Project examples
Major Projects
What are major projects?
Major projects are generally large-scale infrastructure projects in transport, environment and other sectors such as culture, education, energy or ICT. They also concern big productive investments and research & development projects.
Major projects benefit from financial support of the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund. They cost more than €50 million and therefore are subject to an appraisal and a specific decision by the European Commission.
How does it work?
EU countries apply to the European Commission for financial support. Their application must include information about:
- The body responsible for implementing the project
- The nature of the investment, its description and the expected impact
- The timetable for implementation
- The results of the feasibility studies
- The cost-benefit analysis, which is an essential tool for estimating economic benefits of the project (CBA Guide)
- The financial plan, including funding from other sources
The Commission decides on the eligibility of the project within three months of receiving the application.
Technical assistance for the preparation of major projects is available for new Member States via JASPERS.
Examples
The Commission expects to support more than 800 major projects during the 2007-2013 funding period. Examples of major projects that have received funding are available via our database (see search fields below). More comprehensive information is available from the national and regional websites that provide details about the beneficiaries of EU regional funding.
Further information:
- General Regulation on the Structural Funds (see Articles 39-41)
- Infrastructure investment
– request for assistance - Productive investment – request for assistance