The Assembly is pleased to highlight the upcoming ESPON Seminar, taking place on 11-12 November 2026 at City Hall, Cork. The event, titled Territorial Cohesion and Competitiveness: The Role of the Green Energy Transition in Driving Balanced Regional Development, will bring together policymakers, researchers, and practitioners from across Europe.
The seminar will examine how Europe’s shift towards renewable energy and a low-carbon economy is reshaping regional development. As outlined in the programme, ‘’the green energy transition is therefore not only an environmental and technological transformation, but also a territorial and economic one.’’ The two-day event will explore how regions can strengthen competitiveness, support balanced development and ensure inclusive development across diverse territories.
The seminar will feature a series of plenaries, panel discussions, and workshops and aims to:
- Explore how the green energy transition can strengthen both territorial competitiveness and cohesion across European regions.
- Discuss the territorial impacts of the renewable energy and clean industrial transition, including opportunities and risks for different types of regions.
- Examine how regions can leverage endogenous assets, such as renewable energy potential, infrastructure and skills, to capture economic benefits.
- Identify governance and policy approaches that support balanced regional development and avoid widening territorial disparities.
- Present ESPON evidence on territorial development, competitiveness and the green transition to inform policy discussions.
- Exchange experiences and good practices from national, regional and local perspectives on managing the transition.
- Promote dialogue between policymakers, researchers and practitioners working on energy, spatial planning and regional development.
- Contribute to policy reflections on how EU, national and regional strategies can support an inclusive and territorially balanced green transition.
Speakers will include representatives from Irish regional and national bodies, ESPON researchers, European experts in sustainable energy and regional development, and practitioners working directly on green transition initiatives.
Registration is required for the seminar.
For full details and to register, please visit: https://www.espon.eu/events/territorial-cohesion-and-competitiveness-role-green-energy-transition-driving-balanced