New rules for investing €325bn in regional development projects across the EU in 2014-2020 were approved by the Regional Development Committee. 
This funding – roughly a third of the EU budget – will boost local growth and job creation.
MEPs ensured that local and regional partners will have a bigger say in decisions, theme-based planning will be more flexible and regional policy will focus more closely on environmental issues.
Regional Development Committee Chair Danuta Hübner (EPP, PL) said:
“After many months of intense negotiations, thanks to my negotiating teams’ insistence, we have reached agreement with the Council on more than 90% of the whole legislative package and considerably improved the rules for a more efficient future Cohesion Policy.
“With the vote, those who implement the programmes and projects in the regions will have more certainty. We will continue to work hard to find a compromise with the Council also on the remaining issues, in order to have a final vote in October so that by 2014 the programmes will be up and running.”
The five draft reports in the legislative package voted in committee reflect the outcome of more than 10 months of negotiations with the Council.
