ABSTRACT
In the last few years, problems of regional variation have shifted from simply being the concern of individual governments to occupy a point in the forefront of the international political arena, as the staff of the European Commission have attempted to define regional expressions of economic and social inequality in an objective fashion, to examine critically national policies for regional aid, and then devise, finance and implement a Common Regional Policy for the nine member nations of the European Economic Community (E.E.C). Their attempts will be outlined in the following paragraphs by way of introduction to regional inequalities in a Community of 259,800,000 inhabitants. Neighbouring West European countries outside the E.E.C. continue to refine and implement their domestic policies for tackling regional problems.
