Circular Economy Funding in the EU: A Regional Analysis of ERDF Projects from 2014-2020

The European Union's (EU) circular economy approach has been supported by €22.9 billion in funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) between 2014 and 2020, according to a new publication by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The funding has been used to support projects related to the development or adoption of circular economy technologies, and more eco-friendly business models.

The publication found that ERDF projects implemented by textiles, construction and energy-intensive industries were around 2 times more likely to be associated with circular economy approaches than the average. Eastern European countries and Greece had the highest concentration of ERDF circular economy-related projects.

The publication, titled "Mapping Circular Economy projects funded by ERDF in 2014-2020," is authored by Anabela Marques Santos, Andrea Conte and Tauno Ojala and can be found at:

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC132160.