Introduction

This chapter provides an introductory guide to the main European Union institutions that are of significance for local planning authorities. The main institution that local or regional planners are likely to encounter is the European Commission. This is the secretariat of the European Union and is sometimes spoken of as if it is an enormous sprawling bureaucracy. European Union interest in planning at the present time remains confined to particular substantive areas, such as the Structural Funds, regional policy and environmental policy, which possess either a direct or indirect bearing on 'planning'. The employment of the term 'spatial planning' is potentially significant not only for individual member states, but also for the purpose of encompassing the changing perception of what planning is and what role it can perform in governance, within the polity, within regions, and within communities. The chapter presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.