Europeanization as the Reterritorialization of the State: Towards Conceptual Clarification

Abstract

In connection with the so‐called territorial dimension of the cohesion policy promoted by the European Commission, a gradual Europeanization of territorial organization can be observed in EU member states. Two main approaches can be identified in literature describing this phenomenon: scholars in European studies discuss the issue in terms of the notions of governance, while planners tend to focus on the priorities of regional development. What is missing is a unified conceptual understanding that includes the diverse aspects of these processes. This article offers an innovative view of the Europeanization of territoriality. Its key argument is that there are two ways of studying the Europeanization of territoriality: (1) as changes in the spatial organization of member states and the establishment of new regions (a static component of the polity); and (2) as changes in relations between actors of governance in consequence of the new territorial arrangement (a dynamic component of politics).