Cities and regions around the world are crucial stakeholders in implementing the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. As a key force in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, local and regional authorities should be better included in the governance of these processes...

Cities and regions around the world are crucial stakeholders in implementing the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development. As a key force in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, local and regional authorities should be better included in the governance of these processes...

Cohesion Policy in Ireland has been instrumental in addressing regional disparities, fostering innovation, and promoting a greener, low-carbon economy. With two regional programmes in place, the focus has been on enhancing research excellence, skills development, energy efficiency measures, and...

Malta's Cohesion Policy has yielded transformative results across two programmes, addressing significant challenges while fostering economic growth and sustainability. With a focus on research and innovation, sustainable water and waste management, energy efficiency and renewable energy,...

Malta's Cohesion Policy has yielded transformative results across two programmes, addressing significant challenges while fostering economic growth and sustainability. With a focus on research and innovation, sustainable water and waste management, energy efficiency and renewable energy,...

Cohesion Policy in Ireland has been instrumental in addressing regional disparities, fostering innovation, and promoting a greener, low-carbon economy. With two regional programmes in place, the focus has been on enhancing research excellence, skills development, energy efficiency measures, and...

In September 2022, DG Regio commissioned PPMI in association with the European Policies Research Centre to study the organisational models of the programme authorities involved in implementing ERDF programmes over the first two decades of the 21st Century. The study is distinctive in its focus...

Created in 1994, the European Committee of the Regions is the EU's political assembly of 329 regional and local representatives such as regional presidents or city-mayors from all 27 Member States, representing over 446 million Europeans.

Created in 1994, the European Committee of the Regions is the EU's political assembly of 329 regional and local representatives such as regional presidents or city-mayors from all 27 Member States, representing over 446 million Europeans.

We study the effects of place-based policies on aggregate productivity using administrative data on projects co-financed by the EU in Italy linked to balance sheet data. We exploit quasi-experimental variation in funding for a large place-based policy stemming from measurement error in regional...

We study the effects of place-based policies on aggregate productivity using administrative data on projects co-financed by the EU in Italy linked to balance sheet data. We exploit quasi-experimental variation in funding for a large place-based policy stemming from measurement error in regional...

We analyse the macroeconomic impact of the European cohesion policy investments deployed during the 2014-2020 programming period on the basis of simulations carried out with the spatial dynamic general equilibrium model called RHOMOLO. We use the latest data on actual expenditures including the...

The study delves into the future landscape of EU Cohesion Policy, set against the backdrop of three challenges: globalisation and technological advancements, shifting demographic trends, and the transition to a climate-neutral economy. To assess the impacts of these challenges on various EU...

The "Study on National Policies and Cohesion" report presents an analysis of nationally-funded policy measures aimed at enhancing territorial cohesion across the EU. Coordinated by DG REGIO and implemented by a consortium led by Technopolis-Group, CSIL, and Opix, the study addresses the lack of...

This study was performed from January to September 2024 by a consortium that includes t33 srl, Spatial Foresight and ÖIR. The study supports the European Commission in complying with the provisions of Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) Article 45: 'The Commission shall carry out a mid-term...

This review provides ideas to contribute to the ongoing discussion on the next cohesion policy period starting in 2028. It brings together results from our published audits, reviews and opinions on different aspects of the implementation of cohesion policy. It compares these findings with our...

The additionality principle of the European cohesion policy was verified ex-ante by the European Commission and was eliminated starting from the 2021-27 programming period. However, the cohesion treatment may have ex-post reduced, in some cases, national spending and the decision to eliminate...

This paper applies a multi-level social network analysis to examine Aragón's innovation ecosystem, focusing on a decade of competitive public projects (2014-2023) aligned with the region's Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) 2021-2027. By mapping and weighting the participation of regional...

The original full study analyses the evolution and current implementation status of synergies between the Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme (HE) and the funds and programmes underpinning the European Union's (EU) Cohesion Policy (CP). Synergies between the HE and CP...

This study examines the evolution and the current status of the implementation of synergies between Horizon Europe and the Cohesion Policy funds for research and innovation activities. It provides insights into the main barriers and drivers for the uptake of these synergies, along with possible...

This study examines the evolution and the current status of the implementation of synergies between Horizon Europe and the Cohesion Policy funds for research and innovation activities. It provides insights into the main barriers and drivers for the uptake of these synergies, along with possible...

The original full study analyses the evolution and current implementation status of synergies between the Horizon Europe research and innovation funding programme (HE) and the funds and programmes underpinning the European Union's (EU) Cohesion Policy (CP). Synergies between the HE and CP...

The purpose of the 'Support for Smart Villages in the CAP Strategic Plans' report carried out in the framework of the 2nd Preparatory Action - Smart areas in the 21th century - is to provide an overview on how Smart Villages concept has been programmed in the 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plans (CAP...

Smart Villages is a relatively new concept that was first formulated by the European Commission - at the initiation of the European Parliament through the EU Action for Smart Villages in 2017. The 1st Preparatory Action on Smart Rural Areas in the 21st Century (called Smart Rural 21 project,...

This paper introduces a novel approach to measuring synergies between Horizon 2020 and cohesion policy funding in the field of R&I during the 2014-2020 programming period. Leveraging project-level data, we calculate regional cosine similarity indices based on societal grand challenges (SGCs)...

Poverty can be defined in various ways, capturing different facets of deprivation. Traditionally, poverty has been understood as insufficient command over economic resources. This is typically measured in monetary terms and is expressed in one of two ways: absolute poverty, and relative poverty....

Green transition is one of the priority areas in the European Union (EU), and thus also the focus of EU cohesion policy implementation during the 2021-2027 programming period, through "green growth". To establish adequate guidelines and achieve better outcomes, it is necessary to observe and...

Unprecedented challenges require swift action. We need to modernise cohesion policy to boost Europe's competitiveness, defence and security, affordable housing, water resilience, and energy transition.

Smart specialisation is an EU policy approach, fully implemented from the 2014-2020 programming period onwards, wherein regions identify investment priorities and focus their EU regional innovation spending on them. The goal is to maximise competitive advantage and to build on the regions' own...

This policy brief presents one such initiative: a Peer2Peer study visit by the Andalusian delegation to their counterparts in Finland and Denmark. Facilitated by the Joint Research Centre and supported by the TAIEX-REGIO Peer2Peer instrument in collaboration with DG REGIO, the visit aimed to...

Unprecedented challenges require swift action. We need to modernise cohesion policy to boost Europe's competitiveness, defence and security, affordable housing, water resilience, and energy transition.

As one of the EU's key tools for participatory democracy, the European citizens' initiative (ECI) allows citizens to call directly on the European Commission to propose new laws in areas where the EU has competence. Since its launch, the ECI has given Europeans a stronger voice in shaping Union...

This study provides new evidence on the impact of the EU Cohesion Policy on income growth in less developed regions. Our panel includes data from all European regions for the years 1989-2020. Using a fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Design, we model treatment dynamics by applying a random effects...

The study performs an ex-post evaluation of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD) during the 2014-2022 implementation period, assessing its impact on poverty across EU regions. The study examines six key poverty measures, including population at risk of poverty or social...

The European Commission (EC) collaborates with national and regional authorities to cultivate a synergistic funding approach, optimising the impact of EU policy instruments. Within the regional framework, Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) play an essential role in fostering these synergies....

By international comparison as well as compared to other EU policies, the EU’s Cohesion Policy (CP) evaluation system is far developed and institutionalized. This paper analyses the remaining gaps and shortcomings in the CP evaluation system against principles established by the OECD and...

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 year's EIB Group Activities in EU Cohesion Regions report focuses on the importance of building inclusive communities. This report analyses the EIB Group's activity in cohesion regions in 2023, with particular emphasis on targeted social investments in key systemic enablers in those...