Hungarian overview

Preparations for and debates on the future of European cohesion policy will soon begin. One of the main innovations is the concept of territorial cohesion, which can only be achieved through the efficient and integrated development of (internal) peripheral border areas. In order to better serve territorial continuity and connectivity, several innovative instruments are available to planners and policy-makers.

The study presents the cross-border spatial planning potential of the EGTC instrument (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation). It assesses how this instrument can contribute to the renewal of regional relations and to local economic development in border areas. Owing to innovative and effective regional policy, the position of border regions is changing dynamically. The study also confirms that social, spatial, economic, and political phenomena can be analysed using geographical methods, and it reinforces the role and importance of geographers in this new European process of “spatial structuring.”