This is the Final Report of Work Package 4 (Support to large enterprises) of the ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007–2013, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF). Eight EU Member States were studied, representing 75% of total spending on enterprise support under Cohesion Policy. Seven of these accounted for the greatest absolute spending on large enterprise support of all EU Member States (Poland, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic), while Austria had the highest proportional spending in this support area.
Cohesion Policy invested an estimated EUR 6 billion in support of large enterprises over the 2007-2013 period.
Between 2007 and 2013, the total budget of Cohesion Policy programmes (ERDF/ESF/CF) reached EUR 347 billion, of which EUR 52 billion was allocated to enterprises.1 EUR 31 billion of this was spent on direct enterprise support. Direct financial support to large enterprises is estimated at EUR 6 billion at the EU-28 level based on the verified total of EUR 4.6 billion in spending by the eight countries included in this evaluation. Poland, Portugal and Germany account for half of all large enterprise support within the EU-28.