The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) invests in infrastructure, innovation and research, the digital agenda, support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the low-carbon economy. The aim is to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions.
In 2018 the European Commission released its proposal for a new ERDF covering the period 2021-2027. In December 2020 an agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the final wording of the Regulation.
The European Disability Forum advocated extensively for the Regulation to include a number of provisions that would result in the Regional Development Fund being used more effectively for accessibility and deinstitutionalisation for persons with disabilities.
In this document we will analyse the final agreement on the ERDF regarding the articles we advocated on. We will explain what it could mean for persons with disabilities over the coming seven years. When presenting final text from the Regulation, all amendments to the Commission’s original proposal will be presented in bold and italic. In some cases, where text has been removed from the original proposal, words will also have a strike through.
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European Regional Development Fund 2021-2027: Analysis of the final agreement