Chances of the new EU regional policy for rural (peripherical) areas : the case study of Leader

Abstract

The new tendencies on the EU regional policy, since the late nineties may represent a threat to the rural peripherical areas. The traditional integrated approaches of the development programmes are giving place to a project-support oriented policy. The financing plans result more and more from the total of the projects budgets. Under the "regional competitiveness" umbrella, this approach overemphasises though the economic vertices of the sustainability concept and a short term planning practice, and will promote the urban regions and urban networks and corridors at the expends of the weaker (rural ?) regions. This paper presents the results of a comparative study of four LEADER+ regions, in Germany (Bavaria) and Portugal (Northern Region) and aims to put some questions on the current EU Regional Policy. Above all, the main question is, are there still any chances for the rural european peripheries in the new EU Regional Policy? The case study presents several Best-Practices of a potential "beginning networking" process in transborder cooperation through the search for common platforms for new kinds of Public-Private- Partnerships and flexible instruments of Regional Management. It goes further analysing Regional Management policies, developed in the past in order to play an active role in the future regional competition after the EU east enlargement.