ABSTRACT
Since the mid-1980s the main objective of European regional policy has been to support regions whose level of development is lagging behind that of more dynamic regions. For the latter, setting up the Single European Market may be a source of new opportunities and resources. Despite a common terminology (economic and social cohesion) and identical administrative and financial instruments (the Structural Funds) the implementation of European regional policy varies greatly from one Member State to another. One reason is that it is not possible to take the same approach when the Funds represent two, three or even four per cent of GDP to that when they are only a small complement to national policies and interventions.
