Daniel Tarschys

Reinventing Cohersion. The Future of European Structural Policy

PREFACE

Sieps, the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies, conducts and promotes research, evaluations, analyses and studies of European policy issues, with a focus primarily in the areas of political science, law and economics. One of the missions of the Institute is to act as a bridge between academics and policymakers. Furthermore, in a broader sense, the Institute hopes to contribute to increased interest in current issues in European integration as well as increased debate on the future of Europe.

The author of this report, professor Daniel Tarschys, holds a chair in political science at Stockholm University. Previously he was Secretary-General of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg and before that Member of the Swedish Parliament, where he chaired the Standing Committee on Social Affairs and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs. In 1978-79, he was State Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office.

This report is the first of several concerning the European Structural Policy in the future. By issuing this report we hope to make a contribution to the European discussion on the necessity of reforms and point towards a range of possible options for the future.

Stockholm September 2003
Mats Hellström
Chairman of Sieps

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 6

1 AVERTING THE CRISIS OF 2006 9

2 THE POLITICAL ARCHAEOLOGY OF STRUCTURAL POLICY 19

3 STRUCTURAL POLICY AND CONVERGENCE 32
3.1 Mind the size of the gaps 35
3.2 Are the gaps narrowing? 40
3.3 Different factors behind convergence 41
3.4 Structural Policy as an engine of convergence 48
3.5 Conclusion 53

4 STRUCTURAL POLICY AND COHESION 55
4.1 Cohesion and the nation state 56
4.2 Cohesion and the European Union 67

5 STRUCTURAL POLICY AND ALL THE OTHER OBJECTIVES 76

6 GOAL CONGESTION AND THE CHALLENGE OF 2006 82
6.1 The problem of goal congestion 85
6.2 Three options for 2006 88
6.3 A new policy for cohesion 91

REFERENCES 96