HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COHESION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

The aim of this article is to carry out an in-depth analysis of the historical evolution of the Regional Policy of the European Union (the current Policy of Economic and Social Cohesion) emphasizing the tremendous effort of the European Union and the Commission to make this one of their priority objectives, in other words, to reduce the regional imbalances. To that end, the evolution of the Regional Policy is analyzed in great detail from its origins in the Treaty of Rome, in the proposals included in the Single European Act, the advances in consolidation that resulted from the Maastricht Treaty and the Lisbon Strategy, and the repercussions of the different expansions. Likewise, the continuous changes in the legal framework that led to the important Reform of the Structural Funds and that allowed for its creation at the end of the 1980's are discussed. The evolution of the funding assigned to structural purposes in the Community Budget is evaluated and thus the objectives are achieved: to bring regions closer together, to provide better training for human capital and to increase physical capital. The article concludes with a reflection on the financial perspectives for the next period, 2014-2020.