ABSTRACT
Until the mid-1970s the national states were the major actors of the European integration process. One crucial document for the overall planning of the European territory is the European Spatial Development Perspective document agreed to in May 1999. The document clearly specifies that it wants to achieve: Economic and Social Cohesion; Sustainable Development; and Balanced Competitiveness in the European Union. This means that regions will remain an important group of actors within this partial regime of territorial multilevel governance. The chapter discusses the main aspects of the governance system and the thrust coming from the European Union towards social and economic territorial politics. It analyzes the impact of these structural funds on the regional governance systems of the member-states. The chapter deals with the emergence of regional mobilization and lobbying at the supranational level, the work of the Committee of the Regions and Local Authorities after a decade.
