STRUCTURAL FUNDS AND OVERCOMING THE ECONOMIC CRISIS Emilian M. Dobrescu, Romanian Academy and Spiru Haret University Cristina Barna, Spiru Haret University Bucharest

Abstract

The European Commission is the authority that supervises the EuropeanUnion structural funds, which are meant to finance the measures of structural aid at thecommunity level, aiming to promote the regions lagging behind in development, toreconvert the areas affected by industrial decline, to fight against the long-termunemployment, to help the youth professional insertion or to promote the ruraldevelopment. Besides the Structural Funds, other financial instruments are in use,namely the Cohesion Fund. Between 2007 and 2013, Romania will benefit fromstructural funds in the amount of 32 billion Euros, granted by the European Union. Suchfunds need to be effectively managed and they have to reach where development is animperative; otherwise, they are in danger of being forfeited. The paper herein aims togive a general presentation of the structural funds, a highlight of the dissimilaritiesbetween them and the pre-accession funds, the explanation of the criteria for granting thestructural funds, as well as an in-depth analysis of the National Strategic ReferenceFramework 2007-2013. At the same time, beyond the absorption obstacles(documentation, evaluation, bank credits), the structural and the cohesion funds arepresented as solution to overcome the current economic crisis.structural funds, operational program, cohesion policy, economic crisis