European Committee of the Regions: Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget, Matias, M., Mattiuz, D., Rodrigues, M. and Gelibolyan, K., Addressing transport poverty – The role of EU policy and funding instruments, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2863/0610033

The study focusses on how transport poverty threatens territorial and social cohesion and what the EU level can do about it. It looks into the added value of early involvement of Local and Regional Authorities in the design of European programmes and implementation of mitigation strategies. The study looks into the possible contribution of existing EU policy instruments, first and foremost the Social Climate Fund, Cohesion policy and the Recovery and Resilience Facility to tackle transport poverty. EU policy instruments can only be successful if the local and regional level is closely involved in their design and implementation in particular of the national social climate plans which should be submitted by July 2025.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Bridging gaps – EU cohesion policy – Creating a better life for Europeans, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The European Union’s Cohesion Policy is vital in reducing economic and social disparities and promoting harmonious development across the continent. The policy, implemented together with the EU countries and regions, gives active, timely support for employment, entrepreneurship, research & development, infrastructure, environment, human capital and much more in line with objectives of smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth. The title of the publication, Bridging Gaps, refers to exactly that: it is through Cohesion Policy that regions can address their needs and capitalise their advantages for everyone’s benefit.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Hormigos Feliu, C., Batista e Silva, F., Dijkstra, L., Auteri, D. et al., Challenges and opportunities for territorial cohesion in Europe – Contributions to the 9th Cohesion report, Batista e Silva, F.(editor) and Dijkstra, L.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This report assembles a series of separate scientific contributions to the European Commission’s Ninth Report on Economic, Social and Territorial Cohesion. The report includes seven short research papers providing background and insight under three broad topics with relevance to European regional and urban policy: Urbanisation and regional economic trends; Transport and digital accessibility; and Sectoral analyses (renewable energy and tourism). Each short paper documents a novel research or analysis based on the most recent data available, thus providing up-to-date and timely evidence on issues with a strong territorial dimension.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Applica, Cambridge Econometrics, E3-Modelling, Ismeri Europa, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, The University Politecnico di Milano and Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, Challenges for cohesion – Looking ahead to 2035 – Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/5481853

The study delves into the future landscape of EU Cohesion Policy, set against the backdrop of three challenges: globalisation and technological advancements, shifting demographic trends, and the transition to a climate-neutral economy. To assess the impacts of these challenges on various EU regions, the study performs a regional vulnerability analysis, utilises four macroeconomic models to project potential developments in the economy and examines the on-the-ground responses to the challenges via case studies. The study highlights several risks.

European Commission: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, Kalpoe, R., van der Linden, N. and Janisch, T., A cities guide to reskilling the local workforce – Introduction to launching a local or regional skills partnership, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/9063482

The Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is a European Commission initiative that supports cities in using cutting-edge technologies to lead the intelligent, green and socially responsible recovery. ICC cities and their local ecosystems will be engines for the recovery of their local economies, create new jobs, and strengthen citizen participation and wellbeing. The first phase of ICC supported a total of 136 cities in the period from 27 January 2020 to 30 November 2022. The ICC is continued by the second phase launched on 1 December 2022 – with a new group of cities to be selected to take part in the network and benefit from advisory support.

European Committee of the Regions, Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and EU Budget, Toptsidou, M., Böhme, K., et al., 2024.

The world faces major economic, social, technological, political and environmental challenges that shape the everyday life of people and businesses. The European Union has a strong potential to deal with such challenges and ensure a just future for all its places and people. Among others, the EU has two powerful tools for this, the Single Market and Cohesion Policy. Although Cohesion Policy has helped to reduce disparities, there are still inequalities in the EU which risk undermining its future prosperity. In the coming years, economic growth in the EU will be driven by the twin green and digital transitions, which will bring new opportunities. At the same time significant changes are likely to create new regional disparities.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Communicating operations of strategic importance in 2021-2027 – A practical toolbox, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The regulatory framework for the 2021-2027 programming period introduces a new feature for programmes across the EU, the so-called ‘operations of strategic importance’. With thousands of Cohesion policy projects funded each year across Europe, new CPR provisions aim to highlight key and emblematic operations, and set the stage for them to tell the programme’s story and Cohesion policy’s contribution. It is up to Member States and managing authorities to set out the operations of strategic importance.

Rodríguez-Pose, A., Connectivity and regional innovation, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/7684316

Connectivity plays a crucial role in the innovative capacity of firms, especially those located in less developed and remote areas. This paper explores the growing importance of connectivity and the establishment of purpose-built distant relationships as drivers of innovation in firms, particularly in regions far from dynamic innovation ecosystems. I argue that fostering partnerships and connections with firms, research centres, universities, consultancies, and other socio-economic actors, often located far away, can serve as catalysts for resilient innovation in remote and lagging areas and for unlocking their innovation potential. Policymakers need to design targeted strategies that promote collaboration and knowledge exchange, enabling firms in remote regions to overcome the tyranny of geographical distance and thrive, while, simultaneously, improving local conditions for the absorption of new knowledge and its transformation into economic activity.

European Committee of the Regions: Commission for the Environment, Climate Change and Energy, Paltriguera, L., Vona, L., Vroom, I. and Markowska, A., The contribution of EU cities and regions to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, European Committee of the Regions, 2024.

This study identifies and analyses best practices in biodiversity conservation and nature restoration across European cities and regions, and assesses how they relate to the targets of the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). The study touches upon governance, policy frameworks, enabling factors, measurable outputs, and impacts of the projects, as well as challenges faced by local and regional authorities in implementing biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration measures.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, AEBR, HÉTFA, Nordregio and ÖIR, Cross-border regional labour market analysis – Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/1527569

The Cross-Border Regional Labour Market Analysis project, commissioned by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, examines labour markets across contiguous border regions in Europe. Conducted from June 2023 to November 2024, the project aims to improve and promote the development of cross-border labour market analyses by proposing methodologies for data collection and compilation, identifying structural differences and complementarities, and promoting greater market integration.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, AEBR, HÉTFA, Nordregio and ÖIR, Cross-border regional labour market analysis – Handbook to reinforce cross-border regional labour market analysis, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/6398785

This handbook is a key output of the Cross-Border Labour Market project (CBLM) conducted by ÖIR, HÉFTA, Nordregio and commissioned by the European Commission, Directorate General Regional and Urban Policy. The overall project aimed at understanding and addressing complexities of labour markets in cross-border regions and providing an approach to labour market analysis. This handbook is designed to highlight the key findings and exemplary practices identified through the CBLM project. More specifically, it builds on analyses and case studies conducted in 11 different cross-border regions within the European Union.

European Commission: Joint Research Centre, Dijkstra, L. and Jacobs-Crisioni, C., Defining functional rural areas, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Our understanding of rural areas in the EU is limited by the lack of comparable geographies. Good analysis is built on spatial units that have similar characteristics. For example, they should be similar in size and capture a similar type of territory. For rural areas, regions are too big and thus include a wide range of territories, while municipalities (local administrative units) are in most cases too small and differ too much in size between Member States. This brief describes a new geography to improve our understanding of rural life: Functional Rural Areas or FRAs.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and Bandeira Morais, M., The economics of place-based policies in the EU – A review of the literature and economic impact, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/3974712

With increasing territorial polarisation across Europe, place-based interventions have gained prominence among policymakers and academics. This paper reviews the academic literature on the economic impact of place-based policies in the European Union, focusing on Cohesion Policy, national place-based interventions including cluster and enterprise zone policies, and regional state aid. Cohesion Policy is the main instrument for the implementation of place-based policies in the EU, targeting underperforming regions through its different funds with the aim of reducing disparities in economic and social development across places.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Benoit, F., Di Girolamo, V., Diodato, D., Canton, E. et al., Enhancing EU policy through complexity metrics – A new lens for research and innovation, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/0035513

Understanding local capabilities is vital for identifying regional specializations and technological trajectories in a knowledge-based economy. Traditional indicators, such as R&D expenditure, fail to capture the quality and interdependencies of knowledge creation. Complexity and relatedness metrics address this gap by offering deeper insights into economic activities and their connections. The paper shows how using these tools can enhance the design of more impactful, data-driven policies that foster growth and address societal challenges.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, De Dominicis, L., Cabeza Martinez, B., Kovacic, M. and Papadimitriou, E., The EU regional Social Progress Index 2.0 – 2024 edition, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

Measuring economic development beyond GDP is of paramount importance for fostering regional cohesion, promoting inclusive growth, and advancing sustainable development. Therefore, there is a growing emphasis in the European Union on incorporating alternative metrics that offer a more comprehensive assessment of progress and well-being across EU regions. Against this backdrop, the EU regional Social Progress Index (EU-SPI) has proved to be a valuable tool, complementing traditional economic indicators by capturing a broader range of social factors contributing to well-being. The 2024 edition of the EU-SPI seeks to improve the previous editions of the index making it an even more powerful tool in measuring social progress across EU regions in its many dimensions.

European Commission: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency and Bothé, S., European interregional innovation investments (I3) and the Green Deal, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2826/3983010

The document, prepared under the supervision of the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), focuses on the classification and evaluation of green projects funded by the European Union. It examines the distribution of projects based on their sustainability objectives and categorizes them into various green goals, such as clean energy, circular economy, sustainable food systems, and ecosystem preservation. The report provides statistical insights into participant types, funding allocation, and regional distribution, highlighting the role of SMEs, research institutions, and public bodies in advancing sustainability initiatives. Additionally, it discusses key EU strategies and policies related to green innovation, including the European Green Deal, the Hydrogen Strategy, and the Sustainable Blue Economy framework.

European Commission, Eurostat, EU Publications Office, 2024.

The Eurostat regional yearbook provides you with an overview of economic, social, demographic and environmental developments in the EU regions. It includes data for regions in 27 EU countries, 4 EFTA countries, as well as 9 candidate countries. An extensive set of indicators is presented in the form of maps, figures and infographics: these have been designed to highlight regional variations and similarities. The Eurostat regional yearbook gives you the opportunity to journey across our continent looking at a broad range of topics described in numbers.

European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), 2023.

This guide has been put together to serve as a source of information for regional and local authorities, NGOs, businesses, professionals and
citizens on how to access funding for their projects from a number of EU funds.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Energy, Mapping of renewable energy projects with regional impact, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The objective of this study is to provide supporting evidence which analyses the role of renewable energy generation projects with regional impact as a driver for more successful implementation of the Fit for 55 package and the increased ambition for renewable energy and support the swift implementation of such projects. The study aims to assist the Commission in implementing the policy for support of the deployment of renewables in line with the European Green Deal objectives and the increased ambition for renewables by the revised Renewable Energy Directive, by utilising the untapped potential of the cooperation between Member States on renewables. This study provides a clear overview on the existing and planned concrete renewable energy projects having cross-border relevance, by defining a set of criteria for defining renewable energy projects that are relevant in a regional context.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Durán Laguna, J., D'Apice, P., Grzegorzewska, M., De Franceschi, F. et al., Ninth report on economic, social and territorial cohesion, Durán Laguna, J.(editor), Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

The 9th Cohesion Report highlights significant achievements of Cohesion Policy in terms of fostering upwards economic and social convergence in the Union. Challenges remain especially at regional level, and these will be further impacted by structural transformations. Lessons learned from past implementation periods, and from the interplay with other instruments, underline the need for further improvement of the design of Cohesion Policy. A stronger and modernised policy is essential to fortify Europe’s growth model, to build an inclusive Union, and to deliver on the Treaty objective of economic, social and territorial cohesion.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Viscido, S., Strauka, O. and Coroler, E., Policy landscape supporting technology infrastructures in Europe – Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This report presents the results of the study “Policy Landscape Supporting Technology Infrastructures in Europe”. It consists in a thorough landscape analysis of all types of strategies, policies, programmes, instruments, public and private investment plans and funding streams supporting Technology Infrastructures at regional, national and EU levels. It provides background information to support the discussions on the development of a more strategic and coordinated approach to Technology Infrastructures in Europe, in the context of the European Research Area (ERA) Action 12. In addition to the EU level analysis, the study covered the 27 EU Members States, five selected Third Countries namely Canada, Japan, Switzerland, the UK and the US, and included a more detailed analysis through 12 case studies

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Viscido, S., Strauka, O., Coroler, E., Pupelytė, A. et al., Policy landscape supporting technology infrastructures in Europe – Final report. Annex II, Case studies, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024.

This Case Studies’ report is annexed to the EC-commissioned study on the “Policy Landscape Supporting Technology Infrastructures in Europe”. It provides an in-depth analysis on 12 specific topics of interest for the development of a European approach to Technology Infrastructures. The developed 12 case studies cover the funding programmes and instruments supporting TIs; mechanisms that enable the synergies of funds supporting TIs; TI cases with specific business models, roadmapping exercises for TIs and other technology-specific topics (defence, advanced material). The results of these analyses is integrated into the final report of the study.

European Committee of the Regions: Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs, Sidło, K., Polak, A. and Aleszko-Lessels, O., Preparing for the enlargement from a territorial perspective – Governance, policies and investments to ensure the role and means of LRAs in an enlarged EU, European Committee of the Regions, 2024.

The study explores how enlargement would affect the Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy areas with a deep impact on local and regional authorities, as well as the allocation of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) at regional and local level. Taking into account three scenarios (no enlargement, new "big bang," and staged enlargement), it also looks into the governance framework and the key institutional reforms needed to enhance the role of local and regional authorities in the enlargement process and in the new, enlarged EU.

European Committee of the Regions, Priorities 2025-2030 – Resolution, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2863/3068429

Resolution of the European Committee of the Regions on the priorities of the European Committee of the Regions for 2025-2030 166th plenary session, 14 and 15 May 2025.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2025, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/2313906

This study provides the results of the 2025 edition of the Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS). The 12th edition of the RIS offers a comparative assessment of the research and innovation performance of 241 regions in 22 EU Member States, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Five countries (Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Malta) are included in the RIS only at the country level. The RIS is a regional extension of the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS) and it is based on 23 out of the 32 EIS indicators.

Kelchtermans, S., Goñi Navarro, L., Lindholm Dahlstrand, Å., Mifsud, S. and Zacharewicz, T., Regional Innovation Valleys (European innovation ecosystems work programme call and call for expression of interest) Gap Analysis report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/9263010

The Regional Innovation Valleys (RIV) initiative is a flagship action under the New European Innovation Agenda (NEIA), designed to strengthen innovation ecosystems across the European Union by fostering interregional collaboration and accelerating the deployment of innovation. The initiative supports partnerships between regions with varying levels of innovation performance to address key EU challenges such as energy resilience, food security, digital transformation, healthcare, and circularity.

Trippl, M., Schwaag Serger, S. and Erdős, K., Rethinking the role of universities in place-based innovation policies for sustainability transitions, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/0167466

Territorial manifestations of multiple crises and the shift of place-based innovation policies towards tackling sustainability challenges have far-reaching implications for the role of universities in regional development. Drawing on various literatures on the contributions of universities to regional development, we explore the strategies and practices that would define a revised role for universities in light of increasing environmental, social but also economic challenges. The aim of this concept paper is to outline new tasks for universities, which enable them to leverage their potential to make significant contributions to regional sustainability transition processes and policies.

European Committee of the Regions, 2024.

A snapshot of the most pressing challenges faced by regions and cities across Europe, as well as solutions from the ground to inform EU policy decisions.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, CSIL, Opix, Technopolis-Group, Marinelli, E. et al., Study on national policies and cohesion – Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/0375705

The "Study on National Policies and Cohesion" report presents an analysis of nationally-funded policy measures aimed at enhancing territorial cohesion across the EU. Coordinated by DG REGIO and implemented by a consortium led by Technopolis-Group, CSIL, and Opix, the study addresses the lack of a systematic database for these measures.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Foresight, t33, ÖIR, Levarlet, F. et al., Study to support the mid-term evaluation of cohesion policy programmes 2021-2027 financed by the ERDF, Cohesion Fund and JTF – Final report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/0575914

This study was performed from January to September 2024 by a consortium that includes t33 srl, Spatial Foresight and ÖIR. The study supports the European Commission in complying with the provisions of Common Provisions Regulation (CPR) Article 45: ‘The Commission shall carry out a mid-term evaluation to examine the effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and Union added value of each Fund by the end of 2024’. This study covers design, programming and implementation for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Cohesion Fund (CF) and Just Transition Fund (JTF) from 1 January 2021 in the 27 Member States. This includes all categories of regions (less developed, transition, more developed; of which outermost and northern sparsely populated regions also receive special allocations).

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy and Manych, N., Supporting sustainable transport – A toolkit for just transition regions, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/9254329

This toolkit outlines approaches for how to make the transport sector in coal and carbon-intensive regions, and in particular Just Transition Fund (JTF) territories, more sustainable while increasing its quality, accessibility, and economic potential. These territories often experience severe transport poverty and lack a transport network connection to other localities both within and beyond the given region.1 In addition, existing transportation options outside larger cities are predominantly based on private cars and heavily reliant on fossil fuels.

European Commission: Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, Casas, P., Christou, T., García Rodríguez, A., Heidelk, T. et al., The updated RHOMOLO impact assessment of the 2014-2020 European cohesion policy (including REACT-EU), Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2776/6178022

We analyse the macroeconomic impact of the European cohesion policy investments deployed during the 2014–2020 programming period on the basis of simulations carried out with the spatial dynamic general equilibrium model called RHOMOLO. We use the latest data on actual expenditures including the EUR 50 billion falling under the recovery assistance for cohesion and the territories of Europe (REACT-EU) programme extending the response to the COVID-19 crisis.