Today, the European Commission takes stock of the first year of implementation of the ‘Catching up Regions Initiative' in the Prešov region. This Slovak ‘low-income region', which GDP is rapidly growing but remains well under the EU and Slovak average, has been benefiting from Commission and World Bank expertise to boost jobs and growth. The second phase of the initiative will start next month.
Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Crețu said: "The Catching up Regions initiative shows that Cohesion Policy is not a one-size-fits-all policy. It is able to adapt to specific regional needs and I am glad to see the impressive results the initiative has had in the Prešov region. This is also thanks to the great cooperation between Commission and World Bank experts and the regional authorities: congratulations to all!”
The experts have helped regional authorities design an action plan for economic transformation, including structural reforms in order to improve the local investment environment. €1.3 million from EU funds supported the design and implementation of this action plan. Here are some of the results: