For several years the member states of the EU have been developing a concept for a European Spatial Development Policy (ESDP). Key outcomes are the declarations and documents of Leipzig (1994) and Noordwijk (1997). The ESDP is planned to serve as a spatial framework for spatially effective policies. The aim is to secure more coherence and complementarity between the spatial development strategies and policies of the member states as well as a more effective co-ordination of EU sectoral policies. In this perspective the study aims to develop general guidelines for a cross-national co-operation model in the SaarLorLux+-area. The development concept serves as a regionalised and detailed example of the actual implementation of ESDP in a Central European transnational area.