Essentially like national planning systems, it is directed towards three dimensions of co-
ordination:
1. “Coordination among European sector policies affecting territorial development
[horizontal co-ordination];
2. Coordination of activities in different European regions that should be achieved by co-
operation among member states’ governments (or the institutions responsible for regional
planning in member states);
3. Coordination among spatial planning at different levels, i.e. European, national and
regional planning [vertical co-ordination]”(Benz 2002, 142)
This papers focus lies on the horizontal dimension of co-ordination.
Being aware of the fact that the spatial impact of Community policies has up to now not
satisfactory been taken into consideration the European Commission itself stressed in its
White Paper on European Governance that “the territorial impact of EU policies in areas such
as transport, energy or environment should be addressed. These policies should form part of a
coherent whole [...]; there is a need to avoid a logic which is too sector-specific.” (CEC,
2001a, 13). In line with this White Paper the aim has been for the Commission and the
member states to jointly develop indicators with which to identify where coherence among
several political areas is needed. In so doing, the development of indicators has to “build upon
existing work, such as the ESDP [...]” (CEC, 2001a, 13). The establishment of the European
Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) can be seen as a logical outcome of these
intentions. Nevertheless, and even taking account of the outcomes of ESPON, the problem of
deficient co-ordination of spatially relevant Community sector policies has not yet been
solved.
Beside the described general need for co-ordination of EU sectoral policies against the
background of a future orientated European spatial development its necessity can be derived
from various aspects.
2.1 Co-ordination as a Consequence of European Integration
Aside from political goals (the desire to establish peace through co-operation and integration
after the experiences of two world wars), economic considerations were the primary catalyst
of European integration in the 1950s. Consequently, the European Union began as a sector-
based, transnational European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).