Development of and Prospects for Multi-Level Governance in the EU

The heated debate on the development and course of the European Cohesion Policy has always been in the agenda of the European Union (EU) and national decision-makers since the creation of it. The proponents and opponents of cohesion policy did not agree on the direction that the EU should progress. Because cohesion policy is at the core of the multi-level governance system and the fundamental principles of cohesion policy such as solidarity and partnership might be eliminated or weakened by the prospective reforms, this book questions whether the withdrawal and demise of the multi-level governance system might follow the potential decline of cohesion policy. An up-to-date research in this ongoing and ever fresh debate on cohesion policy and multi-level governance in the context of the historical evolution of the EU provides both the general and expert reader with an easily comprehensible and concise overview which corresponds to a useful handbook that contain the substantial information derived from a large number of essential resources, while the readers will also have the opportunity of delving into the more sophisticated aspects of this vital debate on the future of the EU.