ABSTRACT
The purpose of the Structural Funds is to promote economic and social cohesion within the European Union – that is to reduce regional disparities within and between the Member States. Successive enlargements and the integration process itself have raised the priority of this objective. The development of the Structural Funds must be considered in the context of the expanding scope of European Community policy making and constitution building, and the changing dynamics of the relationship between the European institutions and the Member States. The notion of ‘Europe of the Regions’ has been widely promoted and debated. The trend towards regionalism complements other trends such as globalisation, cultural homogenisation, the emergence of the fledgling democracies in Central and Eastern Europe and the accelerated pace of the integration process in Europe.
