Regional Policy

Worst yet to come? Jobs and Cohesion in 2021

As the EU economy reels from the pandemic, forecasts suggest that unemployment rates across the bloc may hit their peak this year. At the same time, some 20% of firms foresee a permanent reduction in employment, according to the European Investment Bank's (EIB) investment report published last Thursday (21 January).

Why the EU has a big role to play in tackling the housing crisis

Since housing is a fundamental right guaranteed at EU level, the bloc has to play its part and support cities and countries in tackling the housing crisis, providing affordable, adequate and sustainable housing, writes Kim van Sparrentak. Kim van Sparrentak...

Regions want a larger say in future EU-UK relationship

Europe's local politicians want a bigger role in establishing the future relationship between the EU and the UK. This was the overwhelming feeling among members of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) at Monday's meeting of the CoR-UK contact group. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Poland, Hungary face EU regional funds blockage over fundamental rights charter

Respect for the EU charter of fundamental rights could be used to withhold EU money going to projects that trample over democracy or discriminate against gay and lesbian people, an EU official has said.

European Investment Bank: the unseen rise of a cohesion giant

Having undergone a significant transformation that raised its public profile, the European Investment Bank (EIB) is set to occupy an increasing role in bridging development gaps between the EU’s regions while raising funds for greening, but public finance watchers warn ...

Polish regions still hesitant to use repayable assistance for urban development

One of the consequences of the development processes in the EU is the growing disparity in cities and urban areas. In Poland, EU projects utilising financial instruments aim to narrow disparities but experts fear that there is still little appetite to use repayable assistance when grants are available.

REACT-EU has been approved: Here’s what Germany gets

European regional policy has a special role to play in overcoming the coronavirus crisis, with one of the main new instruments being REACT-EU, a fund which represents an increase of €47.5 billion in structural funds. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Venturing into cohesion: EU structural funds help create Croatian start-up ecosystem

Equity projects remain an under-explored form of EU financing to jump-start innovation in developing capital markets, but Fil Rouge Capital, a Croatian project, shows they can be a fruitful avenue to stimulate the domestic business ecosystem while raising the country's profile internationally.

MEP Fernandes: There is a risk EU countries may forget about repayable support

Faced with tight deadlines to programme recovery and new cohesion funds while still implementing projects from the previous budgetary period, EU countries may be tempted to forget about repayable Union assistance, warned Portuguese MEP José Manuel Fernandes, in which case a lot of cheap money would be left on the table.

The promises and challenges of repayable EU structural funds

With increased pressure on the core cohesion budget, financial instruments utilised as a means of delivering EU structural fund support are touted as a way to do “more with less” by leveraging EU and public money to generate private investment...

Repayable support: no silver bullet but a means to tackle EU funds graft

Increasing the role of loans and guarantees utilised to narrow the disparities between European regions may help combat the misuse of EU funds but cannot replace the role of accountability, transparency and sound domestic institutions.

EU institutions close in on cohesion package deal

EU lawmakers have struck a deal on a new structural aid fund and are approaching a compromise on supporting regions transitioning from coal, with the final white smoke from co-legislators on total regional support from the EU's next seven-year budget expected on Wednesday. (9 December).

Agreement on EU regional funding: Germany gets less

After a tough struggle, the three-way negotiations on EU structural funding rules have been concluded and white smoke rose from the co-legislators. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Why Europe must reskill workers to reach its climate goals

The large-scale social and economic shifts caused by the clean energy transition should be managed with care, write Magnus Tyreman and Hauke Engel. A broad training effort would enable Europe to create a labour force that will thrive during the pursuit of the net-zero emissions target, they argue.

Lawmakers strike deal on cohesion rulebook amid looming payment cuts

EU lawmakers reached an eleventh hour deal on Tuesday (1 December) on the legislation laying out the rule book for the structural funds that make up almost a third of the future EU budget, after two years of negotiations.

Exploring discontent with the EU

EURACTIV takes a closer look a what the geography of EU discontent is, what a regional analysis of the citizens’ dissatisfaction can reveal about the places that are most anti-EU and what the EU can do.

Social Economy – a driver of cohesion

  In the second part of EURACTIV’s series on cohesion policy, the European Union’s project to decrease the disparities between its regions, we look at social economy, its importance to the bloc’s economic and social health as well as its...

EU’s regions and local authorities brace for difficult times ahead – survey

Regional governments across the EU are bracing for difficult times ahead as they lack technical means and have scarce financial resources, according to a joint survey conducted by the European Committee of the Regions and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. EURACTIV France reports.

Lawmakers strike deal on first recovery funds as vetoes loom

EU lawmakers on Wednesday (18 November) reached a political agreement on REACT-EU, the €47.5 billion fund that will channel European money to prop up the bloc's economy by supporting health services and small businesses.

Polish rural areas: How to stop migration to cities?

The latest report on the state of the rural areas in Poland indicates these areas face a number of demographic, economic and social challenges. Is migration to cities one of them? EURACTIV Poland had a closer look.

Structural weaknesses to be remedied in Germany’s rural areas, Klöckner promises

There is a backlog of demand in rural Germany, particularly in the area of digitalisation, according to a new report on the development of rural areas presented on Wednesday morning (11 November) by agriculture minister Julia Klöckner and interior minister Horst Seehofer. EURACTIV Germany reports.

MEPs worry about ‘funding gap’ for EU regions as talks press ahead

EU lawmakers want to ensure there is no financing gap between the next budgetary period for the policy that aims to reduce disparities between European regions, even if talks on the new regulation laying out the ground rules for the use of EU funds gets delayed.

Tackling migration through cohesion: what role for regions and civil society?

With the EU’s New Pact on Asylum and Migration presented recently, the issue of migration remains on the top of the agenda for decision-makers across the bloc. Though most often thought of as the competence of national governments, local and...

Mediterranean Union boss: We are doomed to work together

Countries are “doomed to work together and find common solutions” as partners, particularly in the face of the growing climate emergency in the region, Nasser Kamel, secretary-general of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), told EURACTIV in an interview. Kamel...