Following their initial agreement on the content of the ESPON 2030 programme as a prerequisite for the submission of the programme to the European Commission for approval, the Member and Partner States initiated further steps to ensure a timely start to activities during 2022. Activities under the ESPON 2030 programme are planned to start from 1 July 2022 under the lead of the ESPON EGTC.

You can find the programme of the consultation in the attachment below

The activities launched under the programme will be bundled in Thematic Action Plans (TAPs) to guarantee a coherent approach to research-based evidence production and tailored knowledge development activities for the support of policy makers and territorially interested stakeholders from the EU to the local level. It is important to note that evidence production and knowledge development should be guided by the needs of stakeholders and based on a sound research approach, with a focus on the gaps in existing research and innovative approaches. At the same time, they should properly address current territorial challenges and anticipate future ones.

TAPs logic

There is already an agreement on the principal themes of the first four TAPs to be addressed by the ESPON 2030 Programme. But every TAP theme will undergo a broad consultation process to ensure they meet stakeholders' and ESPON’s target groups of policymakers and researchers needs. 

The main purpose of the Thematic Action Plan consultation process is threefold:

• To raise the awareness of programme stakeholders about the specific thematic workstreams ESPON will be opening to support policymaking;
• To engage in an exchange with policymakers at all levels on the general policy needs that could be addressed and in which way;
• To engage in an exchange with scientists on the state-of-the-art of the existing territorial research in the related fields of each TAP and to collect a wide range of proposals for programme research activities to ensure the relevance and added value of ESPON evidence production

The kick-off day on 30 November 2021 officially opened the consultation that now continues online until the end of January. 

consultation programme

The consultation process is open to everyone. You can comment, add or propose something new relevant to the four TAP. How?

• You can send us an email at consultation@espon.eu

Select the TAP you are interested in below and become part of the consultation -help us to shape the new ESPON programme for you!

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