1. Territorial Factors for Global Competitiveness and Economic Growth
ESPON Internal Seminar 2012
“Territorial Development Opportunities in Europe and its
Neighbourhood to Foster Global Competitiveness”
Parallel Workshop Session: Workshop 2.2
Territorial Factors for
Global Competitiveness and
Economic Growth

2. Discontinuities in GDP per capita, 2008
Stimulus map
Discontinuities in GDP per capita, 2008
The sharpest divides are between Europe (including Turkey) and North Africa, and between Finland and Russia.
However there is also an economic division within Europe between west and east, a gap that also separates off Greece and Cyprus.
It is also notable that the discontinuity between the Neighbourhood countries of North Africa and those to the south of them across the Sahara is as great again as the Europe / North Africa disparity.
These divisions in economic wealth are paralleled by divisions in demographic profiles.
Whereas the demographic perspectives largely follow the wealth divisions between east and west, they show a reverse picture for the north-south dimension.
The southern neighbours are expected to experience a population increase between 2000 and 2030 which goes well beyond the increases expected within EU27+IS+LI+NO+SW.  

3. Workshop 2.2 – key questions for ESPON projects
What are the main observations or conclusions from your project - for Europe, its regions and cities - in relation to “economic development, innovation, technological development, research trade flows, territorial specialisation and profiles”?
Please select maximum 2 maps from your project and include maximum 5 bullet points that could illustrate and synthesize this question.
Maximum use 3-4 slides for showing ESPON evidence on this question.
2. How do developments in Europe´s neighborhood influence the territorial development in Europe and vice-versa (according to your mind / your ESPON findings)?
Please include maximum 3 bullet points that could illustrate and synthesize this question, as much as possible based on your project results and on the case studies developed.
 Please use 1 slide to answer to this question.
3. What opportunities and challenges exists for Europe and its neighbourhood for increasing competitiveness through further cooperation and integration? (according to your mind / your ESPON findings)?
Please include maximum 3 bullet points that could illustrate and synthesize this question.  
Please use 1 slide to answer to this question.

4. Question 1
Regionalization and globalization are parallel and probably mutually reinforcing processes;
The importance of Europe for European regions : two third of trade is internal and the openness rate of the EU is around 20% for the European economy

5. Regions and cities are unequally “globalized”;
Openness to globalization is related to competitiveness, notably in products with high technological content
However, regional and city performances in the last ten years is not clearly related to their participation to global economy and networks

6. Question 2
The importance of Europe for the neighbourhood makes no doubt: in the last decades, the influence of Europe has been more and more restricted to its neighbourhood  Neighbourhoods are functionnally part of Europe: some neighbouring countries are indeed more intensively turned to Europe than some European countries are;
In reverse, the neighbourhoods are important for Europe, but behind major economic areas, mainly Northern America;
The importance of the neighbourhood is higher for migratory flows and energy than economic and financial flows  neighbourhood policies tend to focus on these matters

7. The weight of Europe (ESPON) in the trade of countries, 1996 - 2007

8. Regions of the world according to the importance
they have for Europe and the nature of their links

9. Question 3
In the EU 2020 strategy , the following assessment is made: “The Europe 2020 strategy is not only relevant inside the EU, it can also offer considerable potential to candidate countries and our neighbourhood and better help anchor their own reform efforts. Expanding the area where EU rules are applied will create new opportunities for both the EU and its neighbours”
This calls for a true cooperation and shared development strategy for the neighbourhood rather than the partenalistic vision and/or the actual focus on migrations, security and energy matters