REGIONAL DISPARITIES AND ECONOMIC GROWTH. THE CASE OF ROMANIA

Cohesion policy is the expression of solidarity within the European Union, a solidarity that is not expressed by compensatory transfers, but by supporting development, especially through support to less developed regions. Cohesion policy supports investments that drive economic growth in the regions of the European Union and contribute to raising the quality of citizens' lives. In Romania, development regions still show disparities in the development process, which is highlighted by the standard of living of its citizens. The regions have evolved and developed differently and at different speeds, so heterogeneous landscape is hard to form. The current differences are due to different development rates, uneven distribution of technical and social infrastructure within countries, demographic imbalances, natural factors and different resources found in each region