Transparency has become a watchword in EU State aid control. Since July 2016, all granting authorities have been required to report awards exceeding €500,000 to a publicly accessible website. Yet, four years on, there is still scope for improvement in the timeliness of reporting, the accuracy of compliance assessments and rationalisation of obligations. An EPRC study prepared for DG Competition looks at how, and how well, the transparency requirement has been implemented and feeds into the wider Commission review of the State aid rules post 2020.

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The European Commission has just finished consulting on its proposals for the Regional Aid Guidelines (RAGS).1 This followed an extensive review from which the Commission concluded that only a few minor amendments were needed. This blog asks whether the Commission is right to consider that the current rules work well or whether more needs to be done to address the impact of COVID-19, Brexit and to meet the ambitions of the Green Deal and Digital Strategy.

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The massive economic, financial and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis presents a huge policy challenge at all levels of government. The EU agreed in April 2020 on a ‘road-map’ for a recovery to relaunch the EU economy.

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EU Competition Policy control of regional aid is in an interregnum. In a policy area which is often contentious because it constrains domestic support for business, the Commission is pondering reforms to State aid control against the backdrop of wider EU priorities in its 'budget for the future'.

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The 40th anniversary EoRPA conference took place in Scotland House, Brussels on the 9th of October, 2019. Several guest speakers presented talks on regional policy in the current day and the some of the challenges it faces.

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EPRC's Professor Fiona Wishlade takes a fresh look at the Commission proposals for Cohesion policy 2021-27 from a UK perspective.

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The Delft interim meeting on Sustainable Urban Development took place at EPRC's Delft base at TU Delft, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, on 26 February 2019.

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Articles published in Lexxion’s European Structural & Investment Funds journal (EStIF) will now be available free online

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EPRC researchers led on and contributed to a number of sessions at this year's European Week of Regions and Cities

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EPRC is leading two events on financial instruments at #EURegionsWeek

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