Economic and social cohesion policy implementation in Hungary and Poland and its comparison to the conditions of the Czech Republic in programming period 2007-2013

The analysis of the economic and social cohesion policy implementation in Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic during the programming period 2007-2013 makes it possible to compare the approaches of these countries towards the implementation of this policy. Th e approach adopted by the Czech Republic seems to be only fragmental in comparison with the approaches of the other analyzed countries, both at the level of structure and content of the existing operational programmes and at the level of the roles of public administration (national and regional) in the preparations and management of these programmes. The fragmental approach of the Czech Republic could be seen for example at the number of the thematic (sector) operational programmes. The Czech Republic, which has all together 10 thematic operational programmes, while Hungary with comparable amount of structural funds resources only 8 and Poland with the allocation of structural funds three times higher than the Czech Republic only 5. Also the implementation structure of the Czech operational programmes seems to be more fragmental than the implementation structures of both Poland and Hungary. The number of institutions carrying out the obligations of the managing authority is higher in the Czech Republic than in the other two analyzed countries. Both in Hungary and Poland (with an exception of regional operational programmes) the single managing authority has been designated for all the operational programmes realized in programming period 2007-2013. Compared to the approaches of the Czech Republic with 14 different public authorities designated as managing authorities of one or more operational programmes, the approach of both Hungary and Poland makes it possible to increase the effi ciency of the programme management at the level of the single managing authority.