Policy Paper
Policy paper represents a concise summary on the issue of EU regional policies to enhance long-term regional and local development. It provides a) detailed explanation on this particular issue; b) the summary of public debates and research activities; c) an outline of the policy options and d) recommendations. Policy paper is aimed at EU level policymakers, but will also be made available to the national, regional and local level policymakers and relevant stakeholders and others who are interested in formulating or influencing EU regional policies.
EU Regional Policies and their Impact on Local Development
Regional policy is the EU’s main investment policy and is aimed at all regions and cities in the European Union to promote job creation, business competitiveness, economic growth and sustainable development and to improve the quality of life of citizens. Every day, new projects are adopted under specific programmes aimed at making regions and municipalities better places to live and work. EU regional policy is therefore the main mechanism for local and regional development, which generally refers to the transformation and change of a locality, usually with a view to improving one or all of the following aspects: material and social welfare, economic performance, well-being and opportunities for residents, knowledge and dissemination of ideas, availability of technologies, resilience to shocks and adverse events, external relations, internal stability and co-operation or social and environmental sustainability. Local and regional development should therefore be holistic, progressive, sustainable and customised. The EU should adopt a bottom-up approach, where EU regional policy should serve as a strong support mechanism that allows localities and regions to thrive and flourish in their own way.
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Keywords: regional policy; local and regional development; mechanism; sustainability; EU.