The End of a “Europe of the Regions”?

When we examine the interaction between European integration and regional mobilisation, two somewhat contradictory interpretations of the region within a multi-level playing-field become apparent: one school of thought that emphasises the shift towards the decentralisation of power brought about by integration, and another that, conversely, highlights the centripetal force of European policies. Although useful, the main limitation of these approaches is that they polarise the analysis around a zero-sum game between the European Union (EU), the regions and national governments, on the assumption that whatone actor loses the others necessarily gain. However, we need to move beyond this binary debate if we are to fully grasp the proactive regional governance strategies around EU policies.