilde 24-27 May 2011 (in connection of the Nordic Geographers Meeting) For researchers: Oslo 14-15 March 2012 (in co-operation with the Nordic Section of the ERSA) Final conference: Riga, August 2012 www.rha.is/norba

Experiences ” Europeanization” of territorial development policy a complex process in individual countries Macro-regional level relevant in dissemination (due to existing co-operative links and cross-loading of concepts, approaches etc.) ESPON findings meet relatively strong country-specific/macroregional research traditions > ESPON vis-a-vis policy community (dissemination) > ESPON vis-a-vis research community (gradual learning, national ECPs play an important role))

> young researchers; e. g > young researchers; e.g., in Estonia: ”young scholars interested, open-minded and committed to ESPON dialogues interfacing and reflecting their region-specific case studies to the territorial concepts employed and delivered by ESPON” > Interesting feedback on ESPON results from ”non-family members” Challenges: regional involvement and commitment However, targeted analyses have increased interest in ESPON concepts and results at a regional level