A reformed Objective 2 and the Lisbon Strategy - consequences for Swedish policymaking

The project involved research on the expected shifts in the future of Cohesion policy after 2006. The study considered: the likelihood of Cohesion Policy becoming much more oriented towards growth and will, in a much more profound way than in the past, contributing directly to the fulfilment of the Lisbon strategy; geography becoming a less important component of any replacement of Objective 2; many aspects related to the future delivery of policy being unclear, with in particular the possibility of Cohesion support being subject to some sort of Community Framework under the open method of coordination; uncertainties regarding any future funding criteria which may be used to allocate resources from the EU to the Member States and, thereafter, from the Member States to the sub-national level.