The variegated policy response to Covid-19 in European regions

As Covid-19 measures are winding down or have been discontinued, and life for most people seems to be returning to normality – in all its positive and negative senses – it is an apt moment to take stock of how the response to the pandemic affected European regions. We first determine how different types of regions were impacted by and responded to the pandemic. We then discuss whether the crisis was used to implement structural policy reforms to accelerate the just, green, or smart transitions. Research carried out in the ESPON TERRCOV project shows a mixed picture: against a general backdrop of reactive measures, we find evidence of proactive local and regional initiatives, mainly within the social justice sphere. However, whether these will have a lasting effect is far from certain.