COMMISSION PRESENTS THE STATE OF THE EU REGIONS AND LAUNCHES DEBATE ON THE FUTURE OF COHESION POLICY

The economic, social and territorial situation of the enlarged Union and its 268 regions is illustrated for the first time in the Fourth Cohesion Report presented by the European Commission. The report contains a detailed analysis of the position of the regions in terms of GDP, productivity and employment, identifying a series of challenges with which Member States and regions will  be confronted  in the coming years.

The Fourth Cohesion Report also provides a first assessment of the impact of European cohesion policy during the 2000-2006 programming period and of preparations for the new 2007- 2013 period. The report includes 10 questions to kick off the debate inside and outside the European institutions on the future of this major policy area.

4th Report on Economic and Social Cohesion