Along with a temporary increase of the EU co-financing rate to 100% for Cohesion policy projects tackling the coronavirus pandemic, these modifications will enable the country to face the adverse effects of the coronavirus crisis on the economy supporting its recovery.

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “As many other countries in Europe, thanks to these modifications, Portugal and its outermost regions will boost their socio-economic and health recovery. Commission's fast and comprehensive response to the coronacrisis shows that when we cooperate and stand united, we are stronger and able to face unexpected challenges.” 

This comprehensive approach will support Portugal on several fronts:

• Public investments in social areas

• Support of the digitalisation of schools

• Support for the economy

These are the first amendments to the operational programmes for Portugal, concerning seven regions (Algarve, Azores, Centro, Lisbon, Madeira, Norte, Alentejo) and three national programmes (Compete, SEUR, Technical Assistance).

The modifications are possible thanks to the exceptional flexibility under the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) and Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative Plus (CRII+) which allow Member States to use Cohesion policy funding to support the most exposed sectors because of the pandemic, such as healthcare, SMEs and labour markets.