"When UK catches a cold, Liverpool catches a high fever" but EU funds insulate British regions from national economic downturns, like the one Britain is experiencing at the moment.
That was one of the conclusions when the European Movement UK held the second regional conference, this time in Liverpool, in the context of its "The legacy of EU Funds in the Regions" project. The conference brought together local businesses, universities and NGOs from the region to discuss with Commission officials and public authorities the economic and social impact of EU funding in the area of Merseyside and the North West region.
Noel Farrell from the European Commission's Ireland and UK Unit said that, according to Commission surveys, thousands of organisations have benefited from ERDF grants since 2000. Between 2000-2006 EU funded programmes created 117.391 new jobs and supported 207.662 small and medium-sized enterprises. In the current programme period (2007 - 2013), the regional competitiveness and employment programmes in the UK have created or safeguarded 55.440 jobs. In England, the total ERDF spending reached £2.8 billion. From 2007 to 2011, nearly 3.800 SME projects received direct investment aid from EU funds, more than 9.700 business start-ups were supported.
David Stubbs, managing director of ESL&Network UK, presented a study of the benefits of EU Structural Funds in the region, according to which structural funds involved investment in the UK of around £193 billion (€230 billion) from 1975 to 2013. The North West region was allocated a total of €756 million ERDF support for the period 2007 - 2013, out of which 41% is ring-fenced for Merseyside. In the same programming period, €420 million ESF has been allocated for the North West region and €205 million for Merseyside.
Paul Dickson, European Programme Manager for Local Enterprise Partnership, emphasised the importance of the ERDF in terms of their support for research and innovation projects, which have helped the region become a leader in R&D. Significant investment has been made in the area of renewable energy, where thanks to the Merseyside REECH project (Renewables and Energy Efficiency in Community Housing), an ERDF funded project, over than 2000 homes were refurbished, creating new jobs in the process.
According to John Flamson, Director of Partnerships and Innovation on the University of Liverpool, the EU is a force for good, making a huge contribution to local universities at a time when other sources of government spending are drying up. Furthermore, EU programmes helped to facilitate commercial links with SMEs, showcase innovation and demonstrate that students or graduates can contribute to business competitiveness.
The Director of Development and Communications of the National Museums Liverpool (NML), Amy de Joia, stated that EU funds have a made "a profound and lasting impact". NML has received £349.000 from the ERDF for major exhibitions between 2009 and 2013. Thanks to the funding, 10.000sqm of new and refurbished space is now available for exhibitions, not just enriching the area culturally but also creating over 1.000 construction jobs in the process.
Andy Churchill, CEO of Network for Europe, stressed that the long-term perspective of EU funded programmes means that they offer investment safety beyond the more short-term political cycle, help create (often cross-border) partnerships, make participants set a comprehensive strategy and afford them the support and oversight of an independent authority like the European Commission.
At a time of economic austerity, EU spending at the regional level helps create long-term, sustainable employment, making regions more attractive places for private investment and equipping them with the resources to trade across boarders and make the most of the Single Market.
