지역통합과 역내 지역 불균형 - 유럽연합의 경우

Abstract

This article examines how the deepening of European integration since 1980 has affected on the less-favoured regions in the European Community, especially in relation to the regional policy of EU. The regional policy of EU has been progressed markedly during 1980s when the integration has been accelerated. The completion of the single European market and the preparation for economic monetary union meant a radical change of the conditions for competition, thus the less-favored regions needed a special measures to adapt themselves in the new conditions. When we look back the past 15 years, however, the regional policy of EU has been too meager to achieve cohesion and convergence between regions in the Community. The most important reason for the limits of EU regional policy is that the competition policy of the EU has contradicted with and overwhelmed the logic of regional policy all the time. The results suggests 1) as long as the regional integration is progressing following to the logic of neo-liberalism, it doesn"t bring about a convergence between regions in a regional bloc, and 2) the less-favoured regions in the other blocs which remains a lower stage of integration i.e. free trade area, would be a bigger "loser" than those of EU in the process of integration.