Focussing on the support for cohesion in regions and competitivity, the heading « Sustainable development » is a direct reference to the political priorities set out in the Göteborg and Lisbon treaties of the European Union. They can be sub-divided into two categories « Cohesion for Development and Employment » and « Competitivity for Growth and Employment ». This line has one of the best funded global budget of 382,139 billion euros.
Cohesion
The cohesion policy aims to favour the harmonious, just and sustainable development of the territories of the European Union. Co-funded by the structural funds – ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and the ESF (European Social Fund), this policy has three major programmes known as « Objective Convergence », Objective Competitivity », « Objective Regional Competitivity and Employment » and « Objective Territorial Cooperation ». These programmes are potentially open to culture and cultural initiatives.
Competitiveness
« Competitiveness » aims to transform Europe into a dynamic economy founded on knowledge and geared towards growth and reinforced competitivity and innovation in a single market. It is divided into four programmes that cover areas such as research, technological development and innovation, education and life long training, employment and social affairs. This programme is potentially open to culture.