On Wednesday 7 December, the European Commission adopted the partnership agreement under the 2021-2027 cohesion policy for Luxembourg. The Grand Duchy will thus benefit from a €67 million budget to accelerate the ecological and digital transitions, increase the employment rate and improve its social services.
On the environmental side, €23 million from the ERDF and the ‘Just Transition Fund’ (JTF) will be dedicated to the energy efficiency of public buildings, the reduction of CO2 emissions in the transport and construction sectors and the production of renewable energy. The ERDF will also support investments to protect biodiversity.
On the economic and social front,€15.5 million from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) will target social inclusion, education and employment. Particular attention will be paid to job seekers (€5.5 million), disadvantaged groups (€3.9 million), young people (€2.2 million), improving the skills of employees (€1.7 million), assisting people in need (€1.3 million) and combating child poverty (€1 million). In addition, the ERDF will support research, innovation and the digitalisation of procedures for SMEs.
Finally, the Luxembourg agreement provides for an envelope of €29 million under six Interreg cooperation programmes.
Is this the home stretch for the 2021-2027 partnership agreements? It would appear so, since only those of Belgium and Hungary remain to be approved by the Commission. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)