Abstract:
Europe is today the culmination of its development, and European funding is the driving force behind the development of the economy of the Member States. The study aims to break down the economic phenomena related to the absorption of European funds and to analyze their evolution in the Multiannual Financial Frameworks (MFFs) 2007-2013 and
2014-2020. Methodologically, the research included a documentary analysis of some studies, reports, strategic documents and an empirical study based on the sociological investigation in the field of public food and tourism. The paper analyzed the impact of European funding at the level of Romania and the added value of European funds in the
field of public food and tourism. The results of the study highlighted the major impact of European financing on economic development and the increase of the competitiveness of the economic sectors. The MFF 2007 - 2013 contributed to a great extent to the achievement of the proposed objectives. Thus, 9.4 million jobs were created, of
which 42,000 research jobs were created, 0.4 million SME-s were created, access to road networks, railways, water supply increased for about 7 million people. In the current programming period (2014-2020) the European Commission aims to support specific areas such as economic, social and territorial cohesion, competitiveness for growth and jobs, administration, global Europe, sustainable growth; natural resources, security, and citizenship. For the next programming period, 2021 - 2027, the proposed budget amounts to 1.135 billion euros, representing the equivalent of 1.11% of the gross national income of the EU-27. The long-term objectives of the European Union are related to the single market, innovation and the digital sector, cohesion and values, natural resources and environment, migration and border management, security and defense, neighborhood and worldwide, European public administration. The case study conducted in the field of public food and tourism has revealed that although there are still barriers to accessing European funds (legislative, strict conditions imposed by specific guidelines, financial limitations) there is a high openness to the added value brought to the national economy by European funding.
