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Territorial Development Strategies and EU Cohesion Policy journal article

Evidence from the Portuguese Case (1989-2013)

Eduardo Medeiros

European Structural and Investment Funds Journal, Volume 6 (2018), Issue 1, Page 68 - 85

This paper addresses EU Cohesion Policy and its contribution to supporting territorial development strategies in Portugal in the last couple of decades. Based on the identification of the main drivers of territorial development, and on the use of a wide range of data, it shows the positive and the negative effects of EU Structural and Cohesion Funds in supporting national and regional development. In sum, it concludes that these effects were more on the positive side, and contributed to promoting territorial development trends in all Portuguese regions. Nevertheless, the lack of a strategic territorial development vision from the national authorities prevented a more effective and efficient use of available EU cohesion, structural and investment funds. At the same time, the ultimate goal of territorial cohesion was not achieved at national level, and the approximation to EU averages in most territorial development indicators is still a far cry from the reality.


Placing European Territorial Cooperation Post-2020 at the Heart of EU Cohesion Policy journal article

Eduardo Medeiros

European Structural and Investment Funds Journal, Volume 5 (2017), Issue 3, Page 245 - 262

In 2007, European Territorial Cooperation became one of the major goals of EU Cohesion Policy, building on the successful experiences from the INTERREG Community Initiative in supporting cross-border, transnational, and interregional cooperation processes across the EU territory since 1989. Yet, financially, this goal has never received more than 3 % of the total budget of EU Cohesion Policy. This article discusses the crucial role of European Territorial Cooperation for implementing the goals of EU Cohesion Policy, and debates several arguments suggesting its future (re)positioned at the heart of Cohesion Policy. More pointedly, the article sets out several advantages in adopting a transnational approach to the development of the EU territory, by exploiting transnational potentials, and tackling transnational needs in all domains of territorial development. Furthermore, we highlight the need to place the goals of reducing persistent barriers and implementing cross-border planning strategies at the core of cross-border cooperation programmes. Finally, it is concluded that there is a need to shift the ongoing ‘nationally driven EU Cohesion Policy’ design and implementation rationale into a ‘transnational driven’ rationale, and thus places European Territorial Cooperation at the heart EU policy making.

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