1. 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)

2. 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

3. 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

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

5. 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))

6. > 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