ABSTRACT
In the previous parts of this book we have gone into the different stages of the policy cycle. We have started by analysing in the first stage the cohesion problems of the EU, detailing its economic, social and territorial dimensions. Next we have turned our attention to the intricacies of the policy that the EU pursues to improve cohesion. We have described in detail the various stages of the policy. We have gone successively into the design of its intervention system, and into the definition of its objectives and the provision of financial and regulatory means. We have continued our trajectory through the cycle by evaluating the effectiveness of the policy and by checking its consistency with other policies. Coming now to the close of the cycle we have to draw some lessons from this wealth of analyses and to suggest some improvements for the future.
