The regions in the 1990s. Fourth Periodic Report on the Social and Economic Situation and Development of the Regions of the Community

Summary:

The Fourth Periodic Report on the social and economic situation and development of the regions in the Community describes the main features of the Community's regional profile and analyses the changes since the previous report. The report not only examines the regional trends and regional differences which were the focus of previous reports, but also presents new information and analyses on regional problems and related policy matters. Previous reports also considered a number of specific issues relating to the economic situation of the regions such as the problem of peripherality, differences in infrastructural endowments, regional typologies, differences in disparities between the United States and the Community, etc. The regional implications of these issues continue to be relevant but they have not been examined again in the present report.

The report examines the policy response to the Community's regional problems, in particular the reform of the three structural Funds in 1988. The report also considers a number of broader developments which, in the decade ahead, will have important consequences for the regions, including demographic changes, the political and economic changes under way in Central and Eastern Europe, including German unification, and the effects of the Community's policies to increase integration. A number of uncertainties in relation to energy prices and supply, cuts in defence spending, etc. will also shape the economic environment in which the regions are situated in the years ahead although it has not been possible in every case to assess their likely regional effects at this stage.

The report is divided into three parts. The first part describes the major economic trends and regional differences in the Community and considers some of the explanatory factors. The second part concentrates on the policies set in train by the Single European Act in 1987 to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the Community, including the reform of the structural Funds. The third part of the report is more forward-looking, covering the likely effects of the moves towards greater integration on the Community's regions and providing a first overview of the profound changes in the economies of Central and Eastern Europe.

• Primary Source

Official

EUR-LEX: COM(1990)609: The regions in the 1990s. Fourth Periodic Report on the Social and Economic Situation and Development of the Regions of the Community https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=COM:1990:609:FIN

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