Spatial Planning in Europe-The Impact of European Union Law on National Planning Systems and Territorial Transnational Cooperation

The EU has a significant influence on the national planning systems, while the transnational dimension thereof, by setting the framework for cooperation across national borders, is steadily being enhanced. This trend might have been extended by the Lisbon Treaty as "territorial cohesion" has been added as a goal of the EU and as a shared competence between the Union and its Member States. Thus, it has to be questioned whether the impact of the EU on national planning systems and in particular on territorial transnational cooperation is only de facto or whether the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty was the last step towards a de iure impact on this matter.