Regional policy
The EU may be one of the richest parts of the world, but there are large differences in prosperity levels both between countries and inside individual countries. The wealthiest country, Luxembourg, is more than seven times richer than Romania and Bulgaria, the poorest and newest EU members.
However, the dynamic effects of EU membership, coupled with a vigorous and targeted investment policy, can bring results.
Solidarity and cohesion
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Regional fund spending by activity EU
EU regional policy aims to:
help each region achieve its full potential
improve competitiveness and employment by investing at regional level in areas of high growth potential, with an added value for the EU as a whole
bring living standards in the countries that have joined the EU since 2004 up to the EU average as quickly as possible.
The causes of inequality
Regional inequalities can be due to many factors, including:
longstanding handicaps imposed by geographic remoteness or sparse population
more recent social and economic change
the legacy of formerly centrally-planned economic systems
combinations of these and other things.
The impact of these disadvantages is frequently evident in:
social deprivation
poor-quality schools
higher levels of unemployment
inadequate infrastructure.
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Romanians benefiting from regional funding DG REGIO
Regional policy is about investing in people.
