Commissioner Ferreira welcomes the political agreement on the EU Cohesion policy legislative package 2021-2027 (16/12/2020)
With the political agreement by the European Parliament and the Council on the Commission's proposals for 2021-2027 on the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe package (REACT-EU); the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) for shared management funds; the European Territorial Cooperation programmes (“Interreg”); the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the Just Transition Fund (JTF), all instruments related to cohesion policy for the period 2021-2027 have now been agreed and are pending the final approval of the legal texts by the European Parliament and the Council.
Stories from the Regions: Misterion (16/12/2020)
This episode of Stories of the Regions will reveal to you the secrets of natural and cultural heritage of Slovenian and Croatian communities along the Kolpa River. Slovenian Semič and Metlika, and the Croatian municipality of Kamanje, where water plays a major role connecting two countries, joined powers in an Interreg-funded project Misterion.
Ready for the Green Christmas Challenge? (16/12/2020)
The Green Trip campaign has recently concluded its travelling phase with more than 70 European green initiatives visited. We have reached almost 10 million young Europeans with the message that individual and institutional action against climate change is already happening, but that everyone’s own actions count. Now it’s time to walk the talk!
This year's online edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities was a roaring success, welcoming some 12 000 participants and around 500 virtual sessions, as well as featuring a virtual exhibition.
Political agreement on the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund (09/12/2020)
The Commission welcomes today’s political agreement reached by the European Parliament and EU Member States on the Commission’s proposal for post-2020 on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF). This is the fourth file related to cohesion policy where trilogue negotiations are concluded, pending the final approval of the legal texts by the European Parliament Plenary and the Council.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “I welcome today’s political agreement on the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund. The agreement allows Member States and regions to support a socially and territorially balanced development of Europe’s regions while at the same time improving the quality of life of our citizens, especially those from disadvantaged or marginalised areas.
Working Paper: The urban-rural divide in anti-EU vote (09/12/2020)
Social, demographic and economic factors affecting the vote for parties opposed to European integration
In recent years, protest voting, voting for populist parties and, specifically for Europe, votes for parties opposed to European integration, have increased substantially. This has focussed the attention of researchers and policy makers on the causes behind this trend. Most of the existing research looked at voters’ characteristics, mainly values, education and age, or economic insecurity, such as rising unemployment or a declining economy more in general.
Smart Regions: robotic surgery at Varna Hospital in Bulgaria (09/12/2020)
The Saint Marina University Hospital in Varna (Bulgaria) is at the heart of a European project for personalised medicine. The 1,300-bed university hospital is modernising its infrastructure to become a centre of competence and hi-tech research within 5 years.
European Democracy Action Plan: the role of Cohesion policy (09/12/2020)
The European Commission presented its European Democracy Action Plan to empower citizens and build more resilient democracies across the EU. The contribution of the EU cohesion policy to this process is essential.
In the Plan, the Commission encourages Member States to make best use of relevant EU structural and investment funds to support and reinforce civil society capacities at both national and local level and involve civil society organisations in the partnership with the different levels of public administration, including by building a deliberative democracy infrastructure.
Commission publishes a toolkit on sustainability transitions for cohesion policy (02/12/2020)
The European Green Deal is the EU’s strategy to make its economy and society fit for a healthy planet. It is a policy agenda that seeks to accelerate the transition to a circular economy and ensure climate-neutrality by 2050 and advocates systemic changes to achieve this. High-level reports, such as the 2020 State and Outlook of the Environment, highlight the importance of sustainability transitions, deep transformations in societal systems needed to reach the long-term environmental and climate goals.
Stories from the regions: CAMPUS Project – Politehnica University of Bucharest, Romania (02/12/2020)
This episode of our series “Stories from the regions” brings you to the capital of Romania, Bucharest, where EU Funds have contributed to the CAMPUS Project, a research centre within University Politehnica of Bucharest. What makes this Centre a pioneering Research and Innovation hub inside and outside Romania? Discover it in this new episode.
Commission welcomes the political agreement on the Common Provisions Regulation for shared management funds (02/12/2020)
The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached last night between the European Parliament and EU Member States in the Council on the Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) for shared management funds, including for the EU cohesion policy funds. This is the second file related to cohesion policy whose trilogue negotiations are concluded pending the final approval of the legal texts by the European Parliament Plenary and the Council.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “I welcome the political agreement on the Common Provisions Regulation that sets out common provisions for eight shared management funds. Europeans everywhere are counting on almost 350 billion euro of cohesion policy resources to be directed as soon as possible to ensure a fair, cohesive and convergent recovery. The political agreement reached confirms that all the ‘cohesion institutional actors' have done their part to ensure that cohesion policy funding can be disbursed on time."
EU Cohesion policy: launch of the new EU Social Progress Index 2020 (02/12/2020)
Today, the Commission is publishing the 2020 EU Social Progress Index (EU-SPI) to help policymakers and stakeholders to develop better policies and key investment priorities with clear and measurable objectives to address social issues across the Union.
EU Cohesion policy: €150 million for a high-quality and inclusive education in Croatia thanks to digital technologies (18/11/2020)
The European Commission has approved an investment worth more than €150 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF) to integrate innovative digital technologies in Croatia’s education system. The project e-Schools will roll out a comprehensive ICT infrastructure, provide state-of-the-art IT equipment, develop educational software and connect students and teachers in 1166 public primary and secondary schools throughout the country. This unique national network will improve conditions for teaching and learning and make the management of schools more efficient and transparent. At the same time, students and teachers will benefit from targeted training to upgrade their e-skills.
Coronavirus response: €1.11 billion from the EU cohesion policy to help Spain fight the pandemic’s effects (18/11/2020)
The European Commission has approved the modification of four operational programmes in Spain, that will allow the mobilisation of more than €1.11 billion of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to tackle the coronavirus crisis.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, commented: “No region can be left to fight the pandemic alone. I am glad that Spain continues to make good use of the flexibility offered by the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative packages. We are tirelessly working with all the relevant authorities in Europe to make available all the funding possible to tackle the emergencies.”
Smart Regions: Aveiro’s living technology laboratory to innovate and create job opportunities (18/11/2020)
Aveiro, located in Portugal’s Centro region, is a living technology hub thanks to the Aveiro Steam City project. The city suffers from brain drain and needs to help local firms to rethink the resources they need to innovate and grow, with creative roles equipped with the necessary digital competences.
Commission welcomes the political agreement on REACT-EU (18/11/2020)
Today, the Commission welcomed the political agreement between the European Parliament and EU Member States in the Council on the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe package (REACT-EU). This is the first cohesion policy file whose trilogue negotiations are concluded pending the final approval of the legal texts by the European Parliament Plenary and the Council.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “I welcome today's political agreement on REACT-EU. Cohesion policy has from the very beginning been at the heart of fighting the pandemic thanks to the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives. This new initiative is a further step in supporting Member States' recovery, providing additional funding for bridging the gap between the first emergency crisis response and the long-term recovery of the economy supported by the 2021-2027 programming period. We are working hard to ensure a fair and cohesive recovery.”
Online event - Sustainability in the Black Sea Regional Cooperation: Advancing the Black Sea Synergy and the European Green Deal (11/11/2020)
On Monday 16 November, starting at 14:00 (CET), the European External Action Service with the support of the European Commission will host an online event on “Sustainability in the Black Sea regional cooperation: Advancing the Black Sea Synergy and the European Green Deal”.
ESPON Week: Just Transition and Recovery for Cities and Regions in Europe (11/11/2020)
ESPON EGTC and the German Presidency of the EU Council invite you to the ESPON Week: Just Transition and Recovery for Cities and Regions in Europe
Two days full of high-quality, interactive debates on the hottest topics in the EU agenda. Live on our page and social media.
Money can't buy love, but it can persuade Eurosceptics (11/11/2020)
Research conducted by Lewis Dijkstra and Rodríguez-Pose suggests that Euroscepticism is fuelled by hubris and that a well-managed cohesion policy can keep the rise of this phenomenon in Europe at bay.
Recent studies, submitted at the European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC), show that rich regions also vote for anti-EU parties and that Cohesion Policy, if well managed, may play a positive role.
EU solidarity in action: €56.7m to repair extreme weather damage in Spain in 2019 (04/11/2020)
The European Commission granted aid worth €56.7 million from the EU Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to Spain following the extreme weather conditions DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos) resulting in floods in the regions of Valencia, Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucía in September 2019.
Smart Regions: greener and smarter schools in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro (04/11/2020)
Schools are becoming greener in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro thanks to EU cohesion policy’s support.
EU Datathon’s winning teams look for matches with EU funded projects (04/11/2020)
At the EU Datathon final on 15 October 2020 enthusiasts from Europe presented their innovative ideas of using EU’s open data to address ongoing challenges. The winning teams are now looking for matches with EU funded projects.
The European Week of Regions and Cities is over for this year and according to the record-breaking numbers, 11 745 participants and 2 000 speakers gathered from all over Europe to take part in more than 500 digital working sessions, debates, and exhibitions. Due to the current situation with the Covid-19 pandemic, this 18th edition of the #EURegionsWeek was also the first fully digital edition. The event was spread out over three weeks, 5-22 October and provided opportunities to explore and share best practices not only on how regions and cities can work together for a stronger cohesion policy but also how to deal with these challenging times.
Coronavirus response: €1 billion of EU Cohesion policy to support Portugal's recovery (27/10/2020)
The European Commission has approved the modification of 10 operational programmes in Portugal, redirecting a total of more than €1 billion of EU Cohesion policy funds, namely the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the European Social Fund (ESF).
Green Trip Campaign Kicks Off (27/10/2020)
On 29th October young influencers from five European countries start their journeys visiting more than 70 sustainable projects to showcase existing green solutions and promote a climate-friendly lifestyle. Travelling through Belgium, Germany, Greece, Lithuania and Portugal, each of them will discover innovative ideas, present inspiring projects and talk to green change-makers in the field of mobility, food, housing, preservation, production chains
Kick-off of the 11th Baltic Sea Strategy Annual Forum with Commissioners Ferreira and Sinkevičius (21/10/2020)
Commissioners Ferreira and Sinkevičius will participate in the 11th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) that will take place tomorrow, 20 October, in a fully virtual mode under the headline ‘Our Region, Our Future – Towards a Decade of Innovation and Sustainability'.
Registrations Open! : UDN webinar series ‘Six building blocks to sustainable urban development’ (21/10/2020)
Join us online in November for The UDN webinar series, based on the Handbook of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies published by the JRC in collaboration with DG REGIO, providing key insights on how to tackle the main challenges faced when designing and implementing Sustainable Urban Development strategies as supported by Cohesion Policy.
European Commission seeks feedback on its long-term vision for rural areas (21/10/2020)
Today, the European Commission launched a public consultation on its new initiative for a long-term vision for rural areas. This consultation aims to collect views on current opportunities and challenges in rural areas, aspirations for rural areas in 2040 and the actions needed to achieve these aspirations.
Panorama 74: Latvia building bridges to strengthen regional growth (16/10/2020)
The autumn issue of Panorama magazine is now available to download, with a series of articles focussing on the 30th anniversary of Interreg. We explore how to make communications activities more environmentally friendly, reveal the results of a major survey on cross-border cooperation, and highlight young people’s contributions to the programmes. We also have full details of all the finalists and winners of this year’s Regiostars awards for the EU’s most innovative projects.
