The local development policies of the European Community

Abstract

This paper discusses the local economic development policies of the EC. These policies are conceived as strategies supporting all initiatives which aim at the enforcement of the economic activities of a locality via the public and the private sectors. The local development policies after the structural changes of the early eighties attribute special importance to the support of small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), and of local initiatives for the creation of employment. Among the means of these policies belong the restructuring of the European structural funds, the encourragement of local authorities and agents such as of local development agencies and local development and investment enterprises, as well as the development of various programmes and Community actions. The paper also discusses the experience of several member states in the fields of integrated development programmes, of action of local authorities, of promotion of innovativeness, of the cooperation between education in technology, research centres and SMEs, and of the provision of venture capital. In the conclusion the author focusses on the needs as derived from the current experience, but also in view of the structural changes expected to be brought about by the European integration.