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Table 6.1 Overview of EU Transport Infrastructure Investment Storylines
STORYLINE POLICY ARENA RESPONSIBLE
DIRECTORATE
“Cohesion”
“Polycentricity”
“Missing Links”
“Bottlenecks”
Structural Funds
European Spatial
Development Perspective
Trans-European
Networks,
especially priority projects
DG REGIO
DG TREN
Source: Own compilation
6.3.3 Cohesion
Transport plays a key role in efforts to reduce regional and social disparities in the
European Union and in the strengthening of its economic and social cohesion.
(CEC1999b:1) (Communication from the Commission: Cohesion and Transport)
Cohesion is perhaps the most important spatial storyline in EU policy making. It
represents policy-makers’ recognition of the need to pro-actively counterbalance the
negative effects of increased inter-European competitiveness brought about by the Single
Market and globalization more generally. As a storyline devised to appease the losers of
European integration and enlargement, it represents a formidable challenge that has had
limited success.
Cohesion can be interpreted in various ways, most commonly referring to varying
levels of (economic) stability and/or a process of convergence. Cohesion as a spatial
concept was first written into the Single European Act (SEA) in 1985. It signified a
commitment to promote the development of poorer regions in the EU in order to persuade