Cohesion policy of the EU plays a key role in balancing territorial disparities, particularly in least-developed countries. Hungary has been a positive example of newly setup regional development institutional systems in Eastern Central Europe since the end of the 1990s (Pálné Kovács, 2021): EU accession brought establishment of regional institutions, however decentralisation and centralisation have been observed as parallel processes. The institutional and financial framework for the 2014-2020 programming period provides considerable funding for catching up of peripheral counties, with rather centralised decision making: county administrations and the responsible ministry-hosted managing authority shall make joint decisions, however the county has room for manoeuvre to promote their preferences (Pámer, 2021). As the programming period is approaching its end, it is possible to provide a territorial and quantitative analysis of territorial distribution of this funding instrument.
First part of the papers aims at providing a brief overview of the policy framework for EU funding management in the 2014-2020 period in Hungary, highlighting competences allocated to subnational levels. The paper is methodologically divided into two parts. First, on basis of online questionnaire and semi-structured interviews it will be presented how key levels of decision-making on funding is perceived by key stakeholders in peripheral areas of Baranya county. In the second part a quantitative territorial analysis will be provided, how funding is distributed territorially and thematically in central and peripheral areas within Baranya, as part of one of the EU twenty most undeveloped NUTS 2 regions. The analysis will be based on primary data on funding decisions within the Regional and Settlement Development Operational Programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Mots clés : territorial governance|regional development|cohesion policy|peripheral areas
A103117ZP