EU Regional Policy Research Articles

Does EU regional policy increase parties’ support for European integration?

How does EU funding to European regions affect sub-national parties’ support for European integration? This paper aims at analysing whether the EU regional development policy contributes to setting up support for EU institutions and European integration and thus strengthens the whole ‘European idea’ among political parties. To answer this research question, the article analyses election manifestos of parties acting on the regional level in Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK for two EU programming periods: 2007─2013 and 2014─2020. The results show that sub-national parties are more supportive of European integration if regions receive more EU funding and if the parties represent regions that are dependent on EU funding.

The Synergies Influence of Clustering and Smart Specialization Strategy: Do They Really Stimulate Entrepreneurship and Regional Development?

This paper reveals on the significance of clustering concept and smart specialization strategy as an effective tool that stimulates entrepreneurship and creates regional value. The worth of linking different firms, people, and knowledge at the regional level- are one of the ways of making regions, organizations and institutions more innovative and competitive. The mode of a classifying clustering impression to be the voice of smart specialization for developing strategic goals and criteria related to regional growth. Thus, the result of this study shows clustering in addition to smart specialization strategies are powerful instruments to foster industrial competitiveness, institutional innovation, and provincial growth due to their intrinsic competence. Both clusters and smart specialization are gaining its prominence in the EU's regional policy discourse, owing to its role in the new program period of the EU structural policy from 2014 to 2020. This paper suggested some recommendations based on the highlighted research assumptions that the added value of the regional knowledge development process will lead the regions and enterprises to achieve their competitive advantages through the transfer of specific individual knowledge to the collective knowledge, and vice versa.. Keywords: Clustering, entrepreneurship, regional development, smart specialization strategy. Â

Integrated Territorial Investments in the Formula of Cohesion Policy 2014 - 2020

Abstract Subject and purpose of work: EU regional policy aims to increase the economic and social cohesion of the Member States. For the programming period of 2014 - 2020 a new tool has been planned, which will contribute to the effective implementation of the cohesion policy - Integrated Territorial Investment (ITI). The aim of this article is to determine whether the direction of measures arising from the assumptions of the cohesion policy 2014 - 2020, implemented in the ITI strategy, addresses actual problems in the area covered by the ITI strategy (on the example of Kalisz-Ostrów Agglomeration - KOA). Materials and methods: The study was based on the analysis and synthesis of EU and Polish regulatory provisions on the cohesion policy 2014 - 2020, data on financial allocation for the implementation of the ITI and literature on the subject of EU regional policy. Results: The direction of measures arising from the assumptions of the cohesion policy 2014 - 2020 in the ITI strategy addresses real problems in the development of the area covered by the KOA strategy. EU funds have been planned for: promoting entrepreneurship; promoting low-carbon strategies; the development of an educated society and investments in modern infrastructure. Conclusions: Solving the problems of the areas covered by the ITI strategy will depend on the realization of the development goals. Therefore, the synergy of conditions associated with the transformation of the postulated stage into the executive stage of the cohesion policy under ITI is necessary. This synergy is associated with both the quality of human capital and the amount of financial resources as well as the competences of those involved in the implementation of the ITI concept.

The Influence of Natura 2000 Sites on Land-Taking Processes at the Regional Level: An Empirical Analysis Concerning Sardinia (Italy)

This article focuses on the role that the provisions of the Natura 2000 Network play in affecting land-taking processes by looking at the Italian region of Sardinia, where strict rules on land development have been enforced since 1993 through regional landscape plans and where an extensive Natura 2000 Network, covering nearly 19% of the regional land mass, was established in compliance with Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora and Directive 2009/147/EC on the conservation of wild birds. The results and inferences of our study could be easily generalized to other European Union regions, provided that similar geographic datasets are available. By shedding some light on the relation between land take on the one hand, and nature conservation and landscape protection on the other, it is possible to enhance regional planning policies to prevent or hinder land-taking processes, and, by doing so, to help implementing the European Commission recommendation on no net land take by 2050 into the EU regional policies.

The European Territorial Cooperation as the Tool for Europe's Integration: Example of Latvia - Belarus Cross - Border Cooperation

The European Territorial cooperation is important part of the EU regional policy. It examines the relationships between countries and territories. Cross border cooperation is an institutional and a political oriented cooperation between two or more administrative and sovereign units. In this paper cross border cooperation was analysed as an institutional process of interstate cooperation and cross border cooperation between administrative units in Belarus – Latvia’s borderland. European integration and cross border cooperation are linked by 1) integrated economic space across the member states by Henk van Houtum, 2) the intersection between the history of European integration and the more general research field of border studies by Birte Wassenberg and 3) more gradual process and impact on border locations after the Second World war by Steven Brakman, Harry Garretsen, Charles van Marrewijk and Abdella Oumer. The theoretical approach of cross border cooperation includes - 1) the relation between core and periphery, 2) the division of exogenous and endogenous factors and 3) types of borderlands (alienated borderlands, co – existent borderlands, interdependent borderlands and integrated borderlands). Further theorethical concepts are drivers of cross-border co – operation (economic, political leadership, identity/cultural and geographical drivers). The research question is - ‘’How cross – border cooperation can influence the integration and cooperation between Latvia and Belarus? How far cooperation with an EU neighbour takes on hegemonic traits or not? Which are the cross border cooperation forms between Belarus and Latvia which ‘’makes’’ the integration between Belarus and Latvia’’.

Metropolitan region policies in the European Union: following national, European or neoliberal agendas?

ABSTRACTThe paper depicts the emergence of metropolitan region policies in Europe as being linked to the globalization debate and demonstrates how the idea of supporting metropolitan regions as national growth engines appeared to become not only an element of European regional policy but has appeared more and more in national urban policies as well. We propose to regard the diffusion of the underlying spatial development ideas as being linked to Europeanization processes as a form of transnational socialization and learning. We demonstrate how the urban dimension has been more and more strengthened in EU regional policies since the early 1990s and how influential some national level policies might have been for the European level. Some new member states show recent shifts towards more neoliberal development models arguing for more competitiveness through metropolization. We propose that this interrelates to a general shift towards the paradigm of a regional policy based on growth potentials and competitiveness across the EU. While the cohesion objective is nevertheless maintained, there seems to be a widespread consensus among policy-makers in Europe that to a certain extent the metropolitan paradigm is a logical and unavoidable result of economic transformation and globalization and is needed to achieve overall competitiveness.

The Emerging Innovation Ecosystems and "Valley of Death": Towards the Combination of Entrepreneurial and Institutional Approaches

This paper provides the discussion regarding the nature, origins and diversity of innovation ecosystems with particular emphasis on the context of the emerging economies and “smart specialisation” paradigm of regional development. Bridging the research economy and commercial economy (“Valley of Death”) remains one of the key concerns of the mature, institutionalised innovation ecosystems. However, many of the emerging innovation ecosystems still suffer from underdeveloped institutional frameworks and fragmented ties of actors, which is a more pronounced challenge than “Valley of Death”. It is important to take into consideration the specific needs of different innovation ecosystems in the context of the current EU innovation and regional policies (recently synergised under “smart specialization”). The development of sustainable innovation ecosystem requires a different mentality than the traditional institutional-regulatory approach adopted in the context of national innovation systems. It means the search for delicate balance between the supply-side and demand-side interventions, public and private, openness and ownership, long-term and short-term perspectives, quality of elements and their relationships, adequate policy actions and smooth functioning of the “invisible hand”. The emerging innovation ecosystems need to complement their entrepreneurial profiles with stronger institutional frameworks and innovation support mechanisms, whereas the mature institutionalised innovation ecosystems should not over-rely on institutional, supply-side solutions, but strengthen the entrepreneurial culture that is even more critical to innovation success. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ee.27.4.14403

The Concept for the Development of a Functional Area Illustrated by the Case of the Functional Area of the Oder Communes

Abstract The aim of this article is to present the essence of a functional area as a new tool of the EU regional policy and the course of designing an integrated approach to the development of the functional area. The study is a case study and relates to the methodical process of creating a development concept for the Functional Area of Oder Communes (FAOC). This article is based on the analysis of the domestic and foreign literature on regional development and own experiences and reflections of authors resulting from the work in the team for the development of a strategy for this area. The analysis of domestic and foreign literature allowed for presenting a new paradigm of the local development. The current approach is characterized by a focus on the use of endogenous potentials and territorial targeting of the development, which promotes the creation of functional and spatial structures such as functional areas. Their development requires integrated development planning that provides benefits both in the social and economic dimension. The study presents the new paradigm of the local development in the context of the National Spatial Development Concept 2030. The study presents the theoretical and practical basis for creating a concept for integrated development of a functional area.

THE CAUCASIAN DIMENSION OF THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP IN 2009-2016

The paper gives an in-depth analysis of the evolution of the EU policy towards the South Caucasus within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. It is amply demonstrated that in 2009-2016 the goal was a Europeanization as a creation of a favorable external environment for the European Union through a sweeping judiciary, economic and political transformation in the region carried out according to the European standards. Among the key objectives of the European Union policy is the maintenance of energy security by means of creating an alternative transport corridor for fossil fuels. The study underscores that the implementation of the Eastern Partnership in 2009-2013 revealed significant discrepancies in the speed and degree of Europeanization in the South Caucasus countries due to their socio-economic peculiarities. Such uneven transformation reflects the long-standing search for an optimum way of cooperation with the European Union. This complex multi-aspect and long-term process constitutes an integral part of the effort to grasp new national and regional identities made by post-Soviet states. The paper thoroughly analyses the distinctive features of the new EU foreign policy strategy characterized by a differentiated approach to each country. Instead of the former irreciprocal statement of prerequisites for cooperation, such an approach paves the way for meaningful bilateral dialogue between the partners and furthers integration just to the extent they are ready for. Yet, it is shown that this strategy preserved the faults of the former EU regional policy towards the post-Soviet space. They include inconsistency, vague objectives, and emphasis on the geopolitical confrontation with Russia. However, in order to promote the stable development of the region, the EU needs to rethink its foreign policy strategy and come up with a modernized framework of cooperation that would take into account the interests of all concerned parties, including the Russian Federation.

Institutionalizing (cross-border) citizenship on subnational level – The European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) as new administrative space for participatory and functional governance in Europe

Cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation of subnational entities within the European Union have been strengthened politically, legally and financially by the EU and the Council of Europe. Nearly every border region in the EU participates in some form of cooperation structure across borders – mainly due to financial support by the EU joint initiative INTERREG. In general, these Europeanization effects of regional administrative integration have been described by scholars using neofunctionalist (multilevel governance) and intergovernmentalist approaches highlighting the cooperation rationale of cross-border actors.The aim of the research project is to go a step ahead following a conceptual shift towards a normative - participatory approach of (cross-border) regional integration. On the basis of the EU legal instrument European Grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC), processes of re-scaling, re-territorialization and paradiplomacy in a “Europe of the territories” will be analyzed with regard to inclusiveness and modes of subnational participatory governance.In general, policy-making and strategic development of the EU regional policy, particularly the European Territorial Cooperation (ETC) are products of a successive bargaining and functional technocratic regulation between the administrative elites within the EU multilevel (supranational, national, subnational) polity excluding the local community. The aim of the research project is thus to elaborate forms and channels of transborder participatory governance in EU transnational spaces and to examine pre-conditions for the establishment of an increased inclusion of a cross-border citizenship. Moreover, it focuses on the problems and obstacles of the institutionalization of deliberative and participatory mechanisms of a subnational citizenship in a postnational multilevel arena. Finally, the research - that is based on a case study of the EGTC Galicia-Norte de Portugal - analyzes to what extent the EGTC foster both the consolidation of cross-border cooperation and institutionalization of transnational participation on a subnational level.

SPATIAL DISCONTINUITY FOR THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF THE EU REGIONAL POLICY: THE CASE OF ITALIAN OBJECTIVE 1 REGIONS*

ABSTRACTThe economic impact of the Regional Policy of the European Union is still controversial. This paper exploits administrative boundaries as spatial discontinuity to estimate the causal effect of this policy on the Italian Objective 1 regions’ employment. The analysis, developed both in a border strategy framework (municipalities contiguous to the policy‐change boundary) and with more traditional RDD models balanced by spatial forcing variables (centroids’ distance and coordinates), shows that the EU Regional Policy produced a positive impact on employment levels, without any displacement of economic activities away from nontreated regions and a concentration of the impact in key economic sectors.

The techno-finance fix: A critical analysis of international and regional environmental policy documents and their implications for planning

This article is concerned with the interaction of international, regional and national policy on climate change and sustainability, and the implications of these policy dimensions for planning. With the scientific consensus pointing to unequivocal human influence on the ecosystem, the issue of how best to manage climate change and ecological sustainability is arguably now a matter for economic, political, policy and planning domains. However, despite the warnings of scientists that ‘business as usual’ economic accumulation is no longer an option, this analysis of international and regional policy suggests that in the main, solutions are proffered that merely shift forms of capital accumulation and enforce ‘business as usual’, rather than providing transformative trajectories to plan for climate change adaptation and mitigation.This article traces key documents from an international level including United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, to EU regional policy, and sectoral policy at a sample national level. This is with a view to providing a theoretical backdrop, and a summary of selected relevant documentation that planners may be required to consider with respect to climate change issues. This article may therefore be considered in part, as a ‘map’ of the policy landscape for planners, highlighting the policy tensions and the conflicts that exist between international, regional and national levels of policymaking. These tensions largely lie between the areas of economic and ecological stability, and usually fail to reconcile contradictions between economic growth and protection of the ecosystem.The article introduces the concept of the ‘techno-finance fix’ to analyse and critique the dominant solutions to climate change. These solutions involve a dovetailing of a hope in emergent, new and not-yet-existing technologies, with a hope that the markets will fund the correct types of technological innovation deemed necessary to mitigate climate change. Therefore, the implications for planning involve an imperative to respond to climate change, and knowledge in the key aspects of climate change policy. However, the response at a planning level depends on which dominant narratives are being forwarded from the top down at a multi-layered policy level. This work therefore suggests that the ‘techno-finance fix’ is a dominant approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and that planning for climate change is thus informed by this dominant narrative, to the marginalising of alternative solutions, including those outside the market or technology.

MED Programme and transnational cooperation contributions to marine renewable energy in the Mediterranean area: What next?

The MED Programme is part of the EU Regional Policy and operates in the framework of the European Territorial Cooperation objective. In 2014, the MED Programme approved 14 thematic projects specifically targeted on maritime context with two of them addressing marine renewable energy and renewable energy in coastal areas: Bluene and Enercoast. These projects aim at contributing to the deployment of marine renewable energy technologies in the Mediterranean by gathering data, developing mapping activities, identifying policy gaps and addressing other obstacles hindering transnational cooperation potential. The objective of this article is to analyse the delivered results and outputs of these projects against the identified challenges and roadmap defined by the European Commission. Results were evaluated under a transferability and continuation approach applied to the period 2014–2020. This article also identifies and suggests ways in which transnational cooperation would enhance obtained results towards a higher implementation of marine renewable energy in the Mediterranean.

Boulevard of broken dreams. The end of EU funding (1997: Abruzzi, Italy)

EU regional policies aim to push regions into self-sustaining growth. Successful interventions would imply a higher growth rate, not only during the treatment (when the region benefits from the transfers), but also after the expiry of the program (when the financing terminates). We investigate to what extent this happened in the case of Italy's Abruzzi region, which entered into the Objective 1 (Convergence) program in 1989 and exited it in 1996 (without a transitional regime). More specifically we focus upon the post expiry period by implementing a synthetic control approach. Our results indicate that exiting the program had a negative effect on regional per-capita GDP growth. This result is a confirmation of the widespread evidence that during their implementation EU regional policies help boost the economic performance of the treated regions. However, additional evidence suggests that the permanent effect of the treatment is negligible: the policies fail to transfer the treated regions to a permanently higher GDP growth path.

Wykorzystanie funduszy Unii Europejskiej na inwestycje komunalne a ograniczanie zadłużenia samorządów

Integracja europejska w znaczącym stopniu zmieniła warunki funkcjonowania jednostek samorządu terytorialnego głównie za sprawą dostępności funduszy strukturalnych. Obecnie wiele podejmowanych przez gminy działań, szczególnie inwestycyjnych odbywa się przy udziale dofinansowania w ramach instrumentów polityki regionalnej UE. Pozyskane fundusze z jednej strony stanowią wsparcie dla lokalnych budżetów, z drugiej zaś powodują wzrost wydatków, które często finansowane są z kredytów. Celem artykułu jest identyfikacja relacji zachodzących pomiędzy zrealizowanymi przy wsparciu finansowym inwestycjami komunalnymi a nowo wprowadzonymi wskaźnikami zadłużenia. Polskie gminy cechowało duże zróżnicowanie poziomu wykorzystania funduszy UE. Nowe limity zadłużenia mogą ograniczać zdolności absorpcyjne samorządów w konsekwencji spłat odsetek od zaciąganych w przeszłości zobowiązań.

New Regional Structural Policy of Ukraine in Terms of EU Integration

The EU regional policy mechanisms and one of its components — regional structural policy implementation in Ukraine, based on the theory of modernization — are the subject of different scientific discussions. Using comparative analysis, conditions and factors which determine structural policies of the EU and Ukraine, were outlined. Certain risks (geo-economic, economic, energy, demographic) which are related to the structural deformation and can negatively affect Ukraine integration in the EU were identified. Mechanisms for regional structural policy were estimated and problems of their modernization in Ukraine were determined. The conclusion about the necessity of radical institutional solutions in Ukraine, including the development of selective programs of structural adjustment for regional economies was made in the article.

EU Structural Funds and Regional Income Convergence A Sobering Experience

The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) are the prime instrument of EU regional policy. European policy makers place considerable hope into their growth stimulating funding measures to overcome current economic stagnation. Consequently, there is a strong need for credible evidence regarding the programs' effectiveness. Based on an empirical identification strategy linked to modern growth theory, we find that the disbursement of EU structural funds is negatively correlated with regional growth. Incorporating spatial dynamics and decomposing this correlation into a direct and a spatially-indirect component, it is particularly the latter which determines this sobering finding. Regarding the economics behind these results, the obtained negative spatial effect may reflect the role played by policy-induced spatial competition among neighboring regions. It could also highlight the backwardness in technological endowment and economic structures of highly funded regions. In any case, EU structural funding does not seem to contribute effectively to foster income convergence across regions.

The system of factors affecting the intensity of Lithuanian-Polish cooperation

The paper analyses factors and conditions which determine the level of cooperation between Lithuania and Poland and which,according to their effect,are divided into driving forces and ob­ stacles. The maindriving forces are associated with the Euro-Atlantic: objectives of both countries that affect the developmental trends and with the EU membership. They include different bi­ lateral and multilateral agreements, participation in the institutions operating within the Baltic: Sea macro-region,and in the pursued strategies,as wellas the possibilities to benefit from the EU regional policy instruments. The obstacles for cooperation are associated with specific peculiari­ ties of economic development of both countries.They cover the peripheral nature of Lithuanian economy as well as the inequality of economic potential of both countries.Inaddition,the emo­ tional charge, hindering the realization of the idea of strategic: partnership,is also considered as an obstacle for further development of the discussed cooperation.

The Evolution of EU Regional Policy and its Funding

Abstract Regional policy in the European Union becomes more and more important every year, especially in the last few years. As the experiences of the European Union show, structural programs or other forms of support are most effective when realized in the regions, for the regions and through the regions. The role and position of the regions in the EU strengthens every year. In the following years, regions will work and participate in the EU budget even more intensively. Therefore, there will be more and more programs and grants to be realized in the regions and through the regions.

Smart specialisation, entrepreneurship and SMEs: issues and challenges for a results-oriented EU regional policy

This paper discusses the ways that European regional policy has been re-shaped in order to build on the role played by entrepreneurship in driving regional innovation. The various lines of re-thinking which have helped to reform the policy draw heavily on modern theories of entrepreneurship and innovation, and these insights have contributed significantly to many of the elements of new policy logic and framework. Yet, these ideas also derive both from worldwide, rather than EU-specific insights, and also from a wide range of academic fields. Setting the EU agenda within the broader global context is therefore also important in order to help identify both the commonalities and differences between policy approaches in different types of places.