An Analysis of the Efficiency of European Funds

Abstract

The chapter analyses the use and management of the European Structural and Investment Funds, attending to the differences between the countries that carry out them to highlight possible inefficiencies. Taking the EU funds related to the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014–2020, made up by 7.162 projects, the types of funds and their distribution among the countries are analysed through different maps, by comparing budget, decided and spending policies for the projects by each country, with special emphasize the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund. The paper continues with an empirical research to contrast the hypotheses connected with the efficiency use of funds and indicators that measure the level of transparency and corruption in each country. The results show that the efficiency is higher in northern countries, Finland and Denmark especially, where the levels of transparency are higher and the corruption rates lower.