Intertwinement of spatial and water policy in European regions: dealing with the risk of flooding

The relationship between the European economic regions and the spatial and water policy on EU level remains underexposed, especially given the facing climatic changes. Water issues are not well researched in relation to its effect on spatial planning and vice versa. The European ambition to strive for economical, social and territorial cohesion cannot be seen in European regions even though the ESDP highly values the transnational planning (as both profitable and practical). The polycentric European regions lack administrative structures, policy instruments and resources to implement policy and adequately cope with territorial imbalances and climatic change. With the introduction of the directive on flood management, socio-economical effects of flooding are interlinked with the territorial impacts. The Water Framework Directive uses river basin management plans to cope with water related problems but does not interact with spatial policy and vice versa. A sectoral approach of EU policies creates problems for coherence in a EU territory. Relatively new concepts like territorial cohesion can function as a tool to investigate the intertwinement of spatial and water policy in European regions and at the same time cope with the risk of flooding where integrative policy between spatial and water can result in robust spatial development. During the conference, theoretical assumptions are illustrated with a case study.