Regional Policy
Rural areas have bad internet access in most member states
Many rural parts of the EU have poor or no broadband internet, even as lawmakers in Brussels discuss new rules to speed up connectivity.
EU enlargement: A six percent target for the Western Balkans
If the Western Balkans are to overcome almost three decades of economic stagnation and crisis, they will need to double their annual growth rates. This will need a fundamental rethink of the EU’s enlargement policy, argue Tobias Flessenkemper and Dušan Reljić.
Mastercard poll: Serbians concerned about underground economy
The shadow economy limits the state's ability to provide public services, according to 2/3rds of Serbians surveyed. 8 out of 10 say it inhibits growth. For a country in which undocumented trade accounts for 30% of its GDP, the concern could not be clearer. EURACTIV.rs reports.
MEPs: European funds for poorer member states must not diminish
Negotiations are beginning on the future of the European budget, which also includes funds financing cohesion policy. Meeting in Strasbourg, MEPs agreed they should not be reduced. Aktuálně reports.
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‘Brexit’ and ‘future of Europe’ muddle EU’s budget decision-making
Günther Oettinger today (30 May) presented the draft EU budget for 2018, acknowledging decision-making difficulties. He said the next long-term budget should be tabled by next summer, to take into account the Brexit context and the decisions on the future of the Union.
Brexit will harm EU cohesion policy, regions warn
EU cohesion policy will “suffer heavily” during Brexit given the anticipated halting of payments for certain projects until 2020, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) warned. EURACTIV Greece reports.
Kosovo needs a new beginning
In Kosovo, far too much time has been spent on issues like border demarcation. Delivering peace instead of war is one thing but that is not enough when young people want a good education and their parents want jobs, warns Kosovar politician Kadri Veseli.
CoR president sees ‘enormous opportunity’ in Brexit
Committee of the Regions President Markku Markkula is adamant Brexit is an opportunity to "renew" the European Union, while cities and regions can be the drivers of change. EURACTIV Spain reports.
Greek SMEs vie for center stage in Juncker’s investment plan
The Greek government will try to use the Investment Plan for Europe in order to boost cash-strapped small and medium enterprises. EURACTIV Greece reports. In Greece, so-called “red” loans have exceeded €100 billion, representing 10% of all non-performing loans at EU level (€1.1 trillion). Of these, 68% belong to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). At the …
Commissioners promote more attractive cohesion policy
Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Crețu and Employment Commissioner Marianne Thyssen have submitted several proposals to make cohesion policy more visible and attractive.
Bulgaria risks losing EU funding for research infrastructure modernisation
EXCLUSIVE/ Documents seen by EURACTIV.com show that Bulgaria is set to lose millions of euros in EU funding aimed at modernising the country’s research infrastructure and stimulating its innovation potential, apparently due to its inability to select independent evaluators.
Romanian EU-funded project accused of data protection violations
The Romanian government has been accused of bias in its awarding of EU funding to the country’s intelligence services. The e-Governance project is also facing serious allegations that it violates European and domestic laws on personal data protection.
Commission insists poor-performing regions need structural reforms
The European Commission yesterday (11 April) suggested that regions with a lower level of growth could benefit from greater institutional capacity and structural reforms that could facilitate investment. EURACTIV Spain reports.
Crețu tells Athens ‘We are not Soviet Commissioners’
EU Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Crețu called the Greek government yesterday (6 April) to work more closely with the executive regarding the implementation of the Juncker Investment Plan. EURACTIV Greece reports.
Romania runs out of money to co-finance EU projects
Romania’s regional development minister has told the nation’s mayors that there is no more money left for co-financing European projects, since the limit has already been reached and the country tries to keep its deficit under 3%. EURACTIV Romania reports.
Clean Energy package fails to cut transport carbon emissions
RED II is a three-way climate fail: it cuts safe effective ethanol use, will not scale up advanced biofuels production and does not stop harmful palm oil energy.
Commission ‘not satisfied’ with Adriatic-Ionian Strategy results
European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Crețu is extremely dissatisfied with the poor performance of the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy's implementation. EURACTIV Greece reports.
EURACTIV Metamorphosis: The story behind EURACTIV’s rebranding
As you discover our rebranded euractiv.com website today, we wanted to walk you through the changes that have been taking place at EURACTIV over the last 6 or so months.
Poll: Serbs unwilling to go to war over Kosovo
Relations between Serbia and Kosovo may seem tense. But a new poll by an NGO shows that an overwhelming majority of Serbians wouldn’t support armed conflict in order to reclaim the province, which unilaterally declared independence in 2008. Euractiv Serbia reports.
Serbia-Croatia relations strained by the past
Relations between Belgrade and Zagreb are stuck. Frequently in crisis mode, their ties are beset by sharp rhetoric, especially during election periods, say Serbian and Croatian political analysts. Euractiv Serbia reports.
Visegrád on Trump: Anxious but optimistic
Depending on which country you ask, in Central Europe, the new US government is either a source of unease in matters concerning Moscow or, in the case of Hungary, newfound confidence. Euractiv's Central European partners report.
Czech Regions VP: Cohesion policy must serve citizens
Czech and Slovak national delegations to the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) recently presented a joint opinion on the future of cohesion policy after 2020, in which they set out seven common principles and priorities for the next programming period.
Greek regional governor: Local economies need leverage to ‘breathe’
A new development fund launched in northern Greece aims to boost SMEs’ role in the local economy and simultaneously ensure transparency in financial management, the governor of the Western Macedonia region told EURACTIV Greece.