DETUROPE - The Central European Journal of Regional Development and Tourism 2025, 17(3):50-74

Old and New Challenges in Regional Development – Comparative Analysis of European Regional Development Policy Approaches to Identifying Beneficiary Regions

Gábor Mayer^a, Katalin Mezei^b

^a University of Pannonia, Doctoral School of Business and Management, 8200 Veszprém, Egyetem u. 10., Hungary

^b Széchenyi István University, 9200 Mosonmagyaróvár, Vár tér 2., Hungary

Most European countries apply development policy solutions to help disadvantaged regions catch up and seek effective solutions for territorial cohesion. This endeavour has been strongly supported by the European Commission in both the 2013-2020 and 2021-27 programming periods and is likely to remain so in the period after 2028. This is an understandable and logical endeavour, as being 'left behind' in economic, social or geographical terms not only reinforces internal migration flows within the European Community and its Member States but also increases political discontent.


A number of approaches have emerged in European countries to identify disadvantaged regions and address their problems. The differences stem partly from the different intervention intentions of individual countries and partly from their different spatial, state and public administration structures. Various development policy solutions have been devised to help disadvantaged regions catch up, taking these factors into account.


In Hungary, development policy has placed greater emphasis on the catching up of regions and settlements lagging behind in terms of socio-economic development since the 1980s, but the importance of delimitation in development policy practice has increased since the country's accession to the EU, with the establishment of differentiated support resource allocation mechanisms and targeted support programmes. The methodology currently in use for designating beneficiary regions has been in place since 2014. The socio-economic changes that have taken place since then have shifted the focus of both scientific and policy interest in recent years towards more location-specific regulatory mechanisms that measure development differences at a lower level and are more sensitive to functional links between settlements.


To support efforts in the renewal of the Hungarian regional development toolkit, our study seeks to outline alternative options by analysing Italian and British development policy practices, in addition to presenting Hungarian beneficiary regions. The international examples examined, despite their limitations as presented in the study, provide examples of multi-level governance, development policies based on functional units, and methodologies for measuring development below the settlement level. Current legislation in Hungary allows for changes in this direction, but their incorporation into domestic practice is only possible after careful preparation.

Keywords: beneficiary regions, territorial polarisation, regional development, regional planning, support policy

Published: December 26, 2025  Show citation