This paper contributes to the literature on the territorial dimension of EU Cohesion Policy and spatial planning in EU Member States. It offers a perspective on these debates by focusing on the case study of the Czech Republic which exemplifies the group of countries being the main beneficiaries of Cohesion Policy. Building on interviews, document analyses and interactive workshops, the barriers and potentials for cross-fertilisation between Cohesion Policy and spatial planning are identified. Upon this background, concrete policies are recommended. Therefore, the paper goes a step further by explaining why the problem occurs and what can be done about it.@en

This report presents the results of the case study on cross-fertilisation between spatial planning and the implementation of EU Cohesion Policy in the Czech Republic, conducted as part of ESPON Comparative Analysis of Territorial Governance and Spatial Planning (COMPASS) Dialogue and Case Study project. The case study entailed a survey and interviews with the key planning and Cohesion Policy stakeholders in the Czech context, complemented by insights from an online ‘interactive dialogue’, a workshop with Czech and international experts, all held in 2021. The report overviews the key challenges and opportunities for cross-fertilisation and outlines a set of pragmatic and strategic recommendations to strengthen the relations between spatial planning, regional policy and EU Cohesion Policy in the Czech Republic.@en