The European Spatial Planning Observation Network ESPON was established in 2002 in order to support policy development and the European scientific community in the field of territorial development and spatial planning. Its main goal is to provide comparable information, evidence, analyses and scenarios on territorial development, and to reveal territorial capital and potential in the regions to boost European competitiveness, territorial cooperation and sustainable and balanced development.

During the Latvian Presidency there will be active work on the new ESPON 2020 territorial cooperation programme, the development and approval of mechanisms and approval of the programme’s annual and long-term work plan.

The aim of the meeting is for the EU Member States and partner countries (Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Switzerland) to come to an agreement on the direction of the ESPON 2020 programme in the 2014-2020 fund programming period.