The
Regional policy of the European Union (EU), also referred as Cohesion Policy, is a policy with the stated aim of improving the economic well-being of
regions in the EU and also to avoid regional disparities. More than one third of the
EU's budget is devoted to this policy, which aims to remove economic, social and territorial disparities across the EU,
restructure declining industrial areas and diversify rural areas which have declining agriculture. In doing so, EU regional policy is geared towards making regions more competitive, fostering economic growth and creating new jobs. The policy also has a role to play in wider challenges for the future, including
climate change,
energy supply and
globalisation.