OBJECTIVES AND IMPORTANCE OF EU REGIONAL POLICY, WITH AN OVERVIEW OF THE SERBIAN POLICY OF REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

EU regional policy is among the most important common EU policies. The aims of EU cohesion policy for the period 2014-2020 are set out in the Europe 2020 Strategy, and they concern smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Of special importance to Serbia are EU regional policy financial instruments, in particular, the European Regional Development Fund which, inter alia, also finances cross-border cooperation projects. The Law on Regional Development stipulates that regional development shall, besides other sources, be financed from EU pre-accession funds, in the context of which the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance – IPA was very significant for Serbia and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in the period 2007-2013, while pre-accession support of IPA II Programme is expected for the period 2014-2020. Finally, the current direction of EU cohesion policy, expressed in the Europe 2020 Strategy, highlights the importance of this programme for the candidate member states, as well as for the neighbouring countries, indicating that the expansion of the area of implementation of EU rules will create new opportunities, both for the European Union, and for its neighbours.