ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters we dealt with the first stage of the policy cycle. We found that the socio-economic system of the European Union (EU) can lead to considerable cohesion problems. Large wealth disparities are often considered as morally unjust and economically inefficient. So a policy is needed to counteract negative tendencies and ensure that a better distribution of wealth is realized. Moreover, we analysed in Chapter 3 the main dimensions of the growth problem in the light of the overarching strategic objectives of the EU. We concluded that a combined policy effort is needed to cope both with cohesion and with more general development issues, taking account of the very high spatial diversity that characterizes the European Union.
