Izvorni znanstveni članak
The Unfinished Story of the Ugly Duckling: Polish Regions under the Realm of Europeanization
Paweł Swianiewicz
; Odjel za lokalni razvoj i javne politike, Fakultet za geografiju i regionalne studije, Sveučilište u Varšavi, Poljska
Sažetak
The article provides an analysis of the changing role of elected regional governments in regional policy making in Poland from their creation in 1998 until 2013. The analysed period shows the gradual empowerment of regional governments. Initially they were established as politically, functionally and financially very weak institutions. Their political importance increased due to following
major milestone decisions: (1) establishing NUTS-2 units identical with the territory of elected regional governments, (2) gaining a limited role in the implementation of the Integrated Regional Operating Programme for 2004–2006 (including decisions on the selection of individual projects), and (3) considerable regional autonomy in the preparation and implementation of regional operating programmes for 2006–2013 and 2014–2020, involving about a quarter of all structural funds available for Poland. Therefore, the change, labelled as
the process of ‘creeping regionalisation’, is explained through the Europeanization of regional policy making. The situation in Poland is characterised by a much weaker position of regional governments than is the case in other CEE countries. No other new member states have NUTS-2 regions which are identical with self-governing regions, and in one of those countries ROPs are prepared or managed by elected regional governments. However, in policy-making practice,
Europeanization at the regional level often has a character of thin learning or the absorption level (as opposed to the deeper transformation level). The article also raises the question of the role of regions following the end of EU 2014–2020 financial perspective, calling for a reinvention of the role of regional institutions,
and suggesting that the lack of long-term vision may result in a rapid decrease of the political profile of regions, to a level similar to the situation observed at the end of the 20th century.
Ključne riječi
Europeanization; Poland; Central and Eastern Europe; regionalisation; regions; regional policy; structural funds
Hrčak ID:
129776
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.6.2014.
Posjeta: 1.074 *