This report synthesises the results of the ex post evaluation of the Cohesion policy programmes financed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund. The central aim of the evaluation was to answer three main questions: - How was the funding provided spent in regions...

This report synthesises the results of the ex post evaluation of the Cohesion policy programmes financed from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund. The central aim of the evaluation was to answer three main questions: - How was the funding provided spent in regions...

The report is divided into two main parts. The first part adopts a long-term perspective, examining the changes in regional disparities in economic performance across the EU over the period since 1980 - or at least up to 2011, the latest year for which the relevant data are available. Its...

The purpose here is to describe the macroeconomic conditions which existed in EU Member States over the 2007-2013 period and to indicate their potential impact on the programmes that were planned to be undertaken. This is important to take account of when assessing both the way that the...