Press Release: Cohesion Payments Increase as Member States Tap EU Funding for Growth

The budgetary constraints currently faced by Member States mean that the EU's structural funds are an ever more valuable source of growth-enhancing investment especially in the regions that need it most. The effective use of these funds gathered pace in 2011, with payments to Member States from last year's cohesion policy budget hitting a record €32.9 billion, an 8% increase on the €30.5 billion paid out in 2010.

This higher payment rate from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund for 2011 also reflects the fact that we are well into the second half of the 2007-2013 financial framework, which is when most invoices are submitted. EU structural funds in 2011 helped to further the Single Market through investments in a broad range of strategic and growth-enhancing areas, including broadband connections, research and development infrastructure, innovation projects, new Small- and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and education.

European Commission: Memo/12/49: Actions taken with structural funds to promote growth http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/12/49&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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