Rees, Nicholas. (1997) "Post-modern Europe and inter-regional cooperation in the European Union". In: UNSPECIFIED, Seattle, WA. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Regions, cities, local authorities and community groups are being encouraged by Brussels to participate in the policy process. Thus, top-down development, dominant in post-war Europe and led by national governments, is being challenged and confronted by bottom-up initiatives that involve local actors in partnerships which stretch across the borders of Europe and which are supported by EU programmes. This paper looks at what has been happening to the European polity and examines the ways in which the EU has promoted and fostered interregional cooperation in this new policy environment, examines the impact of such cooperation on development and considers what the future may hold for interregional cooperation. This paper is organised around six sections, the first examines the changing nature of the European policy, the regions and the role of the EU in regional policy. The second and third sections look at the European Commission and the development of interregional cooperation under Article 10. The paper then considers the impact of Article 10 from the perspectives of the Commission and from that of the local and regional actors, while the penultimate section examines the changes being implemented during the 1995-1999 round of funding. The conclusion returns to consider the questions posed at the outset of the paper and considers what answers have been offered.
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