Villaverde José

Regional Disparities in the EU (2011:4)

The aim of reducing regional disparities in the European Union is enshrined in the EU Treaty. An important aspect that takes centre stage in discussions on the EU’s so-called cohesion policy is the ranking of the Union’s many regions in terms of their levels of prosperity. This ranking largely determines whether and by how much a region will be supported from the general budget. Crucially, regional prosperity and the ranking as such depend largely on how we measure disparities and development.