Regional Inequalities in Romania before and After the EU Accession

In the last two decades, the effects of inequality on economic growth have become one of the most popular research topics among scholars and policy makers. Growing inequalities have also represented one of the main concerns of the EU Member States. Although European Regional Policy specifically addresses the issue of regional inequalities, so far empirical research has shown its constant persistence, with a deepening tendency in the last two decades at smaller territorial units. Furthermore, the recent economic and financial crisis has aggravated the pre-existing regional problems even more, not only at regional but also at local level. The aim of the paper is to present some actual connections of the Romanian spatial structure and the characteristics of spatial inequalities before and after the EU accession.