Maria Toptsidou
analyst & policy adviser
+352 691 87 32 06
maria.toptsidou@spatialforesight.eu
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Maria Toptsidou is an analyst and policy adviser at Spatial Foresight. She joined the team in 2013. Maria Toptsidou has worked on projects for DG Regio, the European Parliament, the European Committee of the Regions, Interact, ESPON, several Interreg, the European Investment and many other clients. The last years she has been building expertise on territorial foresight, the development and drafting of territorial scenarios and visions, building up and testing foresight methodologies.
Maria Toptsidou holds a master degree in European Spatial and Environmental Planning from the Radboud University of Nijmegen (The Netherlands) and a bachelor degree in International and European Studies (Panepistimio Makedonias, Greece). She is fluent in Greek (native language), English, German and French.
Publications
Böhme, K. & Toptsidou, M. (2024). Cooperate to survive: a new age of policies for cohesion. In: N. F. Dotti, I. Musiałkowska, S. De Gregorio Hurtado, & J. Walczyk (eds.), EU Cohesion Policy: a multidisciplinary approach. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 329–342.
Toptsidou, M., Böhme, K., Aalbu, S., Schuh, B., Dallhammer, E.m Gorny, H. & Gaugitsch, R. (2024). Cohesion policy and the single market: The cost of non-cohesion. Brussels: European Committee of the Regions. DOI: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2863/151447
Gløersen, E., Toptsidou, M., Mäder Furtado, M., Chorafa, V., Nikitaridis, M. (2022). Cohesion Policy design and implementation in an island context: Evidence and policy perspectives from the North Aegean in Greece. Luxembourg: ESPON. Download.
Böhme, K., Mäder Furtado, M., Totsidou, M., Zillmer, S., Hans, S., Hrelja, D., Valenza, A., Mori, A. (2022). Research for REGI Committee - The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine on EU cohesion. Part II: Overview and outlook. European Parliament, Policy Department for Structural and Cohesion Policies, Brussels. Read.
Böhme, K., Toptsidou, Dallhammer, E. et al. (2022) Small urban areas – a foresight assessment to ensure a just transition. European Committee of the Regions, Brussels. Read
Böhme, K., Mäder Furtado, M., Toptsidou, M., et al., (2022) The state of the regions, cities and villages in the areas of socio-economic policies. European Committee of the Regions, Brussels. Read
Schuh, B., Gaugitsch, R, Hsuing, H., Böhme, K. & Toptsidou, M. (2022) Territorial Impact Assessment. Impact of RePowerEU on Europe’s regions. European Committee of the Regions, Brussels. Read
Gaugitsch, R., Messinger, I. Neugebauer, W., Schuh, B., Toptsidou, M., Böhme, K. (2022). Rural proofing – a foresight framework for resilient rural communities. European Committee of the Regions, Brussels. Read
Böhme, K., Toptsidou, M., (2019) Macro-regional Integrated Territorial Investments: How to break out of Interreg. (Spatial Foresight Brief No. 12). Luxembourg. Download.
Haarich, N., S., Salvatori, G., Toptsidou, M. (2019), Evaluating Interreg programmes. The challenge of demonstrating results and value of European Territorial Cooperation. Spatial Foresight Brief 2019:10. Luxembourg. www.spatialforesight.eu. Download.
Böhme, K., Toptsidou, M., Lüer C., Toto, R., Ciro, A., Shutina, D., (2019), The Western Balkans in the Territorial Agenda post-2020: An opportunity not to be missed. Spatial Foresight & Co-PLAN Institute for Habitat Development Brief 2019:9. Luxembourg. www.spatialforesight.eu. Download.
Böhme, K., Lüer, C. & Toptsidou, M. (2019). ‘Towards a European Geography of Future Perspectives: A Story of Urban Concentration’. In: Medeiros, E. (ed.) Territorial Cohesion. The Urban Dimension. Springer. Download.
Toptsidou M., Böhme K., (2018). The EUSBSR after 2020. Governance remastered?, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia and Interreg Baltic Sea Region, Publication for the preparation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region 9th Annual Forum. Download.
Zillmer, S., Lüer, C., Toptsidou, M. (2017). Der EVTZ aus raumentwicklungs- und kohäsionspolitischer Sicht. In: Krzymuski, M., Kubicki, P., Ulrich, P. (ed.). Der Europäische Verbund für territoriale Zusammenarbeit. Instrument der grenzübergreifenden Zusammenarbeit nationaler öffentlicher Einrichtungen in der Europäischen Union. NOMOS, Baden-Baden, pp.447-476. The book is available at NOMOS.
Böhme, K., Gløersen, E., Toptsidou, M. (2017). The European Dimension of Europe's Future - Veni, vidi, ... .Nordregio News. 20 years of regional development, 2017, no.2. Nordregio, pp.17. Download.
Zillmer, S., Haarich S., Holstein, F., Toptsidou, M., Le Moglie, P. (2017) Implementation of the Decision and the Framework on SGEIs: involvement of LRAs in the reporting exercise and state of play as regards the assessment of social services as economic activities. European Committee of the Regions. Download.
Haarich, S., Zillmer, S., Holstein, F., Montán, A., Wergles, N., Toptsidou, M., Gorny, H., Brkanovic, S., Celotti, P. (2017), Entrepreneurship on islands and other peripheral regions. European Committee of the Regions. Download.
Zillmer, S., Hans, S., Lüer, C., Montan, A., Toptsidou, M., Schuh, B., Hsiung, C., Celotti, P. & Le Moglie. P. (2017). EGTC monitoring report 2016 and impacts of Schengen area crisis on the work of EGTCs. European Committee of Regions. Download.
Toptsidou, M., Böhme, K., Gløersen, E., Haarich, S. & Hans, S. (2017). Added Value of macro-regional strategies. Interact Programme. Download.
Böhme, K., Holstein, F., Toptsidou, M., Zillmer, S. (2017). Gold-plating in the European Structural and Investment Funds. European Parliament. Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies. Download.
Böhme, K. & Toptsidou, M. (2017). The future of Europe. and its territories? - A response to the EC White paper on the future of Europe. (Spatial Foresight Brief No. 7). Heisdorf: Spatial Foresight. Download.
Böhme, K., Holstein, F. & Toptsidou, M. (2015). Report on the Assessment of Territorial Cohesion and the Territorial Agenda 2020 of the European Union. Luxembourg: Luxembourg Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructures on Behalf of the EU Trio Presidency.
Böhme, K., Zillmer, S., Toptsidou, M. & Holstein, F. (2015). Territorial Governance and Cohesion Policy. Brussels: European Parliament. Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies. Download.
Lüer, C., Böhme, K., Jæger, S., Hans, S., Madeira, N., Holstein, F., Toptsidou, M., Tulumello, S., Bina, O. & Ferrão, J. (2015). Report on territorial impact projections. Final deliverable (D7.2) of work package 7 on Territorial Governance. FLAGSHIP project, 7th Framework Programme (FP7).
Zillmer, S., Lüer, C., Toptsidou, M., Krzymuski, M., Dallhammer, E., Kintisch, M., Schuh, B., Celotti, P., Colin, A., Preku, A., Brignani, N., Waterhout, B., Zonneveld, W. & Stead, D. (2015). European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation as an Instrument for Promotion and Improvement of Territorial Cooperation in Europe. European Parliament. Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies. Download.
Böhme, K., Zillmer, S., Toptsidou, M., Holstein, F., Lüer, C. & Gløersen, E. (2014). A Territorial Perspective on the Europe 2020 Strategy: Contribution to European Public Consultation Process (Spatial Foresight Brief No. 4). Heisdorf: Spatial Foresight. Download.
Lüer, C., Toptsidou, M. & Zillmer, S. (2014). Calculating regionalised scenarios meeting Europe 2020 objectives. In ESPON (Ed.), Science in support of European Territorial Development and Cohesion (Vol. 2), pp. 164–168. Luxembourg. Download.
Zillmer, S., Lüer, C. & Toptsidou, M. (2014a). Transnationale Perspektiven für grünes und blaues Wachstum. Wie Kommunen und Regionen im Rahmen von INTERREG IVB nachhaltiges Wachstum fördern und marine Ressourcen nutzen können (BBSR Sonderveröffentlichungen). Bonn: Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung. Download.
Zillmer, S., Lüer, C. & Toptsidou, M. (2014b). Transnational perspectives for green and blue growth. How municipalities and regions can promote sustainable growth and use marine resources in the context of INTERREG IV B (BBSR Special Publications). Bonn: Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung. Download.
Zillmer, S. & Toptsidou, M. (2014). Potential and Limits of the EGTC Instrument for Enhancing Integration across Borders (Spatial Foresight Brief No. 5). Heisdorf: Spatial Foresight. Download.
process facilitator & policy adviser
Dr Jean Claude Zeimet
jean-claude.zeimet@spatialforesight.eu
