At the start of the 8th Cohesion Forum, the Commission has launched ‘Kohesio‘, a public online platform gathering all the information on over 1.5 million projects in all 27 Member States financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund, the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Youth Employment Initiative since 2014.
It is the first time that such a comprehensive platform of project data, that will be available in all EU languages, is created and made available to all. Setting it up required a close cooperation with managing authorities in the different Member States or regions, as cohesion projects are managed by national and regional authorities.
Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Kohesio offers a comprehensive set of information as never before to discover how cohesion policy helps strengthen our Union. Thanks to Kohesio, cohesion policy becomes even more open and transparent. With only a few clicks anyone can discover exactly how the EU invests in our regions and cities to foster convergence and economic, social and territorial cohesion. This new tool complements the Cohesion Report, that was published last month, and the Cohesion Open Data platform. Cohesion policy funded projects will have no secrets!”
Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, added: “EU funds can make a real difference for everyone in the EU, and in particular for those who need our support most. The European Social Fund supports people in finding jobs, it helps workers and companies acquire the skills needed for a fair, green and digital recovery, and it strengthens social inclusion. Cohesion funds can also support Member States in helping those who flee the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The new platform tells the stories behind many EU-funded projects that invest in people and regions.”
A useful tool for everyone
The Kohesio platform makes the information held by managing authorities available to all. With an impressive wealth of data, it shows the crucial contribution of cohesion policy to the economic, territorial and social cohesion of the EU’s regions, as well as to the green and digital transitions, through the implementation and funding of a wide variety of policy priorities in the Member States. It also encourages the identification and exchanges of best practices between different regions and Member States.
Here is what Kohesio can offer:
- Standardised data on 1.5 million projects from the 2014-2020 funding period, including links to the respective programmes and funds;
- Standardised data on the 500,000 project beneficiaries and the state of implementation of the projects;
- Data covering more than 300 operational programmes in all 27 Member States;
- An interactive map allowing to retrieve the data geographically;
- All information to be translated in all EU languages.
Some examples of cohesion projects on Kohesio
Kohesio will help users explore how ERDF supports the creation of a community-based digital platform in France. It will also inform about the ESF-funded YouthReach scheme project in Ireland that supports young people who left school early to bounce back and take their first successful steps toward employment. Between 2014 and 2020 alone, the scheme has reached out 14 000 young people. Finally, Kohesio can show how the Cohesion Fund contributes to improve railway connections in Czechia.
Next steps
In cooperation with the Managing Authorities, selected by Member States to manage cohesion funding, the Commission will continue developing the Kohesio platform to include projects from the new programming period 2021-2027. In the coming months the platform will be available in all EU official languages.
Background
The Commission is dedicated to transparency and making data available to the public. That was why the Cohesion Open Data platform was launched in December 2015, allowing users to track progress of cohesion policy implementation at EU level, by theme, country or fund. The Kohesio platform complements the Cohesion Open Data platform with a single and comprehensive repository of information on projects and beneficiaries financed under cohesion policy. The two platforms will coexist as they offer two different angles: Cohesion Data covers program level financial information while Kohesio provides detailed information at project level.
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