THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN OF THE COHESION POLICY WITHIN THE EU BUDGET

The cohesion policy of the European Union reflects the communitarian financial priorities. As all public policies of the EU, the cohesion policy is financed from the EU budget. Therefore, it has a major role in shaping the budget. The paper analyzes the interdependence between the cohesion policy and the EU budget, indicating the direct connection between the expenses made from the communitarian budget and the architectural design of the cohesion policy. The paper presents the parallel evolution of the European Union budget, on the one hand, and of the cohesion policy, on the other hand. At the same time, the changes brought about by the accession of new Member States are described and analyzed, as well as the multi-annual financial programming periods. The focus of the research and analysis will fall on the 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 financial frameworks. Finally, the paper will attempt to identify the possible changes predicted for the 2014-2020 period, brought about by the new challenges faced by the European Union, both in terms of budgetary construction and regarding the architecture, objectives and programs of the cohesion policy. Hence, the dynamism and mutual influence in the relationship between the cohesion policy and the EU budget will be once more demonstrated.