The Impact of Structural Policies on Economic and Social Cohesion in the Union, 1989-99 : A First Assessment Presented by Country (October 1996)

This report assesses the overall impact of Community structural policies at member State level.

Cohesion is taken to refer primarily to the reducation of economic and other disparities between regions, and addressing problems of social exclusion.

The effects of interventions on employment are a particulary crucial focus in all or most of the national reports.

Each national report is structured in four main parts: a presentation of the main cohension issues in regard to the socio-economic context at a national and/or regional level; an analysis of the results and impacts of the Structural Fund and, where relevant, the Cohesion Fund, by objective; and a review of process issues, in particular associated with the value added of the interventions.