The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities?
The EU has long had a goal of ‘reducing economic and social disparities.’ Since the reforms to the European Structural Funds in 1988 the Commission has encouraged enhanced subnational actor participation in policy-making, although subsequent reforms in 1993 and 1999 have been seen as attempts to ‘re...
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| Language: | English |
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European Institute of Romania
2004-07-01
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| Series: | Romanian Journal of European Affairs |
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| Online Access: | https://rjea.ier.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/articole/RJEA_Vol4_No2_The_EU_Structural_and_Cohesion_Funds_Solution_or_Smokescreen_to_Europes_Regional_Disparities.pdf |
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| author | Adrian Reilly |
| author_facet | Adrian Reilly |
| author_sort | Adrian Reilly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The EU has long had a goal of ‘reducing economic and social disparities.’ Since the reforms to the European Structural Funds in 1988 the Commission has encouraged enhanced subnational actor participation in policy-making, although subsequent reforms in 1993 and 1999 have been seen as attempts to ‘renationalize’ the policy. This paper argues that the minimal effect the Funds have had on the ground results not from renationalization but from inherent differences between multilevel actors on one of the key principles of Structural Funding i.e. partnership. The research findings show that whilst intergovernmental mechanisms have not changed since 1988, neither has the acceptance of the need for partnership between national and regional actors, especially in federal or quasi-federal states. The inability of the Funds to reduce disparities and the lack of understanding of partnership both provide lessons for new entrants to the EU: transforming domestic governance arrangements to accommodate the requirements of EU regional funding may only be successful if there are wider understandings of changes in ‘governance’; Europe’s poorer regions have not been able to close the gap with their richer neighbours with the implication that the regions of the Accession States will be in no better position in ten years time than they are now when compared to other regions throughout the EU. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e747be5ec5474e31b26367e0c77b3879 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1582-8271 1841-4273 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2004-07-01 |
| publisher | European Institute of Romania |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Romanian Journal of European Affairs |
| spelling | doaj-art-e747be5ec5474e31b26367e0c77b38792025-08-20T03:28:53ZengEuropean Institute of RomaniaRomanian Journal of European Affairs1582-82711841-42732004-07-01424154The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities?Adrian Reilly0Dr., Research Fellow in Devolution, Institute for German Studies, European Research Institute, University of Birmingham, UKThe EU has long had a goal of ‘reducing economic and social disparities.’ Since the reforms to the European Structural Funds in 1988 the Commission has encouraged enhanced subnational actor participation in policy-making, although subsequent reforms in 1993 and 1999 have been seen as attempts to ‘renationalize’ the policy. This paper argues that the minimal effect the Funds have had on the ground results not from renationalization but from inherent differences between multilevel actors on one of the key principles of Structural Funding i.e. partnership. The research findings show that whilst intergovernmental mechanisms have not changed since 1988, neither has the acceptance of the need for partnership between national and regional actors, especially in federal or quasi-federal states. The inability of the Funds to reduce disparities and the lack of understanding of partnership both provide lessons for new entrants to the EU: transforming domestic governance arrangements to accommodate the requirements of EU regional funding may only be successful if there are wider understandings of changes in ‘governance’; Europe’s poorer regions have not been able to close the gap with their richer neighbours with the implication that the regions of the Accession States will be in no better position in ten years time than they are now when compared to other regions throughout the EU.https://rjea.ier.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/articole/RJEA_Vol4_No2_The_EU_Structural_and_Cohesion_Funds_Solution_or_Smokescreen_to_Europes_Regional_Disparities.pdfeuropean structural fundingmultilevel governanceregional disparity |
| spellingShingle | Adrian Reilly The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities? Romanian Journal of European Affairs european structural funding multilevel governance regional disparity |
| title | The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities? |
| title_full | The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities? |
| title_fullStr | The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities? |
| title_full_unstemmed | The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities? |
| title_short | The EU Structural and Cohesion Funds: Solution or Smokescreen to Europe’s Regional Disparities? |
| title_sort | eu structural and cohesion funds solution or smokescreen to europe s regional disparities |
| topic | european structural funding multilevel governance regional disparity |
| url | https://rjea.ier.gov.ro/wp-content/uploads/articole/RJEA_Vol4_No2_The_EU_Structural_and_Cohesion_Funds_Solution_or_Smokescreen_to_Europes_Regional_Disparities.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adrianreilly theeustructuralandcohesionfundssolutionorsmokescreentoeuropesregionaldisparities AT adrianreilly eustructuralandcohesionfundssolutionorsmokescreentoeuropesregionaldisparities |