The Economic Strategy of Stateless Nations in the Framework of the European Cohesion.

Authors of the study, Nuria Fernandez, Conejero Rocio Cortés and Fuentes Luis H. Rodríguez Ruiz, aim at analysing Europe 2020 strategy and how to achieve a better European growth for all its regions and states. In particular, the Strategy poses objectives as for employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy.
To achieve these objectives, the EU sets and funds the Regional Policy: through it, each territory receives significant investments from the European Commission to contribute to economic development. Nonetheless, there are two important conditioning factors so as to approach the Economic Strategies in each territory:
• The Cohesion Policy designed from Brussels has significant rigidities in its design and implementation;
• The normative process involves those regions that have their own competences (agriculture, environment…).

In many cases, they do not directly participate in decisionmaking at the EU Council, which prevents these territories from having a clear channel to defend their interests in those areas where they
have competence.

The purpose of the study is to analyse the territorial development strategies formulated in the framework of the Cohesion Policy of the new 2014-2020 programming period in the Stateless
Nations of Aragon, Corsica, Scotland, Euskal Herria, Flanders, Galicia, Wales, Catalonia, Valencian Country and the Balearic Islands.
Accordingly, the goal is to identify the investment profiles of each territory charged against the Structural Funds and assess the contribution of the European Union to solve the problems and weaknesses that hinder further economic growth in these regions.

This analysis will allow the assessment of the degree of usefulness of Community Regional Policy in these stateless nations and the pending development challenges for the future in these ten
territories, which currently belong to four Member States.