|
|
|
WANT TO KNOW MORE? |
|
EU FUNDS
|
|
Regional Assistance
|
|
ERDF
|
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
| Period: 2007 - 2013 |
| Budget: NA |
The ERDF contributes to the financing of assistance towards the reinforcement of economic, social and territorial cohesion by reducing regional disparities and supporting the structural development and adjustment of regional economies, including the conversion of declining industrial regions.
The ERDF will focus on financing in the following areas:
| • Productive investment |
| • Infrastructure |
| • Other development initiatives including services to enterprises, creation and development of financing instruments such as venture capital, loan and guarantee funds and local development funds, interest subsidies, neighbourhood services, and exchange of experience between regions, towns, and relevant social, economic and environmental actors |
| • Technical assistance |
The type and range of actions to be financed within each priority shall reflect the different nature of the Convergence , Regional competitiveness and Employment and European Territorial Cooperation objectives.
Under the Convergence objective, the ERDF shall focus its assistance on supporting sustainable integrated regional and local economic development by mobilising and strengthening endogenous capacity through programmes aimed at the modernisation and diversification of regional economic structures, primarily in the following areas:
| • R&D in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship |
| • Information technology |
| • Environment |
| • Risk prevention |
| • Tourism |
| • Investment in transport |
| • Energy |
| • Education |
| • Health |
| • Direct assistance for investment in small businesses |
Under the Regional Competitiveness and Employment objective, the ERDF shall focus its assistance, in the context of regional sustainable development strategies, on the following priorities:
| • Innovation and the knowledge economy, through support to the design and implementation of regional innovation strategies conducive to efficient regional innovation systems |
| • Environment and risk prevention |
• Access, outside major urban centres, to transport and telecommunication services of general economic interest |
ERDF assistance under the European Territorial Cooperation objective also targets three key areas:
| • Developing cross-border economic and social activities through joint strategies. This mainly involves encouraging entrepreneurship, collaboration in the field of environmental protection, and reducing isolation. The Fund can also help promote the integration of cross-border labour markets, local employment initiatives, equal opportunities, training and measures to combat social exclusion, as well as the sharing of human resources and facilities for technology R&D |
| • Establishing and developing transnational cooperation, including bilateral cooperation between maritime regions. Priorities will be managing water resources, improving accessibility, risk prevention and creating science and technology networks |
| • Making regional policy more effective, i.e. encouraging regional and local authorities to form networks and share know-how |
The eligible countries for funding under ERDF are the EU Member States (EU 27).
Council regulation (EC) 1080/2006 on ERDF on 5 July 2006 PDF |
|
|
Europa Media Magazine
|
|
YOUR OPINION
What will be the future political make-up of the EU at the end of 2013?
|
|
|