Convergence among regions is explicitly defined as a political aim of the European Union. Overall, NUTS3 regions have indeed shown a path of convergence since the year 2000, but there are huge differences among the regions. Many Eastern European countries as well as several regions in Spain and...

Zwischen den europäischen Regionen gibt es weiterhin große Unterschiede im Wohlstandsniveau. In vielen Teilen Europas ist der Wohlstand in den vergangenen Jahren gewachsen, jedoch gibt es auch zahlreiche wirtschaftsschwache Regionen, die sogar noch weiter abfallen.

Up until the economic and financial crisis, economic conditions in the European regions had been converging. This process has come to a complete standstill in recent years due to lower growth in Eastern Europe and stagnation in Southern Europe.