Abstract

One of the remarkable features of the European Union (EU) has been its decision that member states distribute resources across national boundaries, from the wealthier nations to the poorer. The purpose of this distribution has been variously to assist member states to redress regional inequalities, to strengthen competitiveness and to enhance the efficiency and innovative capacity of the Single European Market. While this has been an intergovernmental process, essentially, the progressive development of the policy and its instruments over 40 years has been targeted increasingly at engaging with European business.