Cohesion Fund (CF)

Cohesion Fund (CF)

The Cohesion fund (CF) is one of the five ESIF funds and focusses on investments in countries where the gross national income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90% of the EU average. The objective of the fund is to reduce the economic and social gap between and within those countries. For the next long-term EU budget of 2021 – 2027, the Commission proposes to modernise the Cohesion Policy, which is the EU’s main investment policy and one of its most concrete expressions of solidarity.

Countries that receive support from the fund can get up to 85% of their costs covered. Eligible countries for this support are: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

What is the relevance for Circular Cities?

Many initiatives that support Circular Cities have been funded by the Cohesion Fund in the past. It is expected that this will continue and increase in the 2021-2027 programming period, because the Commission emphasised in its Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0 that the Cohesion Policy funds will help regions to implement circular economy strategies and reinforce their industrial fabric and value chains. Moreover, a strong focus is proposed on the priorities ‘Smarter Europe’ and ‘Greener, carbon free Europe’. Circular initiatives can benefit directly from this focus as 65% to 85% of the resources will be allocated to projects supporting these priorities.

How to apply?

Applying for the Cohesion Fund is possible via national or regional authorities. Find your managing authority here .