In these times of post economic and financial crisis the EU is faced with numerous employment challenges, such as high overall unemployment and insufficient labour market participation by disadvantaged groups. Cohesion policy offers significant investment resources to address these issues and...

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 present case study provides an assessment of the Northern Ireland, Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland programmes' main achievements, cooperation mechanisms put in place and their effects in terms of reducing barriers to co-operation. It also aims to identify the added value of...

This reflection paper examines the influence of administrative capacity on the absorption and effective use of Cohesion Policy funds. First, it examines the current level of absorption of Cohesion Policy funds in the 2014-2020 programming period. Second, a literature review on the relationship...

This research is a collection of 50 practices which partially represent how cities locally respond to urban challenges within the cohesion policy period 2007-2013. The 50 cases have been chosen to illustrate eight themes and to come from as wide a variety of places in the EU as possible, and...

Along with the progressive recognition of the concept "territorial cohesion", different initiatives have been trying to draw on its practical implications. An important step is the adoption of the "Territorial Agenda of the European Union 2020" in 2011 that provide strategic orientations for...