Cohesion Policy and European Integration: Building Multi-Level Governance

TLDR

EU cohesion policy, now one‑third of the EU budget, historically involved minimal conditions but has become a central puzzle for European governance. The book investigates whether EU cohesion policy erodes national sovereignty, explores policy dynamics, and explains persistent variation in decision making and implementation. Since the 1988 reform, national governments negotiate with the Commission and regional authorities on how to use the funds, and the study uses eight country case studies comparing pre‑ and post‑reform policy making. The case studies reveal that uniform EU policy has altered territorial relations, with varying effects across countries.

Abstract

How can one convince potent nation-states to put their sovereignty at risk in common European policies? EU cohesion policy, now one-third of the EU budget, provides such a puzzle. Until 1988 the European Commission shared out money to national governments with few strings attached. Since the reform of 1988, national governments are required to negotiate with the Commission and regional authorities on how to use the money. Has this European-wide policy eroded national sovereignty in favour of a stronger role for the Commission and more power for Europe's regions? The first part of this book probes into the policy dynamics at the European level. In the second part, eight country studies evaluate the impact of uniform EU policy on territorial relations by comparing policy making before and after reform. The concluding section explains persistent variation in EU cohesion decision making and implementation.