ABSTRACT
The Single European Act is best known for its commitment to the completion of the internal market. But the prospect of such an internal market led to fears among the poorer regions, located mainly on the western and southern fringes of the Community, that it would lead to a greater concentration of wealth in the Community’s core economies, the so-called ‘golden triangle’. In response to these fears the Single European Act included an article on social and economic cohesion:
In order to promote its overall harmonious development the Community shall develop and pursue its actions leading to the strengthening of its economic and social cohesion. In particular, the Community shall aim at reducing disparities between the various regions and backwardness of least-favoured regions’. 1 (EC Commission 1986, p. 13)
