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European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs) were set up to facilitate cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation between Member States or their regional and local authorities. EGTCs enable these partners to implement joint projects, exchange experience and improve coordination of spatial planning.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project is a major global collaborative scientific experiment aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of nuclear fusion as an unlimited and relatively clean source of energy. The EU Member States participate by virtue of their membership of Euratom. Work on the site in France (Cadarache) began in 2007, but since then the expected final cost and year of completion have been revised upwards a number of times. It is now hoped that 'first plasma ...

This European Implementation Assessment has been provided to accompany the work of the European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education in scrutinising the implementation of the Erasmus+ programme. The Erasmus+ programme for Union action in the field of education, training, youth and sport was launched on 1 January 2014 and will run until 31 December 2020. It brings together seven successful programmes which operated separately between 2007 and 2013 (the Lifelong Learning Programme, five ...

The European integration process has redefined the map of Europe, changing the fortunes of Europe's border regions from peripheral areas to poles of potential growth. Their development has been spurred by European territorial cooperation, with EGTCs playing a leading role in this EU success story. An EGTC enables entities from two or more Member States to work together under a common structure with legal personality. Its objective is to facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and inter-regional ...

This study updates the TEN-T investment study completed in early 2013 and adds five new case studies to the analysis, three of which deal with mega projects that are still in the planning or early implementation phase: Lyon-Turin, Iron-Rhine and S21/Stuttgart-Ulm. Findings confirm that not all stakeholders have learned past lessons on successfully developing projects. There is a particular need for early and transparent public participation and a clear project definition prior to the project decision ...

This study examines budgetary resources for Pilot Projects (PPs) and Preparatory Actions (PAs) in 2009-2014 and the outcome of PPs and PAs that have come to an end in this period. Taking account of both new and on-going projects, funding for 136 Pilot Projects and 95 Preparatory Actions have been included in the budget since 2009. Since 2009, of the total budgetary resources available, on average PPs have used 88% and PAs 54%. In terms of outcomes up until 2013, 63% of PPs and 86% of PAs are either ...

This study provides an in-depth analysis of Multi-Level Governance in Cohesion Policy in the programming period of 2007-2013. It begins by examining the evolution of the concept and previous practices of implementing Multi-Level Governance in Cohesion Policy across the EU. It then provides a comparative analysis of partnership-working in nine programme case studies during the programming period and across the various stages of the policy cycle. The study identifies the advantages and disadvantages ...

The decommissioning of the shutdown reactors in Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia is financially supported by the European Commission. The Budgetary Control Committee of the European Parliament has commissioned Öko-Institute with a study that analyses the best practice of selected decommissioning projects and contrasts those with the management in the three eastern European cases. The study identified best practices in the organization of the decommissioning projects in Germany and France. The comparison ...

This note provides analytical, conceptual, and policy commentary on the proposed Culture Strand of the Creative Europe Programme. It takes into account all available commentary on this Programme from both official sources and a wide range of stakeholders, including published results of consultation and follow up discussions with key actors in the field by IMO research team. The focus is on both the plausibility and cogency of the overall policy architecture and on key points of acknowledged concern ...

This note seeks to provide a concise overview and critical assessment of the proposed Europe for Citizens programme 2014-2020, which aims to enhance remembrance and civic participation in Europe. Based on an outline of past “active citizenship” initiatives on a European level and the Europe for Citizens programme currently in force, the genesis of the Commission’s new proposal, its content, and its reception by other EU-institutions and stakeholders are analysed. The respective strengths and weaknesses ...