ABSTRACT
Within the European Community (EC), there is a new enthusiasm for active regional governments. The Commission has a vision of a ‘Europe of the Regions’ in which there would be a reasonably homogeneous regional structure across Europe. This view has been strengthened by the increasing acceptance of the principle of subsidiarity which now informs much of the debate about the allocation of functions between the different levels of government within the EC. While this concept is open to various interpretations, there appears to be a common assumption that certain functions will be guaranteed to subsidiary levels of government, including regional authorities (Adonis and Tyrie 1991, Spicker 1991). What is not clear from the concept of subsidiarity is what those functions should be.
