Cities and regional disparities in the European Union: evolving geographies and challenges for Cohesion Policy

ABSTRACT

Since the nineties, urban areas have assumed a growing importance in EU Cohesion Policy. This process, which is being implemented through various political steps and policy instruments, has led cities to be recognised as key elements in the promotion of balanced development. After decades of planning experiments at different territorial scales, however, the extent to which EU urban policy has contributed to regional development is currently under debate. This paper seeks to describe the evolution of the urban dimension within EU Cohesion Policy, with a focus on the role of cities in those countries and regions experiencing development problems.

KEYWORDS:

• EU urban policy
• European cities
• Cohesion policy
• less developed regions
• Europeanisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Since 1988 the eligibility of ‘lagging regions’ has been based on regions having an average GDP per head of less than 75% of the Community average. From 1989 to 2006 these regions were designated as ‘Objective 1 Regions’, while in the period 2007–2013 the term was changed to ‘Convergence Regions’. Since the Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, ‘lagging regions’ are designated as ‘Less Developed Regions’, a definition adopted both in the 2014–2020 and 2021–2027 programming cycles.

2. These principles were firstly tested within the integrated Mediterranean programmes (IMPs), an experimental initiative started in 1986 by the European Commission to assist 29 regions with problems of development in France, Italy, and Greece. IMPs inaugurated the so-called ‘Cohesion policy method’, consisting of the commitment for regions to prepare an explicit integrated strategy, to be implemented through the combination of a wide range of actions, to trigger endogenous and sustainable local development (Leonardi 2005).

3. A list of the official documents that have fostered the emergence of an urban dimension within Cohesion Policy can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/policy/themes/urban-development/agenda/urban-agenda-documents.pdf (Accessed 30 March 2021).

4. The Urban Pilot Projects, under article 10 of the ERDF Regulation, led to the implementation of 33 action plans in the period 1990–1993 and 26 action plans in the 1994–1999 period. The Urban Community Initiative was funded by the ERDF both in the 1994–1999 programming cycle, when 118 action plans were implemented, and in the 2000–2006 period, when 70 projects were supported across Europe (Carpenter 2006).

5. The EU Urban Agenda, signed on 30 June 2016 after the informal meeting of the EU Ministers responsible for urban matters, addresses 12 thematic priorities to be focused on by future urban policies. They include: jobs and skills in the local economy; urban poverty; housing; inclusion of migrants and refugees; sustainable land use; the circular economy; climate adaptation; energy transition; urban mobility; air quality; digital transition; and innovative and responsible public procurement. Two additional priorities were subsequently added: focusing on security in public spaces and cultural heritage.