On 15th July 2024, the new biomass cogeneration plant was inaugurated in Mamer, a city in Luxembourg with 11 000 inhabitants, showcasing the European Union's crucial role as an enabler in sustainable energy projects. Co-financed by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), this plant represents an important step in the region's transition towards a low-carbon economy.

The Megalizzi-Niedzielski prize winners, Alyona, Malia and Sara, have come at the end of the road that brought them from Italy to Spain meeting people, visiting beautiful cities and impactful EU-funded projects. Watch the wrap-up video of their adventure on Instagram.

Thanks to the EU’s Cohesion Policy, the city of Naples in Italy is inaugurating four new stations of its metro line 6 on Tuesday 17 of July. This completes the extension works on the Naples metro which have been ongoing since 2013 with a Cohesion Policy support of €198. 7 million.

On Thursday 11 of July, the Municipality of Timișoara organises the final press conference dedicated to the project "Rehabilitation of tram lines and modernization of street trams in the municipality of Timișoara, Route 4 - Cetăţii Boulevard" - the first project completed within the West Regional Programme.

To meet the needs of European regions, cohesion policy supports projects with varying geographical and thematic scopes, but with one overarching aim: long-term growth and well-being. Three examples from France are a business financing tool FOSTER, the Mobigo coach travel payment system and a renovated sports facility.

In 2023 the European Investment Bank Group exceeded its target and committed €36.2 billion to support investment projects in cohesion regions, nearly half its total lending in the European Union. The third annual report on “EIB Group activities in EU cohesion regions” highlights how targeted support unlocks regional potential and has a direct impact on improving people’s lives

Natural risks and emergencies know no borders. Thankfully, neither do the Spain-Portugal emergency teams working on the ARIEM+ Interreg cooperation project. ARIEM+ has defined a Cross-Border territorial Emergencies plan and created a Single Operational Command Network for the joint management of human and material resources in risk situations, especially those derived from climate change (forest fires, floods). The project also includes aspects such as the training of personnel and awareness raising among the general population on both sides of the Spain-Portugal border.

In this episode of the Stories from the Regions series, we head to the outskirts of Kozani, Greece. In this so-called active urban planning zone, a modern campus is now home to three engineering departments of the University of Western Macedonia. This new infrastructure does not only provide researchers, teachers, and students of these departments with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, but also creates spaces for interdisciplinary collaboration and encounters.

Supporting 🇪🇺 Member States to implement new legislation, reap opportunities & deliver on their strategic reforms has been high on my agenda as Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. See how we have been "Delivering on Reforms". (Read Commissioner Ferreira's thread on X)

The European Commission has approved a €10.82 billion French scheme to support the deployment of offshore wind energy, which will help foster the transition towards a net-zero economy.

The innovation performance of the European Union continues to improve at a steady pace, reaching a 10% increase since 2017 and a growth of 0.5% between 2023 and 2024. According to the 2024 edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) published today, most EU Member States have boosted their innovation performance, but the increase varies strongly from one to another.

Strengthening ties for a unified Cyprus! In 2023, the EU Aid Programme & the Green Line Regulation brought Cyprus another step closer to reunification. Have a look at our annual reports. Read all the highlights on Commissioner Ferreira's thread on X.

Communities for Climate (C4C) is a European Commission initiative empowering local action against climate change by supporting community-led projects. By providing financial, technical, and strategic assistance, C4C fosters innovative and sustainable solutions tailored to local needs, encouraging grassroots action. This initiative not only mitigates climate impacts but also promotes a culture of resilience and sustainability, serving as a model for broader change across Europe.

The European Commission has selected 6 projects for co-funding in Czechia aimed at promoting sustainable social infrastructure, improving the energy efficiency of public buildings and modernising transport infrastructure.

On June 26, the European Commission has published the 2024 Convergence Report in which it provides its assessment of the progress non-euro area Member States have made towards adopting the euro.

In coming years, the EU will face many challenges, from green, digital & demographic transitions, to future enlargements. A Europe that works for people includes strong public services. Our citizens rely on us and we must deliver. (Read Commissioner's Ferreira entire speech)

The host city for the much-anticipated Cities Forum 2025 is Krakow. The event, organised by the European Urban Initiative (EUI), is a platform for dialogue on the urban dimension of EU Cohesion policy. After careful assessment of applications and the vote of the EU Member States, Krakow has been selected to welcome urban stakeholders from all corners of Europe to the 6th edition of the Cities Forum.

Through the Technical Support Instrument (TSI), the European Commission is currently providing support to 18 Member States through two flagship initiatives launched as part of the TSI 2024 cycle: “Overcoming Barriers to Regional Development” and “Fostering Skills Development Systems”.

On May 22, 2024, the European Urban Initiative (EUI) announced the results of its second call, which focused on three topics: greening cities, sustainable tourism, and harnessing talent in shrinking cities.

The European Commission launched two new I3 Instrument calls for proposal on 6 June 2024 with a combined budget of EUR 67 million. These calls are open to consortia of applicants from private organisations (SMEs, start-ups), public institutions and academia (universities, research organisations).