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EU Regional Policy - Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds The EU's regional policy has been allocated an amount of 308 billion Euro for the period 2007-2013 and is implemented via different funds, the two structural funds, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund, and the Cohesion Fund.
Structural Funds and Cohesion Funds are funds allocated by the European Union for related purposes: support the common goal to achieve economic and social cohesion by reducing socio-economic disparities in development between regions. Current programmes run from 2007 to 2013, with €277bn budget for Structural Funds, and €70bn for the Cohesion Fund. For 2007-2013, new objectives have been defined, with a total budget amounting to €347.41bn in current prices. Together with the Common Agricultural Policy, the structural and cohesion funds make up the great bulk of EU funding, and the majority of total EU spending. At present, four Structural Funds allow the European Union to grant financial assistance to resolve structural economic and social problems. At present they are primarily concerned with three major objectives and a number of related initiatives. 1). The European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), whose principal objective is to promote economic and social cohesion within the European Union through the reduction of imbalances between regions or social groups. Objectives 1& 2. Initaitives Interreg III & Urban II. 2). The European Social Fund (ESF), the main financial instrument allowing the Union to realise the strategic objectives of its employment policy. Objectives 1, 2, 3 & Initaitive Equal. 3.) The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF - Guidance Section), which contributes to the structural reform of the agriculture sector and to the development of rural areas. Objective 1 & Initaitive Leader +. 4.) The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG), the specific Fund for the structural reform of the fisheries sector. Objectives 1 & 2.
Objectives and Initiatives Supporting development in the less prosperous regions Objective 1 of the Structural Funds is the main priority of the European Union's cohesion policy. In accordance with the treaty, the Union works to "promote harmonious development" and aims particularly to "narrow the gap between the development levels of the various regions". This is why more than 2/3 of the appropriations of the Structural Funds (more than EUR 135 billion) are allocated to helping areas lagging behind in their development ("Objective 1") where the gross domestic product (GDP) is below 75% of the Community average. All these regions have a number of economic signals/indicators "in the red": * low level of investment; Some fifty regions, home to 22% of the European population, are covered in the period 2000-06. The Structural Funds will support the takeoff of economic activities in these regions by providing them with the basic infrastructure they lack, whilst adapting and raising the level of trained human resources and encouraging investments in businesses.
Revitalising areas facing structural difficulties Objective 2 of the Structural Funds aims to revitalize all areas facing structural difficulties, whether industrial, rural, urban or dependent on fisheries. Though situated in regions whose development level is close to the Community average, such areas are faced with different types of socio-economic difficulties that are often the source of high unemployment. These include: * the evolution of industrial or service sectors;
Development of human resources Objective 3 serves as a reference framework for all measures to promote human resources in the Member States. It takes account of the Title on employment in the Treaty of Amsterdam and the new European strategy for employment. The Regulation takes account of the policies, practices and needs of the Member States as laid down in their national employment plan. For the 2000-2006 period, Objective 3 will support a wide range of measures aiming to: * promote active labour market policies to reduce unemployment; Interreg III: Connecting European Regions Interreg III is a Community initiative which aims to stimulate interregional cooperation in the EU between 2000-06. It is financed under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) This new phase of the Interreg initiative is designed to strengthen economic and social cohesion throughout the EU, by fostering the balanced development of the continent through cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation. Special emphasis has been placed on integrating remote regions and those which share external borders with the candidate countries. Urban II: Boosting Depressed Urban Areas Urban II is the Community Initiative of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for sustainable development in the troubled urban districts of the European Union for the period 2000-06. As a follow-up to Urban I in 1994-99, Urban II aims more precisely to promote the design and implementation of innovative models of development for the economic and social regeneration of troubled urban areas. It will also strengthen information and experience-sharing on sustainable urban development in the European Union. Leader+ is one of four initiatives financed by EU structural funds and is designed to help rural actors consider the long-term potential of their local region. Encouraging the implementation of integrated, high-quality and original strategies for sustainable development, it has a strong focus on partnership and networks of exchange of experience. A total of EUR 5 046.5 million for the period 2000-2006 will be spent, of which EUR 2 105.1 million is funded by the EAGGF Guidance section and the remainder by public and private contributions. (Please note that the Leader+ Contact Point has now ceased activities. However the Leader+ website remains open although it will not be updated. This includes the interactive databases. Certain publications will be added as they become available.) The EQUAL Initiative brings fresh ideas to the European Employment Strategy and the Social inclusion process. Its mission is to promote a better model for working life by fighting discrimination and exclusion on the basis of gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. Funded through the European Social Fund (ESF), EQUAL is being implemented in, and between, the Member States up until 2008. more > The true impact of the initiative contributes to the development of even stronger transnational cooperation between Regions and Member States in the new ESF during 2007-2013. more > |
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