EU Regional and Cohesion Funds evaluation confirms strong overall performance, but uneven territorial outcomes
- Rural Pact
- Rural Revitalisation Platform
- Connected rural areas
- Prosperous rural areas
- Resilient rural areas
- Stronger Rural Areas
The European Commission has published its ex-post evaluation of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF) for 2014-2020, concluding that both funds delivered substantial support for economic development, environmental sustainability, and social cohesion across the EU.
Image by Baurzhan Ibrashev on Canva
The evaluation confirms that the funds generated positive economic returns and supported convergence between regions. They contributed to improved infrastructure, strengthened research and innovation capacity, enhanced SME competitiveness, and progress in water, waste and energy efficiency.
At the same time, the evaluation notes persistent territorial disparities, with outcomes varying significantly between countries and regions. Some rural, remote and low-density areasfaced structural constraints – including limited administrative capacity, demographic decline, and reduced access to services – which sometimes hindered their ability to benefit fully from available funding.
The report further identifies challenges related to complex administrative procedures, fragmented governance arrangements and uneven uptake of integrated territorial tools such as Community-led Local Development (CLLD) and Integrated Territorial Investments (ITIs).
For local and rural development, the evaluation highlights the continued importance of place-based approaches, stronger coordination between sectoral policies, and improved support for local actors. It emphasises the need to reinforce administrative capacity at local level, simplify access to funding, and promote integrated strategies that address skills, innovation, services and environmental resilience together.
As preparations for the 2028-2034 programming period advance, these findings provide an evidence base for refining cohesion policy to ensure more balanced territorial impacts and more effective support for all types of regions.