1st Edition
Urban Policy in the European Union A Multi-Level Gatekeeper System
This title was first published in 2003.This book examines the development of urban policy instruments at the level of the EU primarily by the use of Structural Funds under the European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional Policy. This is the first book-length analysis of the politics of EU urban policy. The first section of the book concentrates on how and why the European Commission, with no clear mandate from the Treaties for an urban policy, has ventured into this area. The second section examines in detail the implementation of one of these instruments in two specific cases: London and Marseilles. This highlights the role of central, and other levels of government, in policy implementation. The comparison between the cases brings important insights into the differences in local political structures and practices in France and the United Kingdom. The book demonstrates in-depth knowledge and analysis of the policy area and relevant theoretical works. This includes a large volume of published and unpublished materials as well as valuable information obtained through a series of interviews. The findings have general implications for relations between the Commission and localities, particularly the difficulties of involving ordinary people in European issues.
Biography
Dr Maria Tofarides is a recent graduate of the European University Institute where she completed her Doctorate in Political and Social Sciences. Following her career as a Teacher of Modern Languages in London, she successfully completed a Master of Science Degree in European Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Between 1995 and 2000, she was registered as a Research Student in the Department of Political Sciences at the European University Institute in Florence. Following a conference in Brussels, organised by the Human Capital and Mobility Network, she published a Paper entitled Cities and the European Union: An Unforeseen Alliance (Tofarides, M., 1997, Occasional Paper No. 30, European University Institute).
’Maria Tofarides’ book offers a unique insight in a domain characterized by the in-depth and detailed penetration of European policies at the local level. It also offers a comprehensive and fine analysis of the ways through which a centralized policy is transformed, circumvented or digested by two different political administrative systems, the French and the British. A fascinating illustration of the failure of the subsidiarity principle.’ Yves Mény, President, European University Institute, Italy ’Following European urban policy from its formulation to its fully detailed implementation, Maria Tofarides takes us from the corridors of Brussels to some really mean streets in London and Marseille. En route we learn much about European policy-making, Anglo-French differences and similarities, and the life of the urban poor.’ Colin Crouch, Istituto Universitario Europeo, Italy ’...[an] important new book...clearly written and exceptionally well detailed, this is an essential text for those interested in understanding the nature of the emerging EU urban policy.’ Journal of European Integration and Thought 'Clearly written and with a welter of detail, Tofarides's study is an essential guide to the origins of the urban dimensions to the Structural Funds and provides a more general yet insightful analysis of how the European Commission and the range of European funds operate.' Parihiahi Newspaper and Cyprus Press
