he Regional Policy is the second spending of the European Union (347 Billion € for 2007-2013) after the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Since the Rome Treaty of 1957, one of the main role of the community is “to promote harmonious development of economic activities”.
That is one of the main reason of the creation and the elaboration of a common regional policy.
The importance of this policy is also reminded at the time of each enlargement of the European Union, to permit the new member states to make up their development and to fill the different European requirements.
In the first part of this essay, I will try to critically analyse the history of the development of European Regional Policy as made by Jennifer R. Wozniak Boyle in her book : “Conditional Leadership – the European Commission and European Regional Policy”.
I will assess the development to regional policy using evidence relating to three countries studied in class :
Belgium, because it was one of the founding member states of Europe, then Greece because this country became member state in 1981 and was, before 2004 and still is one of the main beneficiary of the funds for regional development and then Slovenia because this state was one of the 10 new member states of the 2004 enlargement which moved deeply the European Regional Policy.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to the European Regional Policy
2. The Evolution of the ERDF and the Role of the Commission
2.1 The 1975 Creation and Initial Development
2.2 The 1979 Reform and Enhanced Control
2.3 The 1985 Reform in the Context of Enlargement
2.4 The 1989 Reform: From Structural Funds to Structural Policies
2.5 The 1993 Maastricht Treaty and Subsequent Debates
2.6 The 1999 Reform and the Model Role of the Commission
3. Case Studies of Member States
3.1 Belgium: Founding Member and Phasing Out Regions
3.2 Greece: Integration and Economic Impact
3.3 Slovenia: Challenges of the 2004 Enlargement
4. Conclusion
Research Objectives and Themes
This essay critically examines the historical development of the European Regional Policy, primarily focusing on the analysis provided by Jennifer R. Wozniak Boyle in her work 'Conditional Leadership'. It investigates how the European Commission influenced the integration process through the evolution of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and assesses this development through the practical application of case study evidence from Belgium, Greece, and Slovenia.
- Critical analysis of the European Regional Policy's historical development.
- Evaluation of the European Commission's role in the integration process.
- Comparison of intergovernmentalism versus supranational institutionalism theories.
- Assessment of regional development impacts in Belgium, Greece, and Slovenia.
- Analysis of major policy reforms from 1975 to 1999.
Excerpt from the Book
The Evolution of the European Regional Policy
In the course book, the author analyses the development of the European Regional Policy (ERP) chronologically. She starts in 1969 with the first discussions on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and then discuss the reforms of 1979, 1985, 1989, 1993 and 1999.
But more than the evolution of the European Regional Policy, it is the role and the influence played by the commission during those reforms she analyses. On her point of view, the evolution of the ERDF “provides an excellent case for probing the Commission's role in European integration” (Wozniak Boyle, 2006, p15). She is using this practical example to explain which one of the two theories; intergovernmentalism and supranational institutionalism, explains the best the European integration process.
She describes the evolution of the ERDF to an independent and supranational organization as mainly as the result of the work of the commission. She uses very positive expression to describe the behaviour of the commission: “independent commission”, “Commission's successful implementation of the ERDF”... (Wozniak Boyle, 2006, p67). According to her, the main improvements of the ERDF and its evolution toward an independent organizations are the result of the fight of the commission against reluctant member states which wanted to keep the control on the funds and on the decision-making process.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction to the European Regional Policy: Outlines the significance of regional policy spending within the EU budget and introduces the analytical framework based on Wozniak Boyle's work.
The Evolution of the ERDF and the Role of the Commission: Details the chronological progression of regional policy reforms and how the Commission asserted its influence against member states.
Case Studies of Member States: Examines how the policy has been implemented in Belgium, Greece, and Slovenia, highlighting regional disparities and funding objectives.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, noting the policy's capacity to adapt to enlargement while emphasizing the need for continued evolution to support all member states.
Keywords
European Regional Policy, ERDF, European Commission, European Integration, Supranational Institutionalism, Intergovernmentalism, Structural Funds, Regional Development, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia, EU Enlargement, Cohesion Policy, Economic Convergence, Maastricht Treaty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this essay?
The essay provides a critical historical analysis of the development of the European Regional Policy, grounded in the perspectives presented by Jennifer R. Wozniak Boyle.
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the institutional role of the European Commission, the evolution of the ERDF, the transition from structural funds to structural policies, and the impact of EU enlargement on regional disparity.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to assess the development of regional policy by analyzing how the Commission influenced the integration process and to evaluate this through specific country-level evidence.
Which theoretical framework is applied?
The analysis focuses on the debate between intergovernmentalism and supranational institutionalism to explain the trajectory of European integration.
What does the main body cover?
It covers the chronological reforms of the ERDF from the 1970s to 1999 and provides a country-specific assessment of policy implementation in Belgium, Greece, and Slovenia.
How is this work characterized?
It is characterized by an analysis of the Commission's ability to maintain control over policy initiation and negotiation despite resistance from member states.
Why was Belgium selected for the case study?
Belgium was chosen as it represents a founding member state with specific challenges regarding the phasing out of regions that no longer qualify as the poorest in Europe.
What is the significance of the 1989 reform mentioned in the text?
The 1989 reform is highlighted as the most significant to date, marking the transition toward structural policies and increasing the ERDF's share of the total EU budget.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2009, The development of the European Regional Policy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/146710
