The European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) is
a project that identifies and rewards EU regions which show an outstanding and innovative entrepreneurial policy strategy, irrespective of their size, wealth and competences. The regions with the most credible, forward-thinking and promising vision plan
are granted the label "European Entrepreneurial Region" (EER) for a specific year.
The EER label has been set up in partnership with the European Commission and is supported by EU level stakeholders such as
SME United,
Eurochambres,
Social Economy Europe and
EURADA. It remains open to any organisation willing to contribute to its objectives.
The
EER award in 2020 has been granted to the following regions:
Gdansk & Pomorskie Region (Poland),
Gothenburg Business Region (Sweden) and
Navarra Region (Spain). More information on awarded regions can be found in the
press release.
How to apply
Eligibility
- Open to all EU territories of Member States, including communities and cities as well as cross-border territories with legal personality such as EGTCs and Euroregions
- Possession of competences at a political level (not necessarily legislative)
- Ability to implement an overall entrepreneurial vision
- Regardless of their size, wealth or specific competences
- Open to territories that are already successful and those committed to implementing necessary changes
Cross-border regions are particularly encouraged to submit applications
Necessary documents
- Application form
- Fact sheet on the applicant territory
- An outline of the regions political vision
- A description of foreseen governance mechanism to ensure efficient implementation of the EER actions
- Action plan
- Communication plan
- Declaration of political commitment demonstrating that the territory's EER strategy is endorsed by its political leadership (e.g. the regional assembly, the regional government or other authorised political bodies)
Application procedure
The deciding Jury takes into account
- Each applicant's budget, specific structural or territorial challenges and economic starting point
- The overall presentation of the EER candidate's Vision Plan
For more information on how to apply, please consult the documents section below.
Documents (EER 2021-2022 process)
EER Jury
The Jury is composed of twelve members (experts in the field and politicians) and is made up of representatives of the:
EER Regions
List of European Entrepreneurial Regions since 2011:
-
2011: Brandenburg (Germany), County Kerry (Ireland) and Murcia Region (Spain);
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2012: Catalonia (Spain), Helsinki-Uusimaa (Finland) and Trnava (Slovak Republic);
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2013: Nord-Pas de Calais (France), Southern Denmark and Styria (Austria);
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2014: Flanders (Belgium), Marche (Italy) and North Brabant (Netherlands);
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2015: Lisbon (Portugal), Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) and the Valencian Region (Spain);
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2016: Glasgow (United Kingdom), Lombardia (Italy) and Małopolska (Poland);
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2017: Extremadura (Spain), Lower Austria (Austria), Western Greece (Greece);
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2018: Central Macedonia (Greece), Ile-de-France (France) and Northern and Western Region (Ireland);
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2019: Asturias (Spain), Gelderland (Netherlands), Thessaly (Greece);
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2020: Gdansk and Pomorskie (Poland), Gothenburg (Sweden), Navarra (Spain).
Contact:
Mr Piotr Zajaczkowski
Committee of the Regions
Tel: +32 (0)2/282.24.01
eer-cdr@cor.europa.eu