Today, the European Commission published the 8th Cohesion Report with the main message being that the development disparities between the European regions are decreasing thanks to EU support.
The European Commission Representation in Slovenia released the news that projections show the EU Cohesion Policy funding will help raise GDP per capita by 5% by 2023 in the less-developed regions, with the gap between the ten most developed and the ten most underdeveloped regions decreasing by 3.5%. The Report also says that the gap between the less-developed regions in Eastern Europe and the rest of the EU is closing. Convergence between the EU Member States is accelerating.
Employment is increasing; however, regional disparities have risen compared to 2008. The number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion has fallen by 17 million between 2012 and 2019. The innovation gap between the EU regions has grown, and the EU population is ageing.
The Report identifies Cohesion Policy as one of the most important sources of investment, giving EU Member States the main and quick support during the economic downturn and in period of one of the most severe crises.
The new programmes under the programming period 2021-2027 will continue to invest in regions and people with the support under the NextGenerationEU package.
Every three years, the Commission publishes the report on economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU, which analyses the progress made in the field of cohesion on the basis of several indicators.
The Report is available on the European Commission website HERE.
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