06/12/11

Future of EU funding for economic development a focus of ‘MEPs meet LEPs’ event

This month the LEP Network convened a session in Brussels to introduce MEPs to representatives of LEPs .  LEP Board members from Greater Manchester and Greater Lincolnshire met a with delegation of UK MEPs on 13 October to discuss the changing policy context for economic development  in the UK, the role of LEPs and their engagement with the EU.

A focus of the discussions was EU funding for economic development, in particular the challenge of spending funding allocations to 2013;  the future shape of the structural funds programs for 2014-19, especially with regard to centralised programs and the potential impact on the setting and delivery of local priorities;  and the reshaped ‘Horizon 2020’ programme, previously the Framework Programmes for R&D and innovation.

With  no more Regional Growth Fund monies to be allocated after the current phase, EU funding routes (including loans from the European Investment Bank) will be critical to the delivery of some LEP infrastructure or business growth priorities in the future.  The MEPs highlighted the 30bn EUR of loans made available by the EIB to SMEs in the last year, and that LEPs could play a key role by signposting local companies to this resource.

The MEPs were keen to help LEPs in their areas to engage with structural funds issues, and all present at the meeting volunteered to do so.  The LEP Network will be looking to encourage these links more widely, for example by securing

European Commission representation in future LEP Network events (see article below) – providing another point of contact on structural funding and framework programme funding.

For more information, please contact Mike Spicer [email protected]. 

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