The European Commission adopted the ESPON 2013 programme, the European network of observation and territorial cohesion, on  November 7th, 2007 (Commission decision C (2007) 5313).

The ESPON 2013 Programme shall support policy development in relation to the aim of territorial cohesion and a harmonious development of the European territory. It shall provide comparable information, evidence, analyses and scenarios on framework conditions for the development of regions, cities and larger territories.

The ESPON 2013 Programme will operate within five priorities at programme level.

1. Applied research on territorial development, competitiveness and cohesion: evidence on territorial trends, perspectives and policy impacts.
2. Targeted analyses based on user demand: a European perspective on the development of different types of territories.
3. Scientific platform and tools: comparable regional data, analytical tools and scientific support.
4. Awareness raising, empowerment and involvement: capacity building dialogue and networking.
5. Communication and technical/analytical assistance.

The Community provisional funding available for the programme is:

• 47,00 Million EUR (Global Budget)