Regional governance in the EU

The quality of public institutions has a major impact on social and economic development at regional level. Regions with high government effectiveness, low corruption and high-quality public services tend to have higher outcomes in terms of economic performance, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, education, health, and subjective well-being. Administrative capacity-building is therefore crucial, as it has a positive impact on creating conditions conducive to economic and social progress.

The 2017 European Quality of Government Index (EQI) shows that institutional quality still varies across EU regions, but the traditional north-south and east-west divisions seem to be slowly blurring. While northern countries remain at the top, the eastern regions have made the most improvement compared with previous editions of the index. Some southern regions, meanwhile, have experienced a decline over the past few years.

In the 2014 to 2020 period, EU cohesion policy has offered a variety of funding sources and instruments to support local and regional authorities. Investments are available for enhancing the management of EU funds and for building long-term institutional capacity. Specific actions include training for civil servants, cross-border cooperation, e-government tools, efforts to optimise procedures, and modernisation of public service delivery.

Quality of Government Institute: European Quality of Government Index (EQI) https://qog.pol.gu.se/data/datadownloads/qog-eqi-data

Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies: SIEPS Report No.2, 2018: Mapping the Quality of Government in Europe: An analysis at the national and regional level within the EU member states http://www.europeansources.info/record/mapping-the-quality-of-government-in-europe-an-analysis-at-the-national-and-regional-level-within-the-eu-member-states/

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