Thinking towards the future is an essential precondition for investigating where policies are necessary and how they should be shaped. Development has its own momentum, but policies can make a difference. The future can create different conditions for the citizens in different parts of Europe, for economic development and competitiveness and for cohesion within the European territory, its regions and cities.

The ESPON Briefing 1 presents a selection of 10 European maps on different spatial development issues, proving a comprehensive picture of the new Europe.

The ESPON folder presents on six pages an easily understandable summary of the ESPON findings achieved until autumn 2003.

The INTERACT-ESPON Synthesis Report is based on the five ESPON-INTERACT studies and the corresponding conferences and workshops carried out between 2004 and 2006. The purpose of the ESPON-INTERACT cooperation was to stimulate the mutual exchange between territorial cooperation under INTERREG projects and applied territorial research in ESPON.