Background of the PREPARED project
Under the ESPON (European Observation Network for Territorial Development and Cohesion) umbrella, Panteia is leading the PREPARED project, which focuses on enhanced planning and governance for the North Sea–Rhine–Mediterranean Corridor. With PREPARED, we are uncovering ways in which strategic collaboration can harmonise spatial planning and governance in this corridor. In this article, we would like to share some background on the project with you.
To support the transition to a cleaner, greener and smarter mobility in line with the European Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, the TEN-T Regulation of 2013 has been recently revised and adopted. Among others, the regulation merges the Rhine-Alpine (RALP) Corridor and the North Sea-Mediterranean (NSMED) Corridor into the North Sea Rhine Mediterranean Corridor (NSRM).
The new geographical scope of the NSRM corridor goes far beyond territorial coverage of the so far proven Rhine-Alpine Corridor governance model. The NSRM-corridor connects the economic centres of Europe, thus struggling with capacity shortages and land use conflicts in its development perspectives. The different standards and procedures across borders significantly hamper cross-border connectivity, and long approval processes slow implementation of improvements in all areas. This is only expected to become worse due to the merger. Reconciling the needs of a growing transport sector and related infrastructure with sustainable regional development with special regard to settlement and blue-green infrastructure development is the key challenge. Conflicts of capacity, sustainability and quality of life need to be addressed in an integrated collaborative approach pursuing territorial cohesion. On the other hand, the economic strength enables investments and modernisation of infrastructure contributing to EU transport policy and Green Deal objectives to develop a green, reliable, seamless and high-quality trans-European transport network by 2050.
ESPON has therefore commissioned the PREPARED project to conduct a territorial analysis of the North Sea-Rhine-Mediterranean (NSRM) Corridor and provide a sound, evidence-based foundation for developing a common spatial and governance approach for the corridor. This approach could potentially serve as a model for other trans-European transport corridors. The project is being implemented in close collaboration with a group of stakeholders led by the Interregional Alliance for the Rhine-Alpine Corridor – EGTC RALP (Germany).
The project aims to explore the strategic transformation of a merged European transport corridor by addressing several critical research questions. It investigates the main bottlenecks affecting the corridor and proposes solutions to improve East-West rail connectivity, including targeted infrastructure upgrades. It then examines spatial development scenarios, focusing on how these visions can be effectively communicated and guided by indicators such as traffic volumes, modal split, and population growth. In parallel, the project looks at governance structures necessary for seamless coordination from local to European levels, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder participation to ensure harmonised transport and spatial planning. Based on these findings, it considers how the EGTC RALP could serve as a governance model, offering insights for integrated development both within the corridor and across other European transport networks.
For these aims, a wide data collection and analysis exercise is taking place. Stakeholder engagement is being conducted with more than 150 stakeholders in the corridor via a survey, workshops in various countries and interviews.
The project is running from February to December 2025. Project outcomes will be made available on ESPON's website in the spring of 2026.
“The PREPARED project touches on the hot topic of the new NSRM corridor, created in 2024. This corridor hosts the largest economic activity of all corridors in Europe. The workshops Panteia hosts as part of this project are helping us to understand the opportunities and concerns of stakeholders in this new playing field.” - Marcelo Matias, transport consultant, Panteia
