After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand the general institutional structure of the EU and to use this expertise to explain political processes in the Union. Additionally, they can identify spatial and economic structures and major trends of european regional development to consider relevant challenges for the european integration process. Especially, the students are qualified to understand the main instruments, concepts and measures of European cohesion policies, to apply them in practice and to develop a critical view on their spatial and structural effects.

1  The European Union 

1.  History of European integration
2.  Contractual framework of the European Union
3.  EU policies
4.  EU bodies
5.  EU legislation
6.  EU budget

2  Economic disparities in Europe

1.  Basic data
2.  Regional GDP and employment
3.  Factors of regional competitiveness

3  Cohesion Policy

1.  Basics (framework, implementation, instruments)
2.  Types of Operational Programmes
3.  Financing
4.  Cohesion Programmes in Austria
5.  Effects of cohesion policy

4  Other relevant EU-policies

1.  Common Agricultural Policy [CAP]
2.  Transeuropean Networks [TEN]
3.  European Spatial Policies [ESDP]

Detection of currents problems

Critical debate on institutions and instruments

Discussion of case studies

Die Kapitel 2-4 werden in Präsenz im Hörsaal 6 (mit Livestream über TUWEL) auf Grundlagen von Folien (download über TUWEL) vorgetragen und diskutiert. Zu Kapitel 1 werden Vortragsvideos (über TUWEL verlinkt) zur Verfügung gestellt, die am 27.10.2022 in Präsenz kurz zusammengefasst und (mit der Möglichkeit für Fragen) nachbesprochen werden.

individual oral examination (approx. 20 minutes)

Basic understanding of spatial development and rough overview on instruments of spatial planning.