Abstract
‘Macro-regions’ are an established concept in economic and political geography, as well as in spatial planning (Smith et al., 2002; Pain and van Hamme, 2014). As such, they are widely applied in a range of contexts. However, following the adoption of EU macro-regional strategies for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR), the Danube Region (EUSDR) and the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), as well as an agreement in the European Council for a strategy to be developed for the Alpine Region (EUSALP), the concept of macro-regions has gained increased prominence in contemporary policy practice and debates. Under EU Cohesion Policy, a ‘macro-regional strategy’ is defined as ‘an integrated framework endorsed by the European Council, which may be supported by the European Structural and Investment Funds among others, to address common challenges faced by a defined geographical area relating to Member States and third countries located in the same geographical area which thereby benefit from strengthened cooperation contributing to achievement of economic, social and territorial cohesion’ (CEC DG Regio, 2014). In theory, EU macro-regional strategies are a new multilevel governance instrument providing an opportunity for new thinking about territorial spaces, the opportunities and challenges in these spaces and new thinking on forms of intervention.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Agerpress (2014) Financing Danube Strategy in 2014–20 is discussed in Bucharest, available online: http://bern.mae.ro/en/romania-news/2978 (accessed 21 November 2014).
Antola, E. (2010) Baltic Sea Strategy: A Pilot Project for Macro-regionalisation in the EU, London Office, London: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
Baltic Sea Region Programme (2014) Cooperation Programme Baltic Sea Region Programme 2014–2020, Final version as of 21 May 2014.
Bengtsson, R. (2009) An EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea: Good Intensions Meet Complex Challenges, SIEPS European Policy Analysis, Issue 9, Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies.
CEC (2008) Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion: Turning Territorial Diversity into Strength, Brussels.
CEC (2009) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, The Economic and Social committee of the Regions, Concerning the European Union Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
CEC (2009) Press Release, From the Baltic Sea to the Danube Basin — A Macro-regional Strategy for the EU: Commissioner Samecki to present new type of EU cooperation at Ministerial conference (Stockholm), IP/09/1326, Brussels, 16 September 2009.
CEC (2009) Macro-regional Strategies in the EU, available online: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/cooperate/baltic/pdf/macroregional_strategies_2009.pdf (accessed 21 November 2014).
CEC (2010) Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, The European Economic and Social Committee of the Regions, ’European Union Strategy for Danube Region’, 8 December 2010, COM (2010) 715 Final, European Commission, Brussels.
CEC (2010) Fifth Report on Economic and Social Cohesion: Investing in Europe’s Future, Brussels: CEC.
CEC (2010) Annual Report on the Baltic Sea Strategy, Brussels: CEC.
CEC (2014a) Sixth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion: Investing in Europe’s Future, Brussels: CEC.
CEC (2014) Common Provisions Regulation, Regulation (EU) No. 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No. 1083/2006.
CEC (2014) Regulation (EU) No. 1299/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on specific provisions for the support from the European Regional Development Fund to the European territorial cooperation goal article 17.
CEC (2014) Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions concerning the governance of macro-regional strategies.
CEC DG Regio (2007) From INTERREG III to European Territorial Cooperation, Brussels.
CEC DG Regio (2014) Macro-regional Strategies, Brussels, available online: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/cooperation/macro-regional-strate-gies/ (accessed January 2014).
Davoudi, S. (2003) Polycentricity in European Spatial Planning: From an Analytical Tool to a Normative Agenda, European Planning Studies, 11: 979–99.
Doucet, P. (2007) Cohésion territoriale de l’Union européenne — La gestation ambiguë d’un ambitieux projet politique, Les Cahiers de l’Urbanisme, 64: 6–11.
EUObserver (2010) Cross-border “Macro-regions” Unlikely to Get Own Funding, 13 April 2010, available online: http://euobserver.com/regions/29852 (accessed 21 November 2014).
INTERACT (2010) 20 Years of Territorial Cooperation, Interact, September 2010, available online: http://www.interact-eu.net/downloads/2476/Newsletter_INTERACT_Issue_2010_09_20_Years_of_Territorial_Cooperation.pdf (accessed May 2011).
Jouen, M. (2008) Territorial Cohesion: From Theory to Practice, Notre Europe Policy Paper, 35.
McMaster, I., Clement, K., van der Zwet, A., Vironen, H., Miller, S. and Granqvist, K. (2014) Ex Ante Evaluation of the Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme. Report to Report to the County Administrative Board of Västerbotten, EPRC, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.
Mendez, C., Wishlade, F. and Bachtler, J. (2013) A New Dawn for Cohesion Policy? The Emerging Budgetary and Policy Directions for 2014–2020, Paper to the 34th meeting of the EoRPA Regional Policy Research Consortium at Ross Priory, Loch Lomondside, 6–8 October 2013.
Mirwaldt, K., McMaster, I. and Bachtler, J. (2010) The Concept of Macro-regions: Practice and Prospects, EPRC, University of Strathclyde.
OECD (2009) Trans-border Cooperation in the Pan Yellow Sea Region, Paris: OECD; Anderson, J. B. Mid-term Evaluation of Nordic Innovation Policy, Nordic Innovation Centre.
Pain, K. and van Hamme, G. (eds) (2014) Changing Urban and Regional Relations in a Globalizing World, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Perkmann, M. (2007) Policy Entrepreneurship and Multi-level Governance: A Comparative Study of European Cross-border Regions, Environment and Planning C, 25(6): 861–79.
Reinholde, I. (2010) How to Govern the Strategy? Whether to Govern at all…’, in Ž Ozoliņa, I. Reinholde and T. Rostoks (eds) The EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region: A Year After and Beyond, Riga: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, pp. 41–58.
Samecki, P. (2009) Macro-regional Strategies in the EU — A Discussion Paper, Stockholm, 18 September 2009.
Schön, P. (2005) Territorial Cohesion in Europe?, Planning Theory and Practice, 6(3): 389–400.
Schwartz, P. (2010) Central Baltic INTERREG IVA Programme 2007–2013: EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region and Its Implication for ETC Programmes/Social Funds, Presentation, Bratislava, 16–17 March 2010.
Scott, J. (2002) Cross-border Governance in the Baltic Sea Region, Regional and Federal Studies, 12(4): 135–53.
Smith, A., Rainnie, A., Dunford, M., Hardy, J., Hudson, R. and Sadler, D. (2002) Networks of Value, Commodities and Regions: Reworking Divisions of Labour in Macro-regional Economies, Progress in Human Geography, 26(1): 41–63.
Stocchiero, A., (2010) Macro-regions of Europe — Old Wine in a New Bottle?, CeSPIi Working Paper, 65, Rome.
van der Zwet, A., McMaster, I. and Bachtler, J. (2012) Governance Approaches in European Territorial Cooperation Programmes and the Implications of Macro-regional Strategies, Paper presented at ERSA Congress, Bratislava, 21–25 August 2012.
Wishlade, E (2013) Cohesion Policy 2014–20: National Allocations, EPRC Policy Briefing, February.
Zonneveld, W., de Vries, W. and Janssen-Jansen, L. (eds) (2012) European Territorial Governance, Amsterdam: IOS Press BV.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 Irene McMaster and Arno van der Zwet
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
McMaster, I., van der Zwet, A. (2016). Macro-regions and the European Union: The Role of Cohesion Policy. In: Gänzle, S., Kern, K. (eds) A ‘Macro-regional’ Europe in the Making. Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-50972-7_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-50972-7_3
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-55247-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-50972-7
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)