European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
regional development
EU policies – Delivering for citizens: Regional policy [Policy Podcast]
The principal aim of the EU’s regional policy, also known as cohesion policy, is to address the territorial, social and economic imbalances that exist between the different regions of the EU. Continue reading
How the EU budget is spent: Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived
In 2014, around 122 million people were ‘at risk of poverty or social exclusion’ (AROPE) in the 28 EU Member States– a quarter of the population. This means they were in at least one of the following situations: at risk of monetary poverty (17.2 % of the total population); living in households with very low work intensity (11.1 %); or severely materially deprived (9.0 %). Continue reading
Measures to advance the realisation of the trans-European transport network: Integrated and faster project procedures [EU Legislation in Progress]
With the trans-European transport network (TEN-T) policy, the European Commission seeks to develop a modern, efficient and climate-friendly network covering all transport modes. Continue reading
European territorial cooperation (Interreg) 2021-2027 [EU Legislation in Progress]
On 29 May 2018, the European Commission adopted several proposals aimed at defining the architecture of EU cohesion policy for the post-2020 programming period. Continue reading
Common Provisions Regulation: New rules for cohesion policy for 2021-2027 [EU Legislation in Progress]
For the next EU budget, covering the 2021-2027 period, the European Commission proposed to update EU cohesion policy with a new set of rules, on 29 May 2018. Continue reading
European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund 2021-2027 [EU Legislation in Progress] [Policy Podcast]
In preparation for the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027, the European Commission published a proposal for a regulation on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) on 29 May 2018. Continue reading
Cultural heritage in EU policies
2018 is devoted to the European Union’s cultural heritage. This paper focuses on the evolution of the very notion of cultural heritage, its role and place in society, as well as the way it is perceived and interpreted in the context of related EU prerogatives. The European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 is a result of this evolution, and allows EU citizens to gain a broad understanding of their cultural heritage in all its aspects, democratically share responsibility for it, celebrate it and benefit from the creation it inspires. Continue reading
Integrated territorial investment – Implementation and future prospects
An optional territorial development tool, integrated territorial investments (ITIs) make it possible to combine resources from the European Social Fund, European Regional Development Fund or Cohesion Fund under priority axes of one or more operational programmes. Continue reading
Plenary round-up – Strasbourg, January 2018
The January session highlights were the European Council conclusions debate and a presentation of Bulgarian Presidency priorities, as well as the first in a series of debates with EU leaders on the future of Europe, with the Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar. Parliament voted, inter alia, on three clean energy package proposals; a review of dual-use items export controls; its opinion on the revised Brussels IIa Regulation; and gave its consent for the conclusion of the Marrakesh Treaty. Continue reading
Promoting development in the outermost regions [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Christiaan Van Lierop, Located far from the European continent and with regional gross domestic product well below the EU average, the EU’s outermost regions – the Azores, the Canary Islands, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Madeira, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion and Saint-Martin – face many challenges to development, owing to factors such as climate or economic … Continue reading
Structural reform support programme 2017-2020 [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Agnieszka Widuto (4th edition), Structural reforms have been identified as crucial to accelerating economic recovery, boosting growth and reducing unemployment. In November 2015, the European Commission proposed to establish the Structural Reform Support Programme 2017-2020, to provide Member States with technical assistance in designing and implementing structural reforms. The proposed budget is €142.8 million, … Continue reading
Major challenges for EU tourism and policy responses [Policy Podcast]
Written by Vasilis Margaras, Constituting the third-largest economic activity in the EU, tourism is of considerable importance as a source of economic growth, regional development and employment. Although it has been badly affected by the economic crisis in the past years, tourism has proved resilient, as witnessed by the growing number of visitors to the … Continue reading
EFSI and ESI Funds: Complementarity or contradiction?
Written by Vasilis Margaras, Shortly after beginning its 2014-2019 mandate, the European Commission proposed a new investment Plan for Europe, often referred to as the ‘Juncker Plan’. The Investment Plan was seen as a top priority for the European Commission, aimed at strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and stimulating investment in order to create more jobs. It … Continue reading
Cohesion policy and the integration of migrants in urban areas
Written by Christiaan van Lierop, With migration largely an urban reality, the successful integration of migrants in our towns and cities is of key importance if Europe is to find a long-term solution to the migrant question. The EU’s cohesion policy can provide support for countries in this area through investments under the European Social … Continue reading
Sparsely populated and under–populated areas
This briefing seeks to analyse the issues that affect sparsely populated and underpopulated areas and provide a short overview of the EU support available for this category of region. Details will also be provided of the role of the European Parliament and the views of the various stakeholders. Continue reading
Snapshot of the EU regions with a view to selected Europe 2020 targets
Written by Frederik Scholaert, Giulio Sabbati and Sorina Silvia Ionescu, Updated on 4.10.2019 In 2014-2020, €461 billion from the EU budget is allocated to EU regions for investments in support of the strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (Europe 2020). The NUTS 2 classification (Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics) divides EU territory into … Continue reading
Challenges for the post-2020 cohesion policy [Policy Podcast]
Written by Vasileios Margaras, In a 2015 speech, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Creţu, re-ignited the debate on the post-2020 cohesion policy reform by suggesting various issues for reflection. Some of these issues are of a technical nature while others are of a more political nature and may lead to intensive debates. In addition, … Continue reading
Cohesion Policy in Croatia
Written by Sorina Silvia Ionescu Croatia became the 28th EU Member State on 1 July 2013. On 26 August 2013, the European Commission approved the investment plan proposed by Croatia in the framework of the cohesion policy to deliver growth and jobs. The Croatian authorities have defined investment priorities in different regions for the implementation … Continue reading
Partnership Agreements within Cohesion Policy 2014-2020
Written by Sorina Silvia Ionescu Updated on 9th February 2015 Within the Cohesion Policy 2014-2020, Partnership Agreement (PA) sets out the selected thematic objectives (and for each a summary of the main results expected from each of the European Structural and Investment Funds ‐ ESI), the indicative allocation of support by the EU (by thematic objective at … Continue reading
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