European Union Enlargement, European Spatial Development Perspective and Regional Policy: Lessons from Population Potentials

This paper applies the concept of population potential to study the spatialstructure of the European Economic Space-EU15 and its main changes with theenlargement to Central and Eastern European Countries. The analysis shows a reinforcementof the central areas and a widening and displacement to the East of themiddle areas in the European spatial pattern. Moreover population potential allows usto highlight some policy guidelines for the European Spatial Development Perspectiveand for the future of the European Regional Policy.