Centre for European Studies at Chulalongkorn University organized a discussion entitled “EU Regional and Cohesion Policy”. The discussion was gracefully conducted in English by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Werner Clement, Special Adviser to EU Commission.This discussion was held on Friday, October 19th, 2012 at 10.00-11.30 am, at the 2nd floor, room 203, Mahachulalongkorn Building Building. PowerPoint presentation containing text and images concerning the discussion can be downloaded here : http://www.mediafire.com/view/?j7ykbp2sfu4dsjx) Although the EU may be one of the richest parts of the world, there are large differences in prosperity levels both between and within EU countries members. Therefore, Prof. Clement elaborated the regional and cohesion policy which is investment policy and supports job creation, competitiveness, economic growth, improved quality of life and sustainable development.The EU budget comes from different sources, especially ‘The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)’ which aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions.Measuring the results and impact of cohesion policy and letting the public know is key to its success, transparency and accountability. For the period 2014-2020, there will be a shift of focus from financial inputs and outputs towards progress in terms of contributing to outcomes reflecting the objectives of the policy and its relation to the targets of the Europe 2020 strategy. Regional and cohesion policy is therefore an indispensable precondition to continously aim at this overarching objective. Unsurprisingly, this policy considers as a enormous dense network to boost growth, employment and coherence in the EU.
