Cohesion policy is the main instrument used by the European Union in order to promote social and economic growth, foster convergence between the different regions, and improve the quality of life on the ground. Since 2021 we have been reporting on the challenges faced by the regions of South-Eastern Europe and on initiatives which were promoted thanks to cohesion funds, first with the Work4Future projects and then with Energy4Future. The ‘Cohesion for Climate’ project continues to look at cohesion policy and related challenges, focusing in particular on interventions in the field of environment: prevention of natural disasters, land management, conservation of protected areas and species, and so on.
OBC Transeuropa collaborates in the Cohesion for Climate project together with Il Sole 24 Ore, ISSiRFA/CNR, Monithon and PressOne.
Austro-Hungarian spas in Romania
1/4/2025Băile Herculane is among the oldest and most popular spas in Romania. It reached the peak of its splendour in the second half of the 19th century, when the region was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
TOURISM Romania, the rebirth of a spa town
Lorenzo Ferrari | 1/4/2025After decades of severe decline, the historical spa town of Băile Herculane is gradually flourishing again. The credit goes to the efforts by a group of young people who mobilised to save the heritage and reclaim the spaces, and to EU funds
INTERVIEW Cohesion funds, a Slovenian experience
Bruxelles | Federico Baccini | 24/3/2025EU funds can have a real impact on the lives of citizens and local communities, provided they are spent taking into account the specific needs of each territory. Interview with Jasna Gabrič, former mayor of Trbovlje
COHESION Romania, transhumance guardian of biodiversity
Marta Abbà | 11/4/2025The traditional passage of shepherds and sheep tramples the ground but does not destroy biodiversity – rather, it creates spaces and opportunities to make animals, plants and even people more resilient. A researcher studied it in the lab and in the Romanian mountains where she grew up
ENVIRONMENT Alps, imagining the mountain beyond the snow
Marta Abbà | 12/3/2025Many low- and mid-altitude ski resorts, due to global warming, remain without snow, but not necessarily without tourists. There are ways to reinvent the mountain: an ongoing cross-border project, BeyondSnow, helps some Alpine resorts understand how to do it
COHESION EU, the potential of renewables for local development
Ornaldo Gjergji | 5/3/2025In the European Union there is enormous potential for the production of renewable energy, still only partially exploited. It is concentrated above all in rural regions: with adequate investments, it could create a precious opportunity for development
EUROPE EU Cohesion Policy, the risks of centralisation
Brussels | Federico Baccini | 29/1/2025The temptation to centralise the management of EU cohesion funds is a mistake, argues economist Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, who has edited a report on the future of this policy for the European Commission. An interview
AGRICULTURE Italy-Slovenia, vineyard alliance against the climate crisis
Dobrovo v Brdih | Marta Abbà | 28/1/2025Increasingly hot summers and crops at the mercy of extreme events challenge growers in cross-border areas. In the face of the certainty of climate uncertainty, forces and data are being joined with the European AI-GRAPE project, created to introduce digitalisation into viticulture
WILDLIFE Bulgaria, a sanctuary for the red-breasted goose
Filippo Sconza | 3/1/2025Native to Siberia, the red-breasted goose winters on the western coast of the Black Sea. Threatened by poaching and climate change, this endangered species has benefited from various conservation projects in Bulgaria in recent years
EUROPE Cohesion policy, the requirements of the Economic and Social Committee
Brussels | Federico Baccini | 23/12/2024Ahead of the discussions on the future EU budget, we interviewed Oliver Röpke, President of the European Economic and Social Committee, on the principles that should guide the way cohesion funds are delivered
DIGITAL EU, Internet connections are getting faster and faster
Ornaldo Gjergji | 7/1/2025In the last five years, the average speed of Internet access has quadrupled in Italy, in line with improvements that have occurred throughout Europe. However, some territories risk being left out: public investments in broadband supported by the EU are essential
EUROPE Cohesion Policy, big changes on the agenda
Brussels | Federico Baccini | 5/12/2024The new EU budget is starting to take shape. Cohesion funds could flow into a single National Plan, and the disbursement of funding could be tied to the implementation of specific reforms
3 million Euros for 4 species of birds
1/1/1970"The Republic […] guarantees the protection and reproduction of the environment, the conservation of living nature in all its varieties and the reasonable use of natural resources". This is stated in Article 15 of the Constitution of Bulgaria, the first country in the European Union in terms of the share of its territory covered by protected areas
This material is published in the context of the ‘Cohesion4Climate’ project, co-funded by the European Union. The EU is in no way responsible for the information or views expressed within the framework of the project; responsibility for the content lies solely with OBCT.
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