The Regional Policy of the European Union is one of the most important initiatives towards deeper European integration, as its main objective is economic convergence.

Despite the fact that all member states have received significant funds for their regional development, intense phenomena of regional economic divergence are still observed even in the member states of the European Union of 15. This fact inevitably jeopardizes the balance of the Union and hinders efforts for socio-economic cohesion.

This book critically examines the existing regional economic divergence within the European Union, in conjunction with the new expansion. The aim is to draw conclusions regarding the design of Regional Policy after 2013, always with the main goal of cohesion, within the framework of an already enlarged Union.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]