Przedsięwzięcia prośrodowiskowe finansowane ze środków funduszy unijnych

The EU promotes the implementation of pro-ecological solutions in the member states to restore the environment in order to improve the living conditions of the citizens. Co-financing for the implementation of projects supporting the protection of climate change is mainly provided under the Infrastructure and Environment Operational Program, as well as Regional Operational Programs and the Cohesion Fund. The aim of the article is to show how helpful measures will contribute to the improvement of the favorable environment.The dogmatic and legal analysis was used as the basic research method, which made it possible to select the extent to which EU funds support pro-environmental activities.

10. Contemplative Studies of the 'Natural' World

As mentioned, the Cohesion Policy is the EU’s main investment policy and — in the wake of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis — the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund became the major sources of finance for investment in many countries. Francesco Prota, Gianfranco Viesti and Mauro Bux, in chapter 10, review how this policy has evolved over time in terms of financial size and geographical coverage. Firstly, in the programming period 2000–2006, the centre of gravity in Structural Funds allocation shifted from the Southern regions too the Eastern regions of Europe. What is interesting is that, looking at the expenditure composition by types, ‘transport infrastructure’ and ‘environmental infrastructure’ are the main expenditure items. The investments in transport infrastructure financed by the Cohesion Policy have changed the accessibility of EU regions. In particular, many regions in Eastern Europe have significantly benefitted from the Cohesion Policy financed transport infrastructure investments in terms of improved accessibility. Also, as result of the 2008 crisis, the Cohesion Policy has been the major source of finance for public investment for many Member States of the European Union. In 2015–2017 it represents around 14% of the total; this figure is larger than 50% in some small Central and Eastern European countries, in Portugal and Croatia; larger than 40% in Poland; larger than 30% in most of the other Central and Eastern European countries. In the EU-15, the figure is lower in most Member States (7% for Spain, 4.4% for Italy and 2.5 % for Germany). However, it has reached 20% of total capital expenditures in Convergence regions in Spain, 15% in Italy and 10% in Germany.

Spatial differentiation in the EU fund absorption in Poland – a regional outlook

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to conduct an analysis of spatial differentiation of the EU fund absorption of the programming period of 2007-2013 as well as the period of 2014- 2020 in its regional dimension, i.e. at the level of 380 districts in Poland. The article attempts to test a hypothesis according to which in Poland there exist significant spatial variations in using European funds. Design/methodology/approach: In order to specify the level of the socio-economic development of districts, the Hellwig method has been used, by means of which a synthetic measure of development has been construed. Moreover, the compilation has examined the correlation between the discrepancies between the socio-economic level in respective districts and the amount of the community funds used in specific regions. Findings: Based on the research conducted in this paper, one may conclude that the absorption of EU funds stemming from structural funds as well as the cohesion fund is highly spatially varied. In Poland, from the standpoint of districts, there are significant spatial discrepancies in the use of EU funds of the 2007-2013 as well as 2014-2020 financial perspective. Research limitations/implications: In the future, research can be extended to other countries. The research limitation may be, however, the availability of empirical data. Social implications: The results of the research may prove useful in the planning and redistribution of EU funds by central and local government in the new financial perspective 2021-2027 in Poland. Originality/value The article presents a new approach to research on the spatial differentiation of the absorption of EU funds using the Hellwig method and the relationship between the absorption of these funds and the change in the level of socio-economic development.

The Role of Cohesion Policy in the Development of Romania

Cohesion is a common European value. The E.U.’s cohesion policy is and will remain an essential financing instrument for various multiannual development programs, for both member states and regions. This policy contributes to the development of the European Union, by reducing disparities between regions, generating jobs and increasing GDP per capita. The current paper aims to highlight several accomplishments and failings of the current cohesion policy, with a particular focus on post-2007 Romania, as well as taking a look at the future policy, envisioned for 2021 - 2027. The cohesion fund is making investments in areas such as digital infrastructure, innovation, combating climate change, ecological transition, energy, health and others. The main criterion on which this kind of financing is made is GDP per capita; however, other criteria have been added as well: youth unemployment, level of education, climate change and likely, migrant integration, in the near future. The European Commission proposes that, for the next multiannual financial framework, namely 2021 - 2027, local authorities become more involved in managing E.U. funds, particularly cohesion funds. Several new elements have been identified, for this following time frame, which will contribute to the modernization of the cohesion policy; they include investments across all regions, making them more accessible to E.U. citizens, making it more adapted to regional development and linking it to the European semester.

A Spatial Analysis of the Achievements, in Terms of Regional Development, Accomplished by the Initial EU-Member Cohesion Fund Beneficiaries Using a Synthetic Indicator

This study proposes construction of a synthetic indicator to measure progress toward the objective of economic and social cohesion among the regions of Spain, Greece, Ireland and Portugal within the framework of European Community Regional Policy and the spatial disparities among these countries. Our aim is to integrate, in a single indicator, a large number of variables defined by the European Commission to monitor improvements in regional development, classified according to the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. To achieve this goal, we use the Pena distance method for the year 2013.

Wpływ prawa Unii Europejskiej na polską politykę regionalną

The article presents the impact of European Union law on the development of supra-local self-government structures in Poland. In the literature, it is estimated that the self-governmental reform of 1998 assuming the establishment of self-government voivodships and poviats enabled Poland to effectively join the implementation of regional development policy. The voivodship self-government and poviat became the basis of the institutional infrastructure together with the commune, enabling efficient acquisition of the Structural Funds and the EU Cohesion Fund.

Spatial Dimension of Czech Enterprise Support Policy: Where are Public Expenditures Allocated?

The purpose of the present paper is to find whether the spatial distribution of enterprise support policy funds meet the spatial objectives stated in Czech strategic documents related to enterprise support policy. Are more funds allocated in lagging regions, and does enterprise support policy contribute more to the convergence objective, or are more funds allocated in core regions, and does enterprise support policy contribute more to the competitiveness objective? These questions are answered by evaluating the Structural (and Cohesion) Fund (SF) expenditures that were allocated on operations categorised as part of enterprise support policy (2007-2013). The dependent variable relates to 206 regions, and SF expenditures are calculated for every inhabitant of a region. Moreover, two types of SF operation are distinguished: (a) innovationoriented operations; and (b) other enterprise support operations. Three explanatory variables are defined using Principal Components Analysis (PCA), and these components are understood as: (1) the social disadvantage of regions; (2) the innovation environment of regions; and (3) the quality of regional entrepreneurial environments. The associations between the dependent and explanatory variables are subsequently evaluated by methods of correlation and regression analysis. The findings provide some evidence for both the convergence and competitiveness objectives. Nevertheless, this evidence is rather limited due to a low spatial concentration of SF allocation, and the compensatory effect between the two thematic types of SF operations. Hence, while the quality of their innovation environment has a positive influence on regional SF allocation regardless of the thematic focus of SF operations, socially disadvantaged regions received more funds for SF operations which are not innovation-oriented. The capacity of potential beneficiaries to prepare and submit many project proposals for SF co-financing is the main reason for high or low SF allocation.