Foreword

Early 2014, as the new programming period is starting, the Assembly of European Regions
(AER) decides to look into the role that regional authorities play in European politics and in
Europe in general. To what extent is the subsidiarity principle implemented in European
countries? Have Regions seen their competences and influence developed in the last years?
How does multilevel governance look like in the various European states? If we consider the
case of EU regional policy, to what extent has the partnership principle been respected for the
setting up and implementation of this key policy for European regions?
These questions have been at the heart of a study run in 2014-2015. More than 40 academic
experts accepted to give their contribution to this work, by delivering detailed reports about the
state of regionalisation and multilevel governance in chosen European countries. As of now (1st
August 2015), the study covers 25 countries, and 9 more reports are under preparation. Each
report is based on a similar structure, thereby allowing a comparative approach among all
studied countries.
The present “digest” entails a summarised version of the available country reports. The
objective is to provide interested readers with a short overview of the main features of
regionalism in various European countries. The complete versions of the country reports are
available on the following page.

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