Overcoming isolation

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As European countries work towards a unified European Union, isolated and disadvantaged regions face increasing competitive pressures due to their peripheral locations. To support these areas, regional, national, and supranational bodies are focused on developing transport and communication networks to better integrate them into the broader social and economic development of Europe. This book explores the lagging development in various central and southern European regions affected by isolation. The ongoing challenges in social and economic development in certain EU areas, such as islands, mountains, and border regions, have prompted policymakers to recognize the critical role of transport and (tele)communication linkages. The book emphasizes the significance of these infrastructures in regional policy for peripheral areas, a topic of high priority as the EU relies on Structural Funds and the new Cohesion Fund to invest in transport and communication to assist disadvantaged regions. Additionally, as the Union considers enlargement, these issues may gain broader European relevance.