Aiding disadvantaged regions

Two thirds of the European Union's structural funds provide aid for regions whose development is lagging behind. Regions are eligible if their per capita gross domestic product is less than 75% of the Community average. Some 20% of the Union's total population should benefit from this aid in the period 2000-2006. The INTERREG programme, with a total budget of 4.8 billion euros, will make it possible for areas that are lagging behind economically, or are undergoing redevelopment, to share their experiences and cooperate with each other. The LEADER+ programme, with a budget of 2 billion euros, has been designed to safeguard existing jobs in rural areas, and create new ones. The URBAN programme, with a budget of 700 million euros, aims to develop and implement new methods of revitalizing problem areas in cities and suburbs, and to share experiences at the EU level.