Quarter Century of the Europe of the Regions

This article forms part of a special issue: 'Whatever Happened to the Europe of the Regions? Revisiting the Regional Dimension of European Politics'

Abstract: Over a period of twenty-five years, we have witnessed the waxing and waning of the idea of a 'Europe of the Regions'. These concluding remarks begin by examining the factors that fuelled interest in, and enthusiasm for, this notion during the 1980s and early 1990s. It is argued that whilst the EU has not turned into a Europe of the Regions, spatial restructuring continues apace, as part of attempts to deepen and widen the European polity. Territorial politics will continue to be a salient feature of European politics for the next quarter of a century.