Cuardaigh

The Cohesion Fund, set up in 1994 by Council Regulation (EC) 1164/94, provides funding for environmental and trans-European network projects.

The Trans-European Networks (TENs) are partly funded by the European Union and partly by the Member States. Financial support from the EU serves as a catalyst, the Member States being required to provide the bulk of the financing. The financing of the TENs can also be complemented by Structural Fund assistance, aid from the European Investment Bank or contributions from the private sector. A major reform was introduced across the TENs with the establishment of the Connecting Europe Facility in 2013 ...

This paper provides an overview of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) as a budgetary instrument. A preliminary analysis of the quantitative impact of the first year and a half of activity is complemented by an outline of the corollary policies that can determine the success of EFSI.

Cohesion policy and its Structural Funds are one of the main EU instruments to sustain economic growth, while reducing disparities between regions. These funds are allocated to Member States (MS) under a complex legal framework, according to the level of development of their regions.

Due to considerable overlaps between development and climate finance and the danger that funding is diverted from existing development assistance it would be important to define a baseline against which additionality can be measured. So far, no internationally agreed definition exists. The EU could step forward and come to a common approach even if this might temporarily disadvantage Member States under the current reporting practice. Any such definition should build on the commitment to raise ODA ...

The European Commission has set a target of access to fast internet for all citizens by 2013, with high speeds by 2020. This is being translated into plans and actions at Member State level.

This study sets out concepts and findings, and the desirable content of an EU methodology along with recommendations for contributing to efforts to support the capitalisation and promotion of good practice in the field of territorial development, co-financed in the framework of Community regional policy, for the 2000-2006 and 2007-2013 Structural Funds programming periods.