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.

ESPON provides a number of publications bringing together the results from the various ESPON projects and providing synthesises on specific issues.

Until the Seminar in Nijmegen, every ESPON seminar was followed by a "guidance paper" elaborated by the coordinating projects: ESPON 3.1 and ESPON 3.2.

The ESPON Synthesis Report I is a tool for the ongoing debate of issues related to the structure, cohesion and development of the European territory. The purpose of the report is to communicate the progress made within ESPON after the first year of activities.

The purpose of this second ESPON Scientific Report is to document the progress made on building a scientific platform for applied European territorial research.

The ESPON Synthesis Report III is based on all 34 ESPON projects of the ESPON 2006 Programme. The purpose is to communicate the main findings of the ESPON 2006 Programme, and to nourish policy development for different territories in Europe through dialogue among policy makers, practitioners and researchers.

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.

This report presents the proceedings of the 1st ESPON Scientific Conference on European Territorial Research, held at 13-14 October 2005 in Luxembourg.

The ESPON Synthesis Report II presents integrated ESPON results (status spring 2005) on basic territorial structures, dynamics and policy impacts. It intends to contribute to the process of carrying through the re-launch of the Lisbon strategy and to enable a better understanding of the framework conditions necessary for identifying and mobilising the territorial capital of individual regions and of larger territories across Europe.