ABSTRACT
The potential of spatial planning for the co-ordination of territorial impacts of sectoral policies is increasingly recognised, and there have been several important spatial development initiatives both at EU level as well as in the wider European context over recent years. Cross-border and transnational co-operation on spatial development is now well established in many parts of the EU, often supported by the European Commission’s funding instrument of Interreg. There have also been many initiatives within EU member states to prepare informal spatial planning strategies for national and regional territories, which often reflect a wider territorial context than the nation-state’s.
