Invitation to the launch event
To successfully manage the digital and green transition, all EU regions need to take advantage of funding opportunities and participate in strategic networks at European level. Many EU funds are available to regional actors - both public and private - but each with specific eligibility criteria. These are often barriers to accessing these resources.
9 October 2024 from 11:00 to 12:30
Online via Zoom (Interpretation into German will be provided.)
This virtual event marks the official launch of the project ‘Enhancing regional access to and performance in EU initiatives and funds’, focussing on the regions of Brussels-Capital (Belgium), Silesia (Poland), Thuringia (Germany) and Wallonia (Belgium).
- Opening address by DG REFORM, the OECD and the four regions: Brussels-Capital Region, Silesia, Thuringia and Wallonia
- Presentation of the project by the OECD
- Presentation of the regional context by the Brussels-Capital Region, Silesia, Thuringia and Wallonia
- Q&A session with the audience
- Concluding remarks
Registration here »
Background to the initiative ‘Improving regional access to and performance of EU initiatives and funds’
Initial situation
Many EU regions face significant barriers in accessing these resources due to limited awareness of available opportunities, inadequate capacity to respond to funding calls, or weak participation in European networks that enable joint applications for funding. As a result, the EU regions involved in this project—Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium), Silesia (Poland), Thuringia (Germany), and Wallonia (Belgium)—display relatively low rates of engagement in key EU initiatives and funds. For instance, the Belgian region of Wallonia garnered just 10.3% of Belgium’s Horizon Europe funding in 2022, while the German state of Thuringia obtained only 1.6% of Germany’s total share of the same fund. This challenge extends to a broad range of stakeholders—in Silesia, 67% of NGOs reported difficulties in accessing EU funds and initiatives in 2022, and only 11% were successful in doing so. To address these challenges and increase the use of EU initiatives and funds, there is a clear need to build robust governance mechanisms and support networks to facilitate the mobilisation of EU initiatives and funds. Maximising these funding opportunities is essential to ensuring that the digital and green transitions are pursued in a just, efficient, and competitive manner.
Aim of the project
The project aims to increase Thuringia's participation in EU projects and networks. Partner regions in the project are Brussels-Capital (Belgium), Silesia (Poland) and Wallonia (Belgium), which have similar objectives.
The two-year project is funded by the European Union through the Technical Assistance Instrument and implemented by the OECD in co-operation with the European Commission. It will focus in particular on analysing regional structures, drawing up recommendations for action and developing proposals for measures to improve our position in Thuringia with regard to EU funding in the future.
Cooperation in Thuringia
For Thuringia, the project is being coordinated by the Thuringian State Representation in Brussels. We will work closely with relevant stakeholders from the state government, public administrations and multipliers from business, science and EU networks. We will soon be addressing and involving the various target groups in a targeted manner.
