Website: ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/funds/feder/index_en.htm

The ERDF has the objective to strengthen economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions. Sustainable energy is a priority of the European Regional Development fund. The ERDF is intervening in the three objectives of regional policy:

• Convergence: within this objective the ERDF focus its intervention, among others, in the area of energy.
• Regional development and competitiveness: one of the priorities of this objective aims at "boosting energy efficiency, promoting clean urban transport within towns".
• Territorial cooperation (former INTERREG III initiative).

In short, the ERDF finances:

• direct aid to investments in companies (in particular SMEs) to create sustainable jobs;
• infrastructures linked notably to research and innovation, telecommunications, environment, energy and transport;
• financial instruments (capital risk funds, local development funds, etc.) to support regional and local development and to foster cooperation between towns and regions;
• technical assistance measures.

In regions covered by the Convergence objective, ERDF focuses its intervention on modernising and diversifying economic structures as well as safeguarding or creating sustainable jobs, with action in the following areas:

• research and technological development (RTD);
• innovation and entrepreneurship;
• information society;
• environment;
• risk prevention;
• tourism;
• culture;
• transport;
• energy;
• education;
• health.