(07 December 2018) – At the request of Portugal, the European Commission green-lighted the modification of eleven 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy programmes to shift resources (€2.7 billion) where they are now most needed.
.The revised programmes will allow Portugal to focus further on key areas for the future of its economy and for a better quality of life in the country; innovation in small and medium businesses (+ €688 million), skills and training (+ €931 million), support to employment and entrepreneurship (+ €256 million), clean urban mobility (+ €285 million) and social infrastructure (+ €627 million).
In particular, the reprogramming exercise will enable the implementation of new large infrastructure projects of strategic importance: the extension of the metros in Lisbon and Porto, the modernisation of the Cascais urban railway line and a new mobility system for the Mondego area, near the city of Coimbra.
A new scheme, blending grants and financial instruments, will be set up to help innovative small and medium businesses get better access to finance.