Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                       Professor John Wilton
                                            Lecture 10
                                Regions and the E.U. policy process

                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

•                        What do we mean by ‘Regions’, plus the importance and growth of Regions in
the E.U. integration project.

•                        What do we mean by E.U. regional policy;



                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

1. What do we mean by ‘Regions’, plus     importance and growth of Regions in   E.U. integration
project

- in E.U. concepts of regionalism and integration linked to concept of subsidiarity

- increased pressure on nation-state;

    1. internal                2. external

                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

- 1985 Council of European Regions



-1993 Committee of the Regions     (established in the Maastricht       Treaty)

                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

2. What do we mean by E.U. regional policy

     - aim of E.U. regional policy is to    promote solidarity

            - produce cohesion in E.U.

     - more than 254 regions and 450    million people

                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

- all territories of 10 new Member States of May 2004 designated as falling within Objective 1 of
E.U. Structural Funds

-                        two-thirds of new E.U. citizens from 2004 accessions lived in regions with
GDP per head of less than half average GDP of all 25 E.U. states of 2004

                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

E.U. Regional funds:

•                         The Structural Funds

      a) European Regional Development Fund;

      b) European Social Fund;

      c) Financial Instrument for Fisheries       Guidance;

      d) European Agricultural Guidance and          Guarantee Fund.



                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

94% of Structural Funds for 2000-2006 was concentrated on 3 objectives;

Objective 1: Helping regions whose              development was lagging behind to catch up;

Objective 2: Supporting economic and social  conversion in industrial, rural, urban or fisheries
dependent areas facing structural difficulties

                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

Objective 3: Modernising systems of     training and promoting employment.

2. The Cohesion Fund

    - assist least prosperous E.U. countries

    i.e. 10 newly acceded 2004 Member     States, plus Greece, Spain, Portugal     and (until end
of 2003) Ireland

                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

Policy for development of 7 Czech Regions:

“Infrastructure” Operational Programme for the 2004-2006 period, within Objective 1 framework:

Priority 1: Modernisation and development of transport infrastructure of national importance;



                          Political Issues and Social Policy in the E.U.
                                            Lecture 10

Priority 2: Reducing the negative environmental impacts of transport;

Priority 3: Environmental infrastructure improvement