In the last decades, the integration process has been stimulated and reflected in a gradual strengthening of the cooperation of member states in individual economic spheres and in the increase in the intensity of relations, also through the implementation of various policies at the EU level, including the regional policy, which aims to ensure union cohesion and to counter divergence processes. The main aim of the article is to identify the existing economic and social disparities in the EU in light of the indicators selected. The challenges for the EU cohesion policy in the face of the changing environment are also discussed. Integration and disintegration processes are currently taking place in the EU, in both political and economic dimensions, which in turn affect EU cohesion. Disparities in the EU can be identified. Various challenges that the EU have been experiencing call into question further and effective union integration, from the economic perspective as well. This gave an impulse to devise EU development scenarios, among which the scenario of multi-speed Europe is close to coming true. It is necessary to intensify integration further, in which cohesion policy will play a leading role, also in the future where it will counter and reduce negative repercussions unarguably associated with integration processes and will stimulate further integration development.

The aim of this paper is to present the potential of a new award procedure of public procurement, which is from 18 April 2016 innovation partnership, in the context of successful competition with USA as well as to identify the challenges connected with this procedure. Public administration is the biggest purchaser and may create a huge market for innovative products, works and services. Innovation partnership according to Directives 2014/24/EU and 2014/25/EU is an award procedure which allows to establish a long-term partnership between the contracting authority and economic operators for the development and subsequent purchase of a new, innovative product, service or work which is not yet available on the market. Although, despite the potential of public procurement to spur innovation, the implementation of innovation partnership, has been limited due to considerable challenges associated with the application of innovation procurement in practice. The biggest challenges are associated with the threat of infringement of State aid, intellectual property rights or adjusting the provision of Public Finance Law.