European Regional Disparities and Application of EU Cohesion Policy - The Case of Slovakia

Regional disparities describe disparities in the socio-economic development of regions within a given country or between countries. Despite decades of economic integration, regional inequalities within the European Union (EU) persist. The support of less developed regions is one of the objectives of the EU cohesion policy, where the main instruments are the Structural Funds. This paper explores the European regional disparities and evaluates the application of EU Cohesion Policy with a specific focus on Slovakia. The aim of our research is to identify the reasons why Slovakia is undergoing a process of convergence with the developed countries of the EU, but with persistent regional disparities. Out findings underline the importance of targeted regional policies and better alignment between national and EU initiatives to ensure long-term sustainable development across all EU regions. Keywords: Regional disparities, GDP, Social Progress Index, European Union, Cohesion policy