Achievements of Europe's regional policy 2004-2009 - Et2050.eu

2004-2009 Report
• Recent work by the OECD has demonstrates that opportunities for growth exist in all
types of regions and whether growth takes place or not crucially depends on how well
regions mobilise their assets. Public intervention may often be necessary to ensure that
regional economies can exploit their assets and opportunities in an efficient manner.
Fostering regional development therefore requires an integrated, geographical or
"place-based" approach. Since factors of growth are highly interdependent, their
individual contribution is severely diminished without proper coordination.
• Finally, DG Regional Policy has launched a broad range of studies covering issues as
varied as the administrative costs of regional policy, sustainable development, and
globalisation. It commissioned an independent report from an Italian expert,
Fabrizio Barca, focusing on the rationale and delivery of the policy. The findings of
the report, based on a series of hearings with senior regional policy experts from
across the EU, were presented in April 2009.
• The Barca report confirms that the reforms to regional policy over recent years have
been in the right direction, but challenges the Commission and the other institutions to
go further. It calls for an even greater focus on a limited number of narrowly-defined
core priorities and for a greater performance orientation, meaning a stronger emphasis
in the contractual relations with the Member States on achieving measurable outcomes
and results. The report stresses the need to reinforce the strategic dimension of the
policy by strengthening the role of the Commission and by introducing a high-level
political peer review mechanism for debating and reporting on policy outcomes.
All these elements constitute major building blocks for the further development of regional
policy and will feed into the Fifth Cohesion Report which is due for publication in autumn
2010.
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