195 research outputs found
Cohesion policy in the southern periphery
No full textThis chapter discusses the implementation of Cohesion policy in the southern member states (MSs) of the European Union: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain. Together these countries account for more than a quarter of the European population (25.63 per cent) and almost 22 per cent of the EU28 aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) (2014 data). They are rather diverse in terms of the territorial development challenges faced, regional policy traditions and institutional set-up. Malta and Cyprus, which joined the European Union (EU) in 2004, are small island economies with marginal regional disparities. The main goal of Cohesion policy in these countries has been to assist national growth. Greece and Portugal, with their circa 10 million inhabitants each, face challenges of territorial balance, related predominantly to the polarisation of development in the capital regions and along the Attika–Thessaloniki (in Greece) and coastland–inland (in Portugal) axes. However, rather than overcoming regional disparities, the primary concern of economic and regional policies in these countries has also been the desire to enhance national growth. Italy and Spain, on the other hand, are large states with historically rooted regional imbalances. The main focus of Cohesion policy here has been the development of lagging regions
Italy at 150 : still a divided society - has the italian state given up on the Mezzogiorno?
No full textAs Italy celebrates 150 years of life as a unified State, it remains a divided country. Notwithstanding decades of explicit regional policies and the constitutional commitment that all Italian citizens have equal rights, access to essential services and minimum living standards irrespective of where they live, not just the North-South divide remains sizeable but its overcome may be challenged even further by recent political, institutional and economic developments. The present paper focuses on the most recent phase of Italian regional development policy - known as the nuova programmazione - and shows that a primary factor in determining the disappointing performance of Italian regional policy in this phase has been a lack of political commitment. It will also demonstrate that, beyond the rhetoric on the importance of the Mezzogiorno, in reality the goal of the development and catching up of this area is not a primary aim of the current Government’s agenda
Institutional and Administrative Capacity Building, PA Reform and Public Sector Digitalisation: The Unique Experience of the Italian TO11-TO2 Steering Committee
No full textThe Italian 2014-2020 Partnership Agreement stipulated the institution of a Steering Committee for the coordination and monitoring of the interventions under Thematic Objectives (TO) 11 (Strengthening Administrative Capacity) and 2 (Digital Growth) implemented in all Italian Regional and National ERDF and ESF Operational Programmes (OPs). The aim of the Committee is to promote the integration and synergy between the interventions implemented under these TOs and between different OPs, to prevent overlaps and fragmentation, and to ensure the most effective deployment of resources. The Committee was formally established at the beginning of 2015. Since 2016 it has implemented a monitoring activity aimed at developing a comprehensive picture of the state of TO11 and TO2 interventions. This article summarises the main findings of the Committee’s last monitoring report, which was published in May 2018. The TO11-TO2 Steering Committee is a unique experience across Europe and its monitoring activity has shed new light on the strengths and weaknesses in implementing TO11 and TO2, and highlighted a number of lessons whose validity arguably spans beyond Italy’s borders. They include, amongst others, the need for improved strategic framing for TO11 interventions, in order to make them more structural, systematic and long-term; the importance of deploying TO2 in a way that goes beyond updating already existing technological solutions, and the need to strengthen the synergies between TOs, funds and programmes beyond the strategic level
Financial Accountability and European Union Cohesion Policy
No full textDavies S. and Polverari L. Financial accountability and European Union Cohesion policy, Regional Studies. Many changes in European Union Cohesion policy since the late 1990s have been driven by the need to ensure and demonstrate financial accountability. This paper examines how the increased emphasis on financial management, control and audit in relation to the European Union budget is reshaping the governance of Cohesion policy, as well as the instruments of financial accountability. It also assesses the effects of these new instruments on financial flows and considers how these changes are perceived by policy-makers. Lastly, it explores the difficulties of assessing the impact of administrative changes on financial accountability in Cohesion policy. [image omitted] Davies S. et Polverari L. La responsabilite financiere et la politique de l'Union europeenne en faveur de la cohesion, Regional Studies. Depuis la fin des annees 90, les nombreuses modifications a la politique de l'Union europeenne en faveur de la cohesion ont ete conduites par la necessite d'assurer et de faire preuve de la responsabilite financiere. Cet article cherche a examiner comment l'accent mis de plus en plus sur les notions de gestion, de controle et d'audit financiers par rapport au budget de l'Union europeenne finit par remodeler la gouvernance de la politique en faveur de la cohesion, ainsi que les outils de responsabilite financiere. On evalue aussi l'impact de ces nouveaux outils sur les flux financiers et considere comment ces modifications sont appeciees par le decideurs. Pour conclure, on examine les difficultes d'evaluer l'impact des changements adminsitratifs sur la responsabilite financiere pour ce qui est de la politique en faveur de la cohesion. Responsabilite Gestion financiere Audit Politique en faveur de la cohesion Fonds structurels Davies S. und Polverari L. Finanzielle Rechenschaft und Kohasionspolitik der Europaischen Union, Regional Studies. Viele Veranderungen in der Kohasionspolitik der Europaischen Union seit dem Ende der neunziger Jahre gehen auf das Bedurfnis zuruck, eine finanzielle Rechenschaft sicherzustellen und nachzuweisen. In diesem Beitrag wird untersucht, wie die verstarkte Betonung der finanziellen Verwaltung, Kontrolle und Prufung im Zusammenhang mit dem Etat der Europaischen Union die Umsetzung der Kohasionspolitik sowie die Instrumente der finanziellen Rechenschaft umgestaltet. Ebenso werden die Auswirkungen dieser neuen Instrumente auf die Finanzstrome erortert, und es wird untersucht, wie diese Veranderungen von den Politikern beurteilt werden. Schliesslich werden die Schwierigkeiten bei einer Beurteilung der Auswirkung der administrativen Veranderungen auf die finanzielle Rechenschaft in der Kohasionspolitik erortert. Rechenschaft Finanzverwaltung Prufung Kohasionspolitik Strukturfonds Davies S. y Polverari L. Responsabilidad financiera y la politica de cohesion de la Union Europea, Regional Studies. Muchos de los cambios en la politica de cohesion de la Union Europea desde finales de los noventa han estado impulsados por la necesidad de asegurar y demostrar la responsabilidad financiera. En este articulo examinamos como el creciente enfasis en la gestion, el control y la auditoria financieros con relacion al presupuesto de la Union Europea esta reorganizando la gobernanza de la politica de cohesion, asi como los instrumentos de la responsabilidad financiera. Tambien evaluamos los efectos de estos nuevos instrumentos en los flujos financieros y consideramos como los responsables politicos perciben estos cambios. Por ultimo, analizamos las dificultades de valorar el impacto de los cambios administrativos en la responsabilidad financiera de la politica de cohesion. Responsabilidad Gestion financiera Auditoria Politica de cohesion Fondos estructuralesAccountability, Financial management, Audit, Cohesion policy, Structural Funds,
La capacità amministrativa: letteratura, criticità e un’agenda di ricerca a servizio del policymaking
No full textDevolution and the governance of cohesion policy: reflections on changes in accountability
No full textEuropean cohesion policy has undergone substancial changes in all EU member states over the past three decades and a new, devolved governance has become a key feature of this policy. This paper presents the preliminary conclusions of an ongoing research on the changing accountability of European Cohesion Policy in Italy and Scotland
The contribution of European Structural Funds to territorial cohesion
No full textEuropean regional and cohesion policy is a territorially discriminating policy: it operates in selected areas only. Its main aims, however, have traditionally been to support economic and social development in lagging regions or regions affected by specific challenges. In other words, whilst being discriminating territorially, European regional policy - as defined in Article 2 of the EU Treaty (former Article B), and Article 2 and 158 of the EC Treaty - is essentially a policy for economic and social development
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