Abstract

The ties between the European Union and urban and regional planning in the member states are manifold, ever-changing and much debated. To clarify these complex connections, European influences can be categorised into three types of policy interventions: financial instruments, legal regulations and discursive policy documents, each of which can affect urban and regional development. To understand these effects, it is necessary to scrutinise the application of EU inputs in national, regional and local contexts. The lecture draws on examples from Austria and Finland and asks who the actors responding to European spatial planning are, what policies they consider relevant for planning in their respective context and how they apply EU policies to support planning goals and processes.