Whither a Europe of the (English) regions? Reflections on the prospects for the representation of English territorial interests in Europe

Abstract

This article considers the prospects for the maintenance of a European ‘capacity to act’ by UK sub-state authorities in light of the rescaling of the institutions tasked with fostering local and regional development in England. It considers the formalization and greater resourcing of European regional policy following the Single European Act of 1986 and the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 and the discourse of a ‘Europe of the Regions’. It then moves on to examine sub-national capacities through developments such as the creation of ‘Brussels Offices’ to represent the interests of sub-national agencies in the European Union policy-making process. It concludes with an examination of the scaling back of European representation for English regions and a suggestion that any accompanying reduction in influence may in time be regretted.