A Spatial Regional Reference Framework for Sustainability Assessment in Europe

A Spatial Regional Reference Framework (SRRF) has been produced which will allow an efficient assessment of sustainability impact indicators across Europe. In order to achieve this goal, it was necessary to define relatively homogeneous regions, in terms of both biophysical and socioeconomic characteristics. The major objective was the integration of these dimensions into European regions that were as uniform as possible. Therefore, in order to retain comparability, it was necessary to use consistent European databases. The spatial framework consisted of three levels, which were necessary to incorporate data on different tiers of spatial aggregation: (1) the INSPIRE Reference Grid, (2) a newly established NUTSx classification, which is a trade-off between administrative European NUTS2 and NUTS3 regions, and (3) the construction of SRRF cluster regions. The last were produced by using a statistical cluster analysis based on a restricted set of important biophysical and socio-economic parameters. 27 cluster regions resulted, which provided a flexible tool for further impact assessment at regional level.