EU Regional Policy empowers regions through bottom-up solutions in North Rhine-Westphalia

EU Regional Policy is designed on the base of administrative borders and European territorial nomenclature, however challenges do not respect boundaries. Solutions often have to be found for functional regions. The talk will present examples of how functional regions within North Rhine-Westphalia can organise themselves and effectively use ERDF to solve their local-regional problems. The practical examples demonstrate the need for flexibility to empower local-regional initiatives.