A new paradigm of the EU regional development in the context of the Poland’s National Spatial Development Concept

New factors inspiring spatial and regional policies in Poland have come out in the recent years. They complement the traditional, hardly spatial, paradigm of the socio-economic development with the concept of place-based economics. The paradigm shift was possible largely thanks to the contributions and inspiration from World Bank as well as the OECD. Additionally, new economic geography has contributed to that. New economic geography underlines the importance of space and its management for the enhancement of growth and development as well as for the formation of economic profiles of the regions or countries. In the EU member states the process has been facilitated by the entering into force of the Reformed Treaty (known as the Lisbon Treaty) which complements the social and economic cohesion with a new dimension of the territorial cohesion. A better understanding of the condition and tendencies of spatial development of Europe has been also possible thanks to the ESPON efforts. They