ABSTRACT
Community regional policy aims at reducing regional disparities in economic and social development in the European Union (EU), by providing financial aid in the form of Structural Funds (SF). This chapter describes the level of implementation of the integrated product policy (IPP) in the south of Italy, with particular reference to the aforementioned IPP tools. It analyses the National Operational Programmes (NOPs) and Regional Operational Programmes (ROPs). The NOP 'Scientific and technological research' is the master financial tool boosting research and development in the Mezzogiorno. It provides 42,038 million, 4.3% of Community Support Framework (CSF) resources. EAs have been actively working towards the integration of the environmental dimension into economic and industrial policies. The chapter suggests that three conditions under which the SF process in the Mezzogiorno would become more and more consistent with the IPP requirements. These are effective Monitoring Committees in renewing inputs, full implementation of CSF provisions and EAs' participation in the monitoring and implementation stages.
