Seminar "Crossing Knowledge Frontiers, Serving the Territories" in Liège, Belgium

17-18 November 2010

The European policy development process is entering into an important phase defining the orientations for Structural Funds post 2013.

The Europe 2020 Strategy is leading the way; the Territorial Agenda process is progressing on an updated Territorial Agenda by spring 2011territorial cohesion is a new aim for the European project; the European Commission published the 5th Cohesion Report; in support of these processes ESPON has published the First ESPON 2013 Synthesis Report.

In this context, ESPON organised in close co-operation with the Belgian Presidency of the European Union the third internal Seminar under the ESPON 2013 Programme on 17 and 18 November 2010 in Liège, Belgium.

 

 

 

 

In the presence of Ghislain Geron, SPW Belgium, Lewis Dijkstra, European Commission DG Regio, representatives of the ESPON Monitoring Committee and Hungary which will take over the EU Presidency in January 2011, more than 160 researchers, stakeholders and policymakers discussed new EU policy orientations and the added-value of ESPON results. In addition, the Seminar stimulated further the dialogue between the members of the Monitoring Committee, the Stakeholders participating in Targeted Analyses, the partners in the Project Groups and the network of ESPON Contact Points.

The purpose of this ESPON seminar was three-fold:

• Stimulating a lively discussion about project results and progress, highlighting the added value of using the facts and evidence provided in place-based policy making.
• Enlarging the involvement of the four groups of actors and support the networking between the project groups by crossing the research themes and creating synergetic linkages between the projects.
• Enhancing scientific and policy relevant output by exchanging good practices and advice as well as look for improvements in disseminating and communicating ESPON project results to policy makers ranging from local/regional level to pan-European level.
  

   

 

 

 

  

Detailed thematic discussions took place in parallel workshops addressing results and key messages of the ESPON Applied Research Projects and Targeted Analyses. The workshops highlighted key findings and conclusions of the ESPON Applied Research Projects and Targeted Analyses of relevance for policy makers and stakeholders as well as the ESPON Scientific Platform. 

Please find below the Programme, the list of participants as well as the presentations given during the event. More photos are available in the next pages.
 

Photo copyright: Fabrice Dor, photographe SPW-DGO4