ruggle to define and represent their own interests. After assessing the arguments for and against a Europe of regions, one can become conscious of the fact that the European Commission is not in a position itself to judge the developments needs of peripheral regions. However national governments still have a major say in designating the regional actors that can participate. The policy process now includes representatives from the levels concerned with the substance of decision-making.The trend is going towards a Europe of the regions: The dynamics of regulatory competition and the demands of lobbying have led regions to establish independent agencies or private law firms that have the task of ensuring the co-ordination of domestic and external investment efforts. Despite the fact that there is a clear desequilibrium between the developments of the regions; there are some advantages in giving more independence to regions. Apart from the definite uneven development, which is caused by market forces, the single market project involved many new projects strongly impacting upon territorial authorities. A Europe of the regions could work if only they focused on the less developed regions. If the gap between developed regions and poor regions diminishes, then economically everyone will be better off....
