Sustainable territorial and local development

The European Commission has adopted in November 2006 a new initiative "Regions For Economic Change" aiming at testing best practice for economic modernisation and increased competitiveness.

 

With a budget of € 375 million for the period 2007-2013, the new initiative introduces new ways to dynamise regional and urban networks to help them work closely with the Commission. The objective is to have innovative ideas tested and rapidly disseminated through the EU regional policy programmes.

 

A new element for 2007-2013 will be that the Commission will itself offer the networks a number of themes focused on economic modernisation and the renewed Lisbon agenda*. Volunteer networks of participating member states, regions and cities will select several development themes which interest them and pursue them through joint networks co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF**). This will provide the Commission with a testing ground for its economic modernisation ideas within the themes it has laid down.

 

The text of the Communication "Regions for Economic Change" and the list of themes are available on the EU Commission's website.

 

* The aim of the Lisbon Agenda is to lead to an economic, social and environmental renewal within the European Union by 2010, in order to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

 

** The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)