(08 November 2013) After more than a year of negotiations with the Commission and EU ministers, a Parliament committee has agreed a deal on the EU’s cohesion policy for 2014-2020, paving the way for the €325 billion investment tool for the EU’s poor regions to come into force in time, before the end of the year.
The regional development committee endorsed yesterday the deal struck with EU member states on the reform of key regulation covering all EU funds. This clears the last hurdle before the deal goes to the entire Parliament for a vote in plenary, possibly during the 18-21 November session.
Poland is by far the biggest recipient of cohesion funds, with €72.5 billion. The country in second place, Italy, will receive €29.2 billion.
Less developed regions (see map) are priority recipients of cohesion funds. Almost the entire territory of Poland and the South of Italy are considered less developed regions. The entire territories of Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, as well as the majority of the territories of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Greece are considered less developed regions. (With EurActiv)