Regional Integration Through Locality

Multi-level governance suggests that there should be no hierarchical dependency relationship between policy actors of different policy levels. In fact, the model hinges on the independent interaction of local and regional governments at national and supra-national levels without the mediating role and status of national governments. This development in fact parallels the acceptance of cities and local governments as policy actors. MLG is not a magic cure to heal every illness, but it is a method and an action plan for tackling problems. It is being used in various areas by the EU to realize European cohesion. The first and foremost among these areas is urban policies and urban regeneration practices. The EU has adopted the integrated urban regeneration approach to decrease the problems associated with social exclusions and the regeneration of problematic urban areas. Together with the enlargement process, cohesion efforts have increased, and urban programs subsidized by the EU have been implemented intensively in central, eastern, and southern European states.