07/03/2018 (Agence Europe) – Seven regions and member states of the Union have been selected by the European Commission to benefit from aid as part of a pilot action on industrial transition, announced the commissioner for regional policy, Corina Cretu, speaking on Wednesday 7 March. They are: Cantabria (Spain), Centre-Val de Loire (France), North East Finland, the Grand-Est (France) and Greater Manchester (United Kingdom), as well as Lithuania and Slovenia. The pilot action, which had been announced in July 2017 (see EUROPE 11873) aims to provide financial aid (€200,000 per region from the European Regional Development Fund) to strengthen cohesion, research and innovation, education and industrial competitiveness. In December, five other regions had been selected: Hauts-de-France (France), Norra Mellansverige (North Central Sweden), Piedmont (Italy), Saxony (Germany), and Wallonia (Belgium). (PH)