Abstract

The development levels of the EU member states and that of their regions vary and often significantly. The Community policy has always aimed at reducing the regional disparities within and among the member states. In the EU policy-making and implementation, the role of the sub-national governance levels has become more prominent for the last decades. It is particularly true in the case of structural and cohesion policies. Their governance modes have evolved and changed in the course of the decades and developed into one of the most important EU policies. The implementation of these policies required particular attention and efforts in the new member states from various points of view. The building of the new institutions involved the inclusion of the representatives of the civil society in the programming, implementation and monitoring. The evaluation of the development of the new mode of governance in the field of structural and cohesion policies of the new member states shows rather different experience.

Contents:

1. Mode of governance of the Structural and Cohesion policies.
2. The implementation of Structural and Cohesion policies in the new member states.
3. The new mode of governance: the role and importance of social partners.
   1. NGO participation in programming.
   2. NGO participation in implementation.
   3. NGO participation in Monitoring Committees.
4. Experience in the practice of partnership.
5. Conclusion