ABSTRACT
In the previous chapters we have identified the problems, set the objectives and decided on the resources to be devoted to the various objectives of the EU cohesion and growth policy. In this chapter we turn attention to the regulatory instruments for the effective implementation of these policies. Regulatory instruments either forbid actions of private and public actors that may have a negative effect on policy objectives or prescribe actions that may enhance the realization of such objectives. They are necessary because over the past decades the EU has seen that it needs to use this rather constraining instrument in order to be effective; it cannot just rely on a combination of financial support (Chapter 5) and the coordination of policies (Chapter 7).
