Inter-sectoral relations and European spatial planning: The case of the European Spatial Development Perspective

Abstract

This paper is about the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP) (CEC 1999) which the Guiding Principles for Sustainable Spatial Development of the European Continent (CoE 2000) adopted by one of our host institutions, CEMAT, have taken further. The initial focus in the ESDP has been on how it addresses inter-sectoral relations, but in the end the ESDP got side-tracked by the "competency issue" of whether the member states or the European Commission should take the lead. The ESDP process has been this author's research focus. The document as such will be discussed first. After that, the topic is the concept of spatial planning. According to some, it is managing inter-sectoral relations in a sort of umpire role, but other views of planning favour specific interventions. The paper ends by reflecting on difficulties of handling inter-sectoral relations at Brussels.