Towards a "Europe of the regions"? Visions and reality from a critical perspective

During the past few years, the post-war discourse of a `Europe of the Regions' has received renewed attention. The article discusses the original concept in relation to political and economic developments in the European Community during the past two decades, concentrating especially on the areas of regional participation in EC decision-making, inter-regional cooperation and regional economic development. The authors conclude that while some advances have been made, the overall picture remains dominated by the influence of national level (f)actors. Consequently, the often anticipated drive towards the `Europe of the Regions' does not really connect with actual developments.