Glossaire

Thematic objectives are investment priorities funded by the ESIFs. In the 2014-2020 programming period, the European Structural and Investment Funds, in particular the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund, will support 11 investment priorities, also known as thematic objectives: 1. Strengthening research, technological development and innovation 2. Enhancing access to, and use and quality of information and communication technologies (ICT) 3. Enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 4. Supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors 5. Promoting climate change adaptation, risk prevention and management 6. Preserving and protecting the environment and promoting resource efficiency 7. Promoting sustainable transport and removing bottlenecks in key network infrastructures 8. Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility 9. Promoting social inclusion, combating poverty and any discrimination 10. Investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning 11. Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration At the same time, the first four of these thematic objectives constitute key priorities for the ERDF, and a significant part of the investment will focus on these areas (between 50% and 80%, depending on the region’s level of development). The goal of these objectives is to focus regional policy funding on areas that deliver the highest benefits to citizens, creating synergies between the funded projects and avoiding an excessive fragmentation of funding.

ESPON is an applied research programme aimed at supporting the formulation of territorial development policies in Europe. To this end, the programme produces wide-ranging and systematic data on territorial trends related to various economic, social and environmental aspects, with a view to identifying the potential of regions, cities and larger territories and the economic challenges they face. ESPON activities cover all EU Member States, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and involve more than 130 bodies across the continent. They conduct different kinds of studies (thematic, policy impact, cross-theme, scientific networking, capacity-building) and produce territorial data in the form of statistics, analyses and maps. One of the major challenges of ESPON therefore involves making this material accessible and understandable to local policy-makers. At EU level, the results of ESPON research efforts provide a source of comparable information that can be used to improve the Union's competitiveness and its sustainable development. In the 2014-20 programming period, ESPON will function as a European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). Its main focus is on thematic objective 11: Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration.

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) is an organization that is neither a part of a government nor a conventional for-profit business. Usually set up by ordinary citizens, NGOs may be funded by governments, foundations, businesses, or private persons.

Intermediate body is any public or private body which acts under the responsibility of a managing or certifying authority, or which carries out duties on behalf of such an authority, in relation to beneficiaries implementing operations.