Europeanization of Regional Policies and Conflicts over Power and Information: The Case of the French Region of Nord-Pas de Calais

European regional policies aimed at correcting territorial imbalances in economic development were first set up in the 1960s, but at first these were mainly intergovernmental transfers and subnational actors were not significantly involved in the implementation of these policies until the 1988 reform. This paper – partly based on interviews with officials from the European Commission, a Member of the European Parliament, and officials from the Regional Council of the French region of Nord-Pas de Calais – studies the strategies developed by the Commission, national governments, and regions, and their conflicts over power and information within a framework of multi-level governance. It shows how the Europeanization of regional policies has involved collaboration but also direct and indirect pressure between different political levels, fostered institutional change at subnational, national and supranational level, and facilitated the emergence of new forms of territorial regulation. A closer look at regional lobbying stresses the importance of the strategic use of private information as a source of power in political decision-making processes